John Dahl’s Rounders May Be Famous For Making Poker Mainstream – But What Other Work Has The Director Done?

When Rounders was released in 1998, nobody could have known the huge knock-on effect it would have. The John Dahl offering starred Matt Damon, Edward Norton, and John Malkovich, but failed to impress at the box office. It later became a cult offering, though, and was credited with being a catalyst for the poker boom. As a film director, Dahl hasn’t managed to achieve the same kind of success since then. However, he has worked on a number of high profile television series.

Did Dahl Spark the Poker Boom?

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There is a lot of dispute over whether Dahl’s Rounders actually started the poker boom. It could have helped to spark interest in the card game when it was released, or it could have gained its cult following later on after poker became so well-known. Either way, the Texas Hold’em flick is often mentioned in discussions regarding the factors that led to the poker boom.

The events of the late 1990s and early 2000s led to a thriving industry today, where poker is one of the most popular games on the planet. Players can now log on to sites like Paddy Power online poker and find a vast array of games to take part in. No matter what time of day it is, it only takes a few minutes to find a game. This sort of instant gratification was something poker players could only dream about when Rounders was first released.

Rounders will most certainly be the film that Dahl is remembered for most. His offerings on the silver screen since then haven’t quite lived up to the 1998 title. Indeed, he only went on to make three other films to date. These were Joy Ride in 2001, The Great Raid in 2005, and You Kill Me in 2007.

Which Television Series Has Dahl Worked on?

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Aside from Rounders, Dahl has had his greatest success as a director on the smaller screen. In fact, the 64-year-old has worked on some of the greatest television series ever created. One of the most notable offerings that Dahl played a huge part in was Dexter. The Montana-born director was in the chair for 16 episodes of the Showtime series about the likeable serial killer. In 2009, Dahl directed the fourth episode of Breaking Bad Season 2. The episode, Down, was well-received and has an overall rating of 8.3/10 on IMDB.

The list of television episodes directed by Dahl is lengthy. Some of the other well-known shows to feature his work include House of Cards, Homeland, Hannibal, Billions, and The Walking Dead. With his wealth of experience, it seems Dahl is a highly sought-after director for television series.

Dahl may be best-known among poker players for having a heavy influence on the booming industry that exists today. But it seems that his main area of expertise is in television with work in a number of highly acclaimed shows in what has been a golden era. With such an impressive resume, the director will continue to get work on the biggest series around.

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