It was the drug trade that seemed to make Jimmy’s word go ’round. By all accounts, he took his drug profits to the casinos and lost large sums of money at the poker and gaming tables, then made it all back with drugs – living on the edge in a whirlwind of activity that finally took him to prison. He plead guilty to charges of heading up an assassination attempt on the Assistant US Attorney in 1978, and he was alleged to have set up another hit – this one successful – on Judge Wood, the man who handed down his first prison sentence. The story gained great publicity because the hit man supposedly hired by Jimmy was Charles Harrelson, father of actor Woody Harrelson.

Jimmy’s prison stint was finally ended in 2003 for health reasons, and he was placed in the Federal Witness Protection Program. But living in hiding didn’t sit well with the notorious criminal/gambler because he showed up at the 2007 WSOP to play a little and conduct a few interviews.

His sister reported that Jimmy died on August 19 at the age of 63 after a battle with cancer.

Woody Harrelson giving his best Phil Hellmuth impression on the red carpet before co-winning the Partouche Charity Poker Festival in France.

The occasion was Dennis Hopper’s big 7-2. Woody Harrelson, star of the latest poker-movie flop, The Grand, ended up chopping the $1 million prize pool with French actress Alice Taglioni.

Because no poker media was there, I can’t really tell you much about the set-up or structure or even how the 50 (?!) cameras were working, but I can tell you that Hopper had a 100kg strawberry sponge cake, and in defiance of French anti-smoking laws, lit up a cigar. Tim Robbins ordered a triple-vodka after what presumably was a bad beat/play … ex-Hollywood flames Salma Hayek and Ed Norton were civil to each other at the table, even though Hayek left without saying goodbye. Adrian Brody and Goldie Hawn rounded out the field, both wearing sunglasses.

Fascinating, I know. Dig/click in a little deeper and you’ll learn that Goldie’s daughter Kate Hudson is done with Owen Wilson and now hittin’ it with Lance Armstrong, who is done with Sheryl Crow who long ago was done with Owen Wilson.

Go Poker Celebrities!

This is one of the best comedies I’ve seen in a long time. I laughed myself to tears during several parts of the movie. I walked into the theater with low expectations and left thinking about seeing it again.

The casting was brilliant, as many of the actors are experienced improv comics and had no problem adding their own flavor and likely varying quite a bit from the original script. From Woody Harrelson to Ray Romano, from Richard Kind to Dennis Farina, and from David Cross to Chris Parnell, most everyone took their characters to the highest level. Even Cheryl Hines surprised me – only because I’m not terribly familiar with her work – in her deadpan scenes.

Numerous poker players were strewn throughout the film, like Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Laak, and Antonio Esfandiari. Gabe Kaplan had a main role, which wasn’t tremendously impressive but an integral and sometimes funny role nonetheless. Phil Gordon played a recurring role throughout the movie as the tournament commentator, and he was fantastic. Some of his lines were the best of the movie.

It is highly likely that many of the characters in the film were based on some of the better-known poker players on the tournament circuit. However, when trying to nail down some of the impersonations, it was difficult. All of the main characters each seemed to be mimicking two or three real life poker players rolled into one. For example, Werner Herzog played “The German” who had some similarities to David “Devilfish” Ulliott, but the character was so extreme that it was difficult to determine which other players were combined to create the character. Jason Alexander played Dr. Yakov Achmed perfectly as a Middle Eastern player – a cross between Freddy Deeb, Eli Elezra, Sam Farha, and maybe others – whose country of origin was supposedly unknown to anyone in poker.

Much of the humor was dry and dark. (Think Neil Simon’s Murder by Death.) It was necessary to pay attention at all times, especially as a person in the poker world looking for recognizable faces and scenes, in order not to miss a word, but it paid off in the hilarious one-liners and references.

I’ll be honest. Non-poker fans might find this a mediocre comedy at best. There are numerous references to poker life, terms, and players that will only be funny to those with some knowledge of these nuances of the game.

And poker fans who are looking for the next Rounders won’t find it with The Grand. This is not a film that will make anyone fall in love with poker or want to learn the game. Undoubtedly, that was not the intention of Director Zak Penn.

Some of the characters do things that are exaggerated for comedic effect and certainly not meant as a reflection on true poker life. If the viewer is unable to laugh at himself/herself and some of the craziness that is the poker world, or doesn’t grasp dry humor, the wit may fall on deaf ears.

The only thing that brought the rating down to an A- was the few scenes toward the end of the movie that seemed to slow it down. In addition, Michael McKean’s role as the Vegas entrepreneur was odd and only funny for the first minute or so of his first scene.

Overall, for poker enthusiasts and those who appreciate a niche improv comedic effort, The Grand is a must-see film.

(View clips, synopsis, cast, and show times and cities on the schedule at www.TheGrandTheMovie.com.)

The movie opens in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York City, and Philadelphia next Friday. Click here to see the trailer … and we’ll have to see how many of you/us actually go see the film.

ALT HED: Lucky You 2?

*NSFW