Jonah Hill - War Dog and Poker Whale!

7 years ago
Jonah Hill - Comedian and Poker Player!
20:12
07 Sep

(Photo: Variety.com)

Many will know comedy actor Jonah Hill from movies such as Jump Street 21 and 22, as well as the voice of Snotlout in the How to Train your Dragon trilogy – what you might not know is that he is a poker player, but apparently not very good!


Forumite ‘rallydurham’ over at 2+2 asked:

"Anyone remember playing with this kid at 2-5 and 5-10 NL hold'em games in South Florida circa 2007-2010? Guy was SUCH A whale. Kid would come in, get loaded and just burn THOUSANDS and be like yeah this doesn't touch me and have his brother go get the Porsche.”

Hill’s latest movie role – as Efraim Diveroli in War Dogs – sees him play a ‘real-life character, Diveroli being one of two young men, along with David Packouz who won a $300 million contract from the Pentagon to arm America's allies in Afghanistan’.

The movie, as they all seem to have recently, features a bit-part for playboy poker billionaire Dan Bilzerian, but Hill’s old buddy Edward Norton is nowhere to be seen unfortunately.

Hill and Norton did however team up recently to be part of Leonardo DiCaprio’s environmental charity auction prizes, the accompanying blurb reading:

"This is an unbelievable opportunity to join 3-time Academy Award nominated actor Edward Norton, also known as ‘Worm’ from the greatest poker movie of all time Rounders… along with his good friend and Academy Award nominee Jonah Hill from The Wolf of Wall Street and top poker professionals in an exclusive game of no-limit Texas Hold Em...”

Norton might prove a bit more challenging, but the offer of coaching for the winning bid – at $120,000 and rising – might not be required to skin Hill.

"You’ll receive coaching from one of the best poker players in the world,” adds the charity, which raised over $45million in total, “and hear stories over dinner about how the movie that launched the international poker craze was made. This is an experience you will never forget!”



Hill’s latest play in the movie world doesn’t feature poker itself, but the based-on-true-events romp plays out like a huge gambling adventure, IMDB summarising it thus:

"Two friends in their early 20s (Hill and Teller) living in Miami Beach during the Iraq War exploit a little-known government initiative that allows small businesses to bid on U.S. Military contracts. Starting small, they begin raking in big money and are living the high life. But the pair gets in over their heads when they land a 300 million dollar deal to arm the Afghan Military - a deal that puts them in business with some very shady people, not the least of which turns out to be the U.S. Government.”

So, not entirely unlike the lives of professional poker pros then!

Hill is also involved behind the cameras as a producer in a forthcoming movie based on the true story of the Game King bug which I recently wrote about for PokerTubehere. Whether Hill, or indeed Norton, will ever venture back into the poker world for movies and roles remain to be seen, but War Dogs gets decent reviews so check it out.


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Andrew from Edinburgh, Scotland, is a professional journalist, international-titled chess master, and avid poker player.Read more

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