Synopsis

Huck Cheever is a gifted but emotionally guarded poker player hoping to qualify for the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. While pursuing the tournament, he begins a relationship with Billie Offer, a singer trying to build a new life. Huck must also confront his estranged father, a legendary player whose presence forces him to reconsider his priorities.

Factoids & Trivia

• Principal photography took place in Las Vegas and Los Angeles from March 28 through May 14, 2005. Locations included Binion's Gambling Hall, the Bellagio fountains, Bear's Best Golf Club, and the Jockey Club.

• The production recreated the Bellagio's former poker room on a Los Angeles soundstage because the real room had been renovated. The filmmakers bought furniture and chandeliers from the old room to make the replica more authentic.

• Professional poker players were heavily involved in the production. Doyle Brunson coached Eric Bana and Robert Duvall for months, while Matt Savage and Jason Lester served as consultants on tournament material.

• A mermaid-show sequence filmed inside the Silverton Casino Lodge's large aquatic tank required 16 hours of work but was ultimately removed from the finished film.

• The golf-marathon wager featured in the film was based on a real proposition bet involving professional poker player Huck Seed. The character's name, Huck Cheever, also alludes to Seed.

• Warner Bros. delayed the film for roughly two years after negative test screenings and ordered several different cuts before settling on the version released in 2007.

• "Huck's Tune" was written specifically for the film by Bob Dylan and was later included on Dylan's compilation album "The Bootleg Series Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs: Rare and Unreleased 1989-2006."

• The film opened against "Spider-Man 3" and had a weak theatrical run, earning roughly $8.5 million worldwide against an estimated $55 million budget.