Rounders Page #8

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Look at the control.

Look at that f***.

He knows his man well enough

to check it all the way...

and risk winning nothing

with those cards.

He owns him.

[Announcer]

Will Eric Seidel fall for the bait?

Yes, he's going all in

and Chan has him.

- Johnny Chan, the master.

- Poor Seidel.

Kid doesn't know what hit him.

Yeah, I know

what that feels like.

It's like a locomotive

running through your stomach.

You feel gut-shot. F*** it.

You didn't come here to talk about this.

What's going on?

- Tomorrow's a week.

- A week of what?

The first two thousand

you owe the Chesterfield.

- Oh. Worm.

- Yes, it's kinda weird.

He'd just won eight grand.

Why go on the line behind another two?

So, he took, what, about eight

off of Roman and Maurice?

Yeah, yeah, he comes in

after you leave,

sits for like

another 20 more minutes,

cashes out

for the full amount.

Maurice hasn't been back since. I think

he's been playing across the street.

But, uh, Worm's

been around plenty.

He's run you up

just under seven grand.

Well, do me a favor

and just put him on his own.

- Yeah?

- Yeah, cut him off.

Um, I tell ya,

I got a thousand.

I got a thou.

And that's, you know...

I just started

coming back, so...

- Thanks for making it easy, Mike.

- Oh, yeah, yeah.

I'm, uh... I'm sorry to be back

over here for this reason.

- Don't worry about it.

- No, l... I like being here.

It's good

to see you, Mike.

- I can stay.

- Listen, I tell ya, I'Il... I'Il, um...

I'll come... I'll come...

I'll see you down at the club.

- I'll come by this week.

- Yeah.

[Glass Shatters]

I know you're in here.

Mike?

Hey. I thought you

were the janitor, man.

It's a good thing Grama

doesn't know you as well as I do.

Come on. I'll play ya horse.

Fifty bucks a letter.

Yeah? When I win, are you gonna pay

me back with my own f***ing money?

Oh, oh, easy. Relax. Don't wing it.

Just... Just step and throw.

You need to work

on your accuracy.

Will you stop f***ing around

for five goddamn minutes

for once in your f***ing life!

Whoa, Jesus. What happened?

My old man just walked in the door.

I should f***ing beat the sh*t

out of you the way he used to.

You remember when we found

this place, man?

Yeah, I remember

when we found this place.

You were hiding from Tommy Manzy

'cause you thought he was gonna

f***ing pound you into oblivion.

Yeah, now, see?

What did I ever do to that guy?

- You f***ed his mother.

- [Laughing]

Yeah, but she was a good-Iooking

older woman. You gotta give me that.

You spent a year of your life hiding in

this f***ing gym from that sick f***...

until he pissed off

the wrong guy and someone dropped

a garbage can on his head.

What do you want me to say? Those

were wild times. You were there too.

Nothing's changed.

Nothing has changed.

You were hiding from your troubles then.

You're hiding from your troubles now.

I like to hide, and that's

part of the fun for me, you know?

I don't like

running solo.

It's like I used to have a running

partner, you know what I'm saying?

If we f***ed up back then

and got caught,

the worst thing that was going to happen

was maybe catch a beating, get expelled.

But, man, you're fixing to go down hard,

and it almost seems like you want to.

Stop worrying so much about me, okay?

I'm turning things around.

I'm not gonna let anybody

drop a garbage can on my head.

No, no, you're gonna get out of the way.

It's gonna land on me.

I'll see ya.

Come on, Mike. Hey.

Come on, come on, come on.

I'm sorry, okay?

I'm sorry about the money.

I should've told you.

It's just... What do you want me to say?

It's f***ing embarrassing.

l, like, just get out,

I'm in a big f***ing hole.

I need something to get goin'.

I gotta get started.

And?

Well, I'm not gonna lie.

There's been some reversals.

- Some reversals.

How much money do you have?

- Nine hundred.

I mean, I caught a frozen wave of cards

like you f***ing read about.

I think I'm getting you outta hock,

I find out I'm seven grand in.

I know, man. I was really...

I was really up big.

I was cruising along.

I tried to beat that blackjack game

at the Horseshoe Club in Brooklyn.

- That place is a mitt joint.

- I know. It was,

like, ouch. I'm so stupid.

I got so good with this,

I thought I could neutralize 'em.

You're really jamming me up

here, man. Seven grand.

- I know.

- That's it. I can't go any deeper

than that. You're off the tip.

- I understand. That's okay.

- And you gotta talk with Grama.

- You gotta square things

away with Grama.

- No way, Mike.

I'm not talking

to that f***ing Judas.

You think

there's any other way?

[Mike Narrating] I know all

the reasons I shouldn't be here,

but sometimes

reasons don't matter.

You see, no one's

ever stood up for Worm.

The guy's been kicked around

his whole life, from his father on down.

Maybe he's not the same guy

he was when he went away,

but I can't give up on him

that easy.

I'm all he's got.

Oh, what the hell.

- Hi, boys.

- Hi.

You cops?

You look like cops.

- We're not cops.

- You wanna twirl then?

No, no, we're just here

to see Grama.

Jesus.

- You sure about this?

I got a bad feeling.

- That's all right. Just...

Just let me do

the talking, all right?

[Mike]

Hey, Grama.

- Long time.

- Mike.

Hey, Worm. It's good you came.

That's real smart thinking.

So, did you bring him along

to help carry all my money?

Uh, there's no money today.

No money?

There's gotta be some money.

Come on. Get outta here.

He's not kidding.

I got nothing.

You owe 25. I'll take

the rest in five days.

- Five grand in a week,

and you keep the juice going...

- Shh. Quiet.

- [Dog Growling]

- You gotta catch 'em in the act.

[Dog Growling]

- [Whimpering, Thud]

- Get in your hole, you b*tch!

- Christ.

- F***ing dog.

You can't let 'em get away with it

or else they think they run the place.

- [Sighs] So, where were we?

- Five grand.

In a week. Grama, we want what

you want. We wanna square this thing.

But three days... three days

is impossible. All right?

No one's saying you're not the man. Just

think of this as a business decision.

Look, he just got out.

Let's put him on a plan.

No, no, no, no, no.

This isn't The Money Store.

We're not negotiating here.

I tell you how it works.

Well, then, I'm asking.

So, you're looking for a

little grace, Lester, some charity?

You know what, Grama?

I need your f***ing charity

like I need your cock in my ass.

- Shut the f*** up!

- It's too late for him to shut up.

- Hey, listen! He's good for it.

- He's good for it, Mike?

If you think he's good for it,

it's on you too.

Then it's on me too.

- Fifteen large, five days,

or I start breaking things.

- I hear ya.

Get the f*** outta here.

Piece of sh*t.

Now, what the hell

are you doing?

I'm not gonna get down on my knees

for that jerk-off.

All I said is just keep

your mouth shut for five seconds.

- Sh*t. I'm sorry.

- Goddamn it.

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