This sounds ridiculous, but Norm MacDonald was on Howard Stern's radio show today and Stern mentioned that people are saying that the Rounders script was written about Norm, that Koppelman followed Norm around and watched him play at the Mayfair back in the day. I dont think this is true, but I am wondering why this was being discussed as even being a possibility.

Also, Norm also mentioned a new poker tv show coming up on the playboy channel that will feature Norm, Artie Lange, Sam Simon, Jennifer Tilly and Phil Laak.

Flame away...

confirmed

confirmed

I'd love to watch Artie play poker.

also, confirmed

how is artie lange still alive lol

maybe is we're all very lucky, they'll bring back that show "Norm" instead. That show was so damn funny

artie is a weak player. he's funny but not a great player.

the dvd has a director/writer's intro piece where they talk about followung players around NYC clubs IIRC

my wang is based on Norm MacDonald afaik

Koppelman didn't even write rounders

[x] craving some McDonalds

For some reason I thought it was this Artie:

Not sure why this decent post has gotten so many ******ed responses.

I've heard that Koppelman/Levien did infiltrate the Mayfair Club to get material for the script, but I never heard Norm McDonald's name mention in relation to any of that.

That said, it wouldn't be too surprising if Norm was hanging around somewhere since he loves to gamble and was probably living in NYC around that time.

Confirmed

that dirty work is the best movie

fyp

note to self: LEARN TO FIGHT

I played at the Mayfair and the VFW club on Madison from ~'94 to 97. Brian Koppelman was a semi-regular at both. Stud was the game at first and later HE (of course). Norm only played at the Mayfair from time to time and only mid stakes LHE which was 10-20 to 20-40 depending on the night. FYI, he is one of the quietest, unfunny guys in person. I couldn't understand how he made a living as a comic until I went to see him once and he was hysterical which was a big surprise to me. He's also a huge fish in the games.

To go on: There was a real 'Eddie KGB' (I tried to google the obit I saw in the NY Post but can't find it now. The stuff that I did find call him a great player which isn't true. Real nice guy, though, and I drove him to his apt near Pelham Pkwy at 4 am when the clubs closed often enough). There is a real 'Joel Bagels' and a real 'Petra' and I think I know who they based Worm and Grama on although when I mentioned it to him (Worm) he didn't like it because he doesn't cheat.

There was a floor guy at the Mayfair in the beginning who wanted to be a pro, semi gave up and went to law school but kept playing, and finally disappeared from the scene.

Unless they're paying Artie Lang with sufficient amounts of heroin and cheeseburgers, i doubt he'll make it past the first ep.

loved that movie

best scene in the movie is where Lang's charachter sticks his ass out the window to moon a group of people and MacDonald stops the car and parks right in front of them. It was such a shoulder shrug type of moment.

thanks, Beale.

Artie is not even remotely funny anymore...

LOL. As if 2plus2 was about to hoist him on their shoulders for being a player.....