Poker

A Big Hand for the Little Lady (released in the UK as Big Deal at Dodge City) is a 1966 western film, made by Eden Productions Inc. and released by Warner Bros. Settlers Meredith (Henry Fonda), his staid wife Mary (Joanne Woodward), and their young son Jackie are passing through, on their way to purchase a farm near San Antonio, when a wheel on their wagon breaks. They wait at Sam’s while the local blacksmith repairs it. Just as the five richest men of the area, are settling down to play the biggest game of poker of the year. The man cannot resist it and though he is a very bad poker player, enters the game betting all the money/savings of his family. In the climax of the game he suffers a heart-attack. His wife then takes his place in the table. That’s the only way of regaining their savings. But there is a little problem. Can anybody explain her how to play poker? When the wife disappears, the husband, after watching a few hands, joins in the game, only to lose most of the family’s savings. As the wife returns, he finds that he has dealt himself a winning hand, but does not have the cash to continue. In the following argument, he crumbles, and his wife has no choice, but to continue with his hand, in order to conquer back their money, the only problem being, she can’t play poker. When Mary accumulates her sizable winnings and leaves, the game breaks up. Her determination earns her the honour of the men.

The final resolution takes place in the gambling town of Black Creek, where it is revealed that Meredith, Mary, and even their “son” are confidence tricksters and expert card sharps. Led by Ballinger and with the collusion of Scully, they committed a scam on the five poker players, who had defraud the banker in a real estate deal sixteen years ago. “Mary” is actually Ballinger’s girlfriend Ruby. She had promised him she would give up gambling after the caper, but it is clear that she had no such intention, when she sits down to a no-limit poker game.