The Baghdad Poker Club centers on a returning veteran and his narcotic addiction during the final days of the World Series of Poker. The narcotics help him cope with his destructive flashbacks from his time in the Iraq War and the guilt surrounding the death of his interpreter. In an act of desperation to clear his head, he quits his medication and discovers a conspiracy between his own commander and the Iraqi insurgency to prolong the war and cover up his best friend’s murder.

SYNOPSIS:

The story is told through interlacing flashbacks between the World Series of Poker and the Iraq War. The film opens in 2003 with the historic tank assault led by our hero into the Saddam International Airport. After the battle, the battalion commander, LTC Martin Ramey berates our hero for acting outside the chain of command and taking all the glory. Months later, we are introduced to Lt. Hamilton and his Iraqi interpreter/merchant/contractor Adil along with the men of the Baghdad Poker Club during a colorful poker game in FOB Dodge; aka “Dog Town”, a shitty little forward operating base north of Sadr City. After the units’ former commander goes AWOL, Lt. Hamilton is promoted and takes command of Bravo Troop and is tasked with taking the fight to the enemy by Ramey. As his mission takes him outside the wire, our hero comes to realize the war is more about money than freedom. Disenchanted with Adil’s contracting services and not getting a big enough kickback; LTC Ramey brands Adil as a traitor and orders Lt. Hamilton to kick him off the base. The next day, Adil is found dead and Hamilton goes on the offensive against the insurgency out of revenge for his friend. After a suicide bomber hits his patrol, our hero becomes consumed by revenge and his marriage with his pregnant wife Michelle disintegrates. In a final showdown with the enemy, Hamilton sets out on a long distance overnight patrol without the knowledge of Ramey to kill the insurgents and those responsible for the death of Adil. There, he discovers evidence of a conspiracy between the insurgents and Ramey to justify Iraqi contracts and prolonging the war. A climatic battle ensues and Hamilton realizes his small team is outnumbered and requests help from Ramey; but is denied. In a heroic display of devotion to their comrades, the men of The Baghdad Poker Club muster their tanks and attack the beleaguered team in an epic close-quarters tank battle to rescue their commander. After the climactic battle between the club and the insurgency, our hero returns to base and nearly kills Ramey after he discovers that Ramey is behind a scheme to profit from the war and the death of his friend.

Flash forward to our hero, Hamilton is a soulless man with no emotion and no weaknesses and a powerhouse at the World Series of Poker. But his narcotic addiction has left him empty and decides to quit cold turkey for the final table. As his head clears, years of repressed memories become clear and his cool calculating powerhouse persona weakens and his game begins to suffer. After a series of bad beats and one lucky break, our hero finds himself at the final hand of the WSOP and head to head with “The Jordanian” for the 15 million dollar prize. With only a 7-2 in the hole and his livelihood on the line; Hamilton freezes up as the flashback of the climatic tank battle consumes him. Only when The Jordanian utters the words “remember, a pair of balls beats everything” does Hamilton realize this was the phase that Adil would use when he was bluffing in Iraq and that Adil must be alive! With this realization, Hamilton goes “All In” and calls down the Jordanians hand with a 7-2 in the hole. With the final card of the tournament being a 7, Hamilton wins and his wife with their two year old son rejoice and welcome him home is a tearful reunion.

Payoff:

After the interlaced battle climax and tournament, our hero meets The Jordanian and his long lost friend Adil. Adil explains he had to escape to Jordan by faking his own death or risk being killed by his competitors and Ramey. Adil also knew the Hamilton had “the balls” to take out his enemies allowing Adil to escape. But when he found out that Hamilton was entering into the World Series of Poker, he used his fortune from Iraq to sponsor the best player in Jordan to help Hamilton win. Hamilton is grateful to his good friend, but cannot except such a large prize that was built on the backs of his comrades and donates his winnings to the Wounded Warrior Project as a tribute to the lost members of The Baghdad Poker Club.