The Cincinnati Kid Page #4

---

...and that rock over there

was a wishing stone.

And if I kissed it...

...and made a wish...

...it'd come true.

What was the wish?

Oh, that somebody would come

and take me away from here...

...to some big city like New Orleans...

...or Mobile.

Sure was a good dinner, Mrs. Rudd.

Just our usual.

Christian, help your mother

with the dishes.

- Ma, we got any cards?

- Cards?

You know, them playing cards.

We used to have some.

May still be some in that drawer

over there.

I don't know how good they are.

Now you can show Papa

some of them tricks.

- Tricks?

- Yeah.

Like you done with that

little shoeshine boy.

- I best get on with my evening chores.

- Oh, please, Papa. You'll like it.

Pick a card, Mr. Rudd.

Any card you want.

Three of hearts.

Damnedest thing I ever did see.

Hey, you gotta come in and see this one.

Get in here.

- Come on, Mama.

- This is the best yet.

- Come on in here.

- You got any idea what time it is?

- Come on. Get over here, get over here.

- Come on, Mama.

Come on. I want you to see this.

Now, you look good.

- Show her, Eric.

- All right, Mrs. Rudd.

Now, just take a card. Any card at all.

Don't show it to me.

The three of spades.

Are you playing tonight or just dealing?

- Are you playing tonight?

- Yes, I'm playing tonight. I'm playing.

- How much you gonna win?

- I'll win something.

Don't you worry about it.

Twenty-five years. I've been building

a reputation for 25 years.

- My honesty, integrity...

- Remember what you said...

...about cheating yourself?

- What are you talking about?

You know what I'm talking about.

Well, I'll tell you one thing.

I'm not gonna give him any help

unless he needs it.

Good old honest Shooter.

You know, you remind me more and more

of my first husband.

- He was a loser too.

- Well, I'm no loser.

The Kid could break lucky and stay ahead

the whole game, couldn't he?

Well, it could happen, couldn't it?

Sure it could happen.

I mean, be there to see that it does.

Won't you, Shooter?

Take me around the block

a couple of times.

You did tell the Kid 8:00, didn't you?

Yes, I did.

Well?

Hello, everybody.

- Lady!

- Piggy, Pig, Pig.

Doctor. Oh, how lovely.

- Lady Fingers.

- Yeller! Good to see you.

- Hiya.

- Hi, Ho.

Lady Fingers. You know the missus.

Mrs. Hoban. Melba.

- Sorry I'm late, Shooter.

- Lady!

What do you say, sweetheart?

Lancey Howard. The man himself.

My pleasure, Lady Fingers.

You don't get around

these parts much anymore.

That's true. I suppose it's more

a matter of climate than anything else.

No other reason?

- What other reason could there be?

- The Cincinnati Kid.

That's what they're saying, Lancey.

You've been scared of the Kid.

Should I be?

Hey, Kid. He's here.

Damn right.

Hey, you come up slashing, you hear?

Hello, Yeller.

Kill that cat, Kid.

- Hello, Kid. How are you feeling?

- Well, I'm feeling great.

- And it's good to see you again.

- Play him close.

Well...

...let's get started.

- Yeah. Absolutely.

Lancey...

...this is Eric Stoner, the Cincinnati Kid.

Lancey Howard.

I'm glad to know you, Lancey.

My pleasure.

How the town treating you?

New Orleans always been good to me.

Well, that's fine. Of course,

towns do change, though, don't they?

They tell me you're quite a stud player,

young man.

- Do they?

- That's right.

New York, Chicago, Miami.

Oh, I've been hearing about you

for a couple of years now.

Yeller there tells me how you

gutted him once with a pair of fours.

That's right. Remember, Kid?

The night you cut me up

with the two red fours?

Must have overplayed my hand.

Well, that's a dangerous thing to do.

Well, it depends

who you're sitting with, Lancey.

- Well, let's play some cards.

- Hoban's?

- Yeah.

- I've already looked around...

...so if you wanna have a look at things...

- Thanks, Lancey, I think I will.

They come from the New Orleans

Bridge Club...

...and they've been bonded

by the steward.

I seen him take them

right out of the safe himself.

And Shooter, Lady Fingers and me

just carried them right here.

Hoban's selling them to us at $5 a pack

with the usual guarantee.

If it's proved a deck's been juiced,

he pays off the losers.

- Who's sitting with us?

- The four of us.

Me, Pig, Yeller and Doc Sokal.

- Lf that's all right with the both of you?

- Fine.

Good.

- Dead.

- Dead.

Now, Kid, what's your game?

Stud poker.

Gentlemen...

...if there are no objections,

I'm the dealer.

All right.

These rooms have been contracted for,

and the ante will be $ 10 per chair per day.

During the breaks for me,

Lady Fingers has agreed to deal.

- But she don't care to be a player.

- I'm sorry to hear that, Lady Fingers.

You know how much I enjoy

your high style of playing.

You got a lot of style yourself, Lancey.

Thank you.

Let's hope it holds out.

Gentlemen, this game

is five-card stud poker.

There's no limit. No string bets.

You can check and raise.

A dead man has one half-hour to raise

his roll outside and get back in the game.

Ace, seven, nine, nine, trey.

Dealer guns up a 10. Ace bets.

- Ten dollars.

- Call the sawbuck.

- I'll play.

- I'm in.

- Off and running.

- Dealer folds.

Eight to the ace. King to the seven.

Queen to the nine. Pair of nines.

Deuce. Pair of nines bets.

- Double sawbuck.

- I don't chase the nines.

Hold.

I fold.

Queen, four, 10, king, king...

...and an ace to the man.

Ace bets $25.

And I can't get started.

Call.

Keep dealing.

King folds.

Did you see that? Shooter folded a king.

Shooter knows what he's doing.

He's a percentage player.

That right, Melba?

That's what they say, Mr. Slade.

Well, he'd better be if he's gonna

remain anything at all.

- Ten's bet.

- Hundred.

Came here to play.

- I'm in.

- Fold.

Queen to the 10s. Ten.

- Pair of fives.

- Two and a half.

- How much?

- Two-fifty.

Make it 500 and see you both run.

Your 5...

...and up 2.

- Another 200.

Thousand.

Two thou...?

Hey, Lancey's out for the quick kill.

My bet. Your 2000. Three more.

- I'm 2000 light.

- No, you're not.

I'll try it.

Five thousand to you, Pig.

Well, that's pretty sweet.

I jack it up and get whipped

on both sides.

Lancey?

New deck, please.

He don't chase the Kid nowhere.

Read them and weep, boys.

Aces up.

Thank you, gentlemen.

Be funny if the two champs

got cleaned up, huh, Yeller?

Yeah, man. Absolutely hilarious.

- What's the action?

- Pig's ahead about a grand...

...the Kid maybe 1200.

- Yeller's up.

- Lancey?

Well, the Kid hit him once,

and he ain't come back yet.

- He'll take out Pig first.

- King bets.

This king and my natural rhythm...

...says $20.

Pass.

- In for 20.

- Fold.

- I'm in.

- In.

Pair of jacks.

Ten.

Jack to the king.

Seven to the queen. Pair of jacks bets.

Pair of jacks will venture $ 100.

Also.

Man, I'm outside.

I'll up it 200.

Lancey could be laying for him

with three jacks.

- I'll see the 200.

- Pig don't think so.

I'm sticking.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes