THE BIG BIAZARRO

Meet 'em, get 'em, jam 'em, and beat 'em""--thems the words of Ace White, an aging poker hustler who takes Lefty Wilson, a black kid from a jerkwater town in upstate New York, under his wing. A chicken wing--Ace was afraid of the big one. Not that Lefty needs too much teaching since he's one of the three people likeliest to win the Big Biazarro, the most exclusive and expensive money game played in Vegas. It takes Lefty a while to get there because he plays more than one kind of hi lo stud with lots of women--particularly Angel, the nicest, who shoots herself, and then Linda, his real competition at the Big Biazarro who makes it hard for anyone to concentrate. Finally Ace has a heart attack back in New York, sends Lefty to Vegas where he plays only one hand, worth a million dollars, before going back to Ace's bedside to keep the partnership together. No Cincinnati Kid since all that sex keeps interrupting the real action and Wise is not the one to refine any of it. But you might like the sentimental riffle at the close.