Tilt - Season One

Eddie Cabrian

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Reviewer:  Zreyburn

Tilt: More exciting than the real thing

Tilt was the first of its kind: A TV show focusing on the world of professional poker play. Other shows laid the groundwork for Tilt’s existence, but each had only shown the action at the table. Chris Moneymaker was not a professional poker player, he was an accountant. The parts of life without the cards are what make a person able to sit at the table and play well, and Tilt shows 4 very unique poker players, each with their own story.

Obviously, the show is complete fiction. But who knew fictitious poker hands could be more exciting that the real thing. As a Las Vegas native, I can firmly say that the Colorado Casino does not exist. But I can also tell you that if it did, it would be swarming with poker players. Why? Because the Colorado Casino offers something no other casino does: The chance to play with a pro. The Colorado Casino’s part owner is Don Everest (Michael Madsen), known to most as “The Matador.” He’s the lowest of the low; a cheater, a thief, a crook, a murderer. But he is a well-known professional poker player, and players line up for their crack at The Matador.

Among those players are Eddie Towne (Eddie Cibrian), Miami (Kristin Lehman), and Clark Marcellin (Todd Williams). They too have been making a living playing poker, but have been mostly scraping by. Each has a score to settle with The Matador, and they decide to team up to do it. They decide to uncover The Matador’s darkest secrets from the inside, and Eddie becomes The Matador’s protégé. The Matador trains Eddie to give hand information to him during play, along with other underhanded tricks. Since Don Everest is a part-owner of the Colorado, the cameras seem to “miss” these illegal tactics, and the local police are on the Colorado’s payroll as well.

So, The Matador seems to have a sweet thing going for him. He’s raking in the cash from players who come to his casino just to play with him, and he is still regarded as one of the best players on the planet. But Iowa Sheriff Lee Nickel (Chris Bauer) has The Matador in his sights. His brother, Wayne Nickel, lost everything he had to The Matador and the Colorado Casino, due to their cheating methods. Lee has a videotape in which his brother reveals all of the ways that The Matador cheats, and Lee intends to take revenge by proving The Matador is a phony.

The series is unfortunately only 9 episodes long, but the writers of Rounders use those 9 episodes to get a lot done. Eddie and his friends go for the gold when they try to get their final revenge on The Matador. Eddie toys with just living out the sweet life that The Matador provides for his protégé, while getting involved with The Matador’s daughter. The World Championship of Poker plays out, with most of the show’s characters making the final table. Real life poker pros like Phil Helmuth and David Williams show up, only to fall to the show’s players. All in all, Tilt is a great show that was cancelled at a high point, but left a great season of writing and acting behind.

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