Production
Director Curtis Hanson developed the film with his producing partner Carol Fenelon, who was a regular competitor in poker tournaments. Hanson said, "Part of the reason for wanting to make the movie was that the poker world was different, interesting, and we had an affinity for it. But the other part of it was the emotional thing. The skills at the table — and in the movie business — are different from the qualities that you want running your personal life. That single-mindedness, the aggression, the duplicity or bluffing or whatever you want to call it, the lack of sympathy — as [Billie] says."
Eric Bana was cast in the lead role in September 2004. Drew Barrymore was cast in January 2005, and Debra Messing was cast that February. Doyle Brunson served as a poker consultant on the film. Eric Bana and Robert Duvall were coached for months by Brunson on how to play like professional poker players. Matt Savage served as a tournament consultant, while Jason Lester served as a consultant on scenes involving the Main Event championship.
Principal photography began on March 28, 2005, in Las Vegas, Nevada, where a majority of filming took place. Filming took place over nine days in the parking lot of Dino's Lounge on South Las Vegas Boulevard. A set was built on a soundstage in Los Angeles, California, which was used for interior scenes of the bar. Other filming locations in Las Vegas included the fountains of the Bellagio resort, Binion's Gambling Hall and Hotel, and the Jockey Club timeshare on the Las Vegas Strip.
In April 2005, scenes were filmed at Summerlin's Bear's Best Golf Club, and at Tiffany's Cafe inside the White Cross Drugs store. Later that month, filming took place at the Silverton Casino Lodge's 117,000-gallon aquatic tank, where Debra Messing spent 16 hours filming a scene dressed as a mermaid in the casino's mermaid show. The scene was cut from the film. Filming also took place at the Cosmopolitan resort, which was under construction at the time. In early May 2005, filming took place at a Summerlin condominium complex and then resumed at the White Cross drugstore. Filming was scheduled to conclude in Las Vegas on May 5, 2005, and then continue in California for a few months.
The filmmakers wanted to film at the Bellagio's poker room, but it had been renovated since 2003, the year that the film's story took place. Instead, an exact replica of the original poker room was constructed on a soundstage in Los Angeles. At the time, the Bellagio was auctioning items from the old poker room, including furniture and chandeliers, all of which were purchased by the production crew to help recreate the original poker room. A replica of a multi-purpose gambling room from Binion's Gambling Hall was also created in Los Angeles.
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