Nicky's Game

Nicky's Game is a 2005 American short film, originally developed and produced as an independent television pilot, based on Peter Alson's New York Times Best Seller Confessions of an Ivy League Bookie.^[1] The film was shot on 16mm in New York City and premiered in 2005 at the inaugural New York Television Festival. It went on to become an official selection in 2006 of the Vail Film Festival^[2] and CineVegas before being released on DVD/VOD by IndiePix Films.

Nicky’s Game
Directed by	John-Luke Montias
Written by	Peter Alson
Produced by	Matthew Parker Matthew Strauss
Starring	John Ventimiglia Burt Young Alexie Gilmore Lev Gorn Bill Tangradi
Cinematography	George Gibson
Edited by	Michiel Pilgram Tony Borden
Music by	Ed Tomney
Production companies	SpaceTime Films LaSalleHolland
Distributed by	IndiePix Films
Release date	September 29, 2005 (2005-09-29) (NYTVF)
Running time	21 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$100,000 (est.)

Plot summary

Nicky Singer (John Ventimiglia) is a down-on-his-luck Brooklyn native who has parlayed his Yale education into a job eking out a living as a professional poker player. Using his wits to navigate the seedy world of underground poker, he must balance his own interests with those of his father (Burt Young), a retiree whose own gambling debts have pushed him to the brink of eviction. In a struggle to keep his head above water, Nicky encounters a diverse group of wannabe mobsters, thugs, and other eccentric characters.

Cast

• John Ventimiglia as Nicky Singer
• Burt Young as Leo Singer
• Alexie Gilmore as Tatiana
• Lev Gorn as Syrian Sal
• Bill Tangradi as DeeJay