Story by Donald Todd
 
Directed by Wes Craven
 
Original Airdate - November 15, 1985
 
Starring:    
 
Morgan Freeman - Tony
Dan Hedaya - Nick
M. Emmet Walsh - Pete
Garret Morris - Jake
Barney Martin - Marty

 

  
Story:
     

Five men playing poker…not an unusual sight.  However, one of the men is Old Nick himself, masquerading as an acquaintance of one of them.  He's there to collect the soul of one of the men, but which one?  As the personalities of the men gradually come out, it's clear that Pete is the one the Devil is there to collect. Pete tries to bet his way out of going with Nick, hoping to beat the Devil at his own game. 

 

"Dealer's Choice" is another fun episode, thanks to the wealth of character actors sitting around the poker table.  Morgan Freeman, Garrett Morris, Dan Hedaya, M. Emmet Walsh, and Barney Martin are all long-time actors who bring their wonderful personas to the story.  Dan Hedaya, in particular, is great fun as the Devil.  It's the perfect role for him, where he can be evil but slyly comical.  M. Emmet Walsh is at his best when being whiny and spineless, which plays into the idea that he's a jerk who was never nice to anyone, so he deserves to go to Hades. 

The story was written by Donald Todd, who is still writing and producing today.  He seems to have been active in many genres of TV.  Wes Craven directed; he had just written and directed his first "Nightmare on Elm Street" the year before, so at the time he was a real catch for the NTZ series.  All in all, this is a great entry in the Twilight Zone series.