{{Short description|2005 short film}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2026}} {{Infobox film | name = Nicky’s Game | image = | caption = | director = John-Luke Montias | producer = Matthew Parker<br>Matthew Strauss | writer = Peter Alson | starring = John Ventimiglia<br>Burt Young<br>Alexie Gilmore<br>Lev Gorn<br>Bill Tangradi | music = Ed Tomney | cinematography = George Gibson | editing = Michiel Pilgram<br>Tony Borden | studio = SpaceTime Films<br>LaSalleHolland | distributor = IndiePix Films | released = {{Film date|2005|09|29|NYTVF}} | country = United States | runtime = 21 minutes | language = English | budget = $100,000 (est.) }} '''''Nicky's Game''''' is a 2005 American short film, originally developed and produced as an independent television pilot, based on Peter Alson's ''New York Times'' Best Seller ''Confessions of an Ivy League Bookie''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Riddell |first=Robert |date=2005-09-12 |title=Offshore setting sail with a trio of anchors |url=https://variety.com/2005/film/news/offshore-setting-sail-with-a-trio-of-anchors-1117928991 |access-date=2024-04-13 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> The film was shot on 16mm in New York City and premiered in 2005 at the inaugural New York Television Festival. It went on to become an official selection in 2006 of the Vail Film Festival<ref>{{Cite web |author=Daily Staff Report |date=2006-03-28 |title=Vail Film Festival announces 2006 tribute award recipients and films in competition |url=https://vaildaily.com/news/vail-film-festival-announces-2006-tribute-award-recipients-and-films-in-competition |access-date=2024-04-13 |website=Vail Daily |language=en-US}}</ref> and CineVegas before being released on DVD/VOD by IndiePix Films.
''Nicky's Game'' was re-released by WeShort in the fall of 2025 to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the film's release.<ref>{{cite news |last=Misciagna |first=Domenico |date=2025-10-04 |title= Nicky's Game: da WeShort il corto con John Ventimiglia, da vedere ora su Comingsoon.it |url=https://comingsoon.it/cinema/news/nicky-s-game-da-weshort-il-corto-con-john-ventimiglia-da-vedere-ora-su/n209024 |access-date=2025-10-07 |website=Coming Soon |language=Italian}}</ref>
==Plot summary== Nicky Singer is a down-on-his-luck Brooklyn native who has parlayed his Yale education into a job eking out a living as a professional poker player. Using his wits to navigate the seedy world of underground poker, he must balance his own interests with those of his father, a retiree whose own gambling debts have pushed him to the brink of eviction. In a struggle to keep his head above water, Nicky encounters a diverse group of wannabe mobsters, thugs, and other eccentric characters.
==Cast== {{cast listing| * John Ventimiglia as Nicky Singer * Burt Young as Leo Singer * Alexie Gilmore as Tatiana * Lev Gorn as Syrian Sal * Bill Tangradi as DeeJay }}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb title|479109}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicky's Game}} Category:2005 films Category:2005 drama films Category:2005 short films Category:2005 American films Category:2005 English-language films Category:American drama films Category:American independent films Category:English-language drama short films Category:English-language independent films Category:Films set in New York City