After eventually spotting KGB’s physical tells, he can play the long game and win back everything he lost – and then some. McDermott eventually challenges Teddy KGB to another heads-up game in a bid to win back his roll.

Losing that bankroll would eat away at McDermott, who could focus on little else, to the detriment of his law degree and his relationship with his girlfriend. He had built up a poker bankroll playing at underground cash tables across New York City but lost it all in one mad hand against a Russian named Teddy “KGB”. Like Moneymaker, McDermott harbors ambitions of becoming a winning player at the historic WSOP. The plot is based on Mike McDermott, played by Damon, who is a talented poker player and law student. With so many people becoming poker enthusiasts, the Rounders movie took on increasing importance in the eyes of newfound card sharks. The immersive poker storyline of Rounders More operators have made their way here since, including 888poker,, and Borgata. It’s been legal to play poker in Pennsylvania online since 2017, with PokerStars leading the way from the outset. The online poker boom eventually made its way across the Atlantic into the US, although it’s still by no means embraced by all four corners of the United States. Millions worldwide have since tried to emulate Moneymaker’s feat of turning $40 into $2.5 million. Moneymaker proved what was possible in the poker world, after qualifying for the WSOP Main Event via an online poker site. Improvements in online connectivity and legal landscapes meant that online poker rooms shot to prominence. The success of Chris Moneymaker at the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event lit the blue touch paper for a poker ‘boom’. The film enjoyed a new lease of life in the 2000s though, thanks largely to the increased exposure and interest in the game of Poker. Considering the film had a budget of $12 million, that was a meager return.

It eventually raked in $22.9 million in the US, including $8.5 million during its opening weekend. Rounders didn’t blow people away at the box office.

In the poker game of life rounders