“Deal,” a poker-themed film that debuted in movie theaters earlier this year, has been released on DVD.

Like most movies about poker, this one was lousy and bombed badly at the box office.

For those who were too embarassed to be seen in public attending a showing of the film, the DVD gives them a chance to view the cinematic carnage in the privacy of their own homes.

Someone has to pay the overpriced salary of the film’s star–an aging Burt Reynolds–who hasn’t been in a hit movie since the 1970s.

So a website has been set up to sell the DVDs and try to recoup some of the money that wasn’t earned at the box office.

The website is located at www.dealmoviedvd.com.

The plot of this train wreck?

According to the website, it’s this: “Deal yourself in for high-speed thrills and high-stakes poker action in this triumphant tale of cards and courage starring Burt Reynolds, Bret Harrison and Shannon Elizabeth. A retired gambler (Reynolds), itching to get back in the game, teams up with a hotshot college senior (Harrison) to take the poker world by storm. But a Vegas beauty (Elizabeth), complicates the plan, and soon the teacher and student find themselves in a heads-up battle for the championship. Featuring an all-star lineup of your favorite Texas hold’em players, ‘Deal’ is a winning hand for poker fans everywhere.”

Don’t rush to the video store and shell out $40 or $50 to buy this mess.

Wait a few weeks and it will soon be in the $5 bargain barrel at WalMart.

(E-mail Tom Somach at [email protected]) =A0