The 1965 classic, The Cincinnati Kid, is a poker film classic about a young card player in New Orleans who is trying to win the title of the best poker player of all time. It follows Eric “The Kid” Stoner (Steve McQueen) as a young high stakes poker player who is on a quest to establish himself as the best. This quest leads him to Lancey “The Man” Howard (Edward G. Robinson), an older player who is widely considered to be the best. The film culminates in a climactic final poker hand between the two rivals.
Though we won’t delve into too much of the plot’s detail, it does co-star some of the greatest actors of its day, including Karl Malden, Rip Torn, Ann-Margret and Tuesday Weld. Like in Maverick, there is a lot of focus on the final poker hand.
The game is five-card stud and it is down to Howard and The Kid, who is on the button. Howard is dealt the 8♦ and The Kid gets the 10♣. The Kid bets and is called. Next, Howard is dealt the Q♦ and The Kids sees the 10♠. Another bet by The Kid is followed by a raise from Howard. The next cards are the 10♦ for Howard and the A♣ for The Kid. The Kids bets out and his opponent calls. Howard’s final card is the 9♦ while The Kid is dealt the A♠. The Kid checks and Howard bets into him. The Kid raises and is all-in. Taking money from his wallet, Howard raises the marker and The Kid calls the bet. Howard turns over the J♦ for a straight flush. The Kid turns over the A♥ to show a full house and a bad beat.
The unlikely nature of the final poker hand is discussed in Anthony Holden’s book Big Deal: A Year as a Professional Poker Player. “The odds against any full house losing to any straight flush, in a two-handed game, are 45,102,781 to 1,” he writes. Holden goes on to explain that the odds are even more astronomical when you consider that both card players are holding 10s. The odds increase to more than 332 billion to 1, he says. “If these two played 50 hands of stud an hour, eight hours a day, five days a week, the situation would arise about once every 443 years.”
Well, that’s the magic of Hollywood, isn’t it?
