We have filmed a few poker games in our time, but this was the first to include a cowboy riding a horse in the narrative. Despite the low ceiling, they seemed to fit into the composition without too much trouble. The bar - The Empty Pockets Saloon - which saddles the old Route 66, struck me as having an appropriate name for creating this sort of playful misadventure.

The famous Four Sixes (6666) ranch near Lubbock, Texas was established by Samuel Burk Burnett in the early 1870s. Legend persists that Burnett's brand was devised to honor his winning poker hand of four sixes that he once held.

The ranch was made even more famous by its current owner - Taylor Sheridan - when it became a location in his Yellowstone series. Sheridan is a generational talent as a storyteller and both Yellowstone and 1883 have given me much inspiration in my own artistic journey. For those with a sharp eye, the cowboy on the horse in the bar, Ryon Marshall, also played a cameo role in the first episode of 1883.