21 (21 - The Movie) (2008) Movie Script
"Winner, winner, chicken dinner."
Those words had been dancing
around my head all night.
I mean, it's Vegas lore, that phrase.
Just ask any of the old-time pit bosses,
they'll know.
It was a Chinese dealer at Binion's
who was first credited with the line.
He would shout it every time
he dealt blackjack.
That was over 40 years ago,
and the words still catch.
Winner, winner, chicken dinner. There it is!
"Winner, winner, chicken dinner."
Yeah, try it.
I had heard it at least 14 times that night.
I couldn't lose.
First of all, what I was doing wasn't illegal.
There were certain institutions and people
that frowned upon it,
but it's legal.
And not everyone can do it.
Just those with gifted minds.
I have a gifted mind.
That's what got me into all this mess.
I was counting cards
and I was up over $640,000.
All right!
I'm just gonna have to split those tens.
- Splitting tens.
- Splitting tens again.
Well, that's all right.
I've been winning and losing for years.
We used hand signals, too.
Folded arms, the table's hot.
A touch to the eye, we need to talk.
And a hand running through
perfect flowing hair meant only one thing.
Get out. Now.
"Winner, winner, chicken dinner."
Stroke. Stroke. Stroke. Stroke.
Premed.
President, American Legion Math League.
TA to Professors Wilkins and Sanders.
Both of whom are friends of mine,
and who wrote glowing recommendations.
And you're accepted early into school here
at Harvard Med,
pending graduation from MIT.
It's very impressive.
Thank you.
The Robinson Scholarship
is comprehensive, as you know.
It's a free ride.
And free rides don't come easy.
Absolutely.
We have 76 applicants this year,
only one of whom will get the scholarship
and most of whom have rsums
just as impressive as yours.
Right.
Professor Phillips?
Some kids grow up
wanting to play for the Red Sox.
You know, some grow up wanting to be,
I don't know, a fireman.
I grew up... Well, really,
I just wanted to come here to Harvard Med.
And now that I've gotten accepted,
it seems to only come down to the money.
Which I don't really have.
So, what I'm trying to say
is that I really, really need this scholarship.
Did you rehearse that?
Yeah. Like, 14 times in front of the mirror.
Unfortunately,
desire doesn't figure into this much.
The Robinson is going
to go to someone who
dazzles.
Somebody who just jumps off the page.
Oh, well, then, I'm also involved
in a science competition.
We're building a robotic wheel
that can navigate itself
using a proprietary GPS system.
Well, I'm designing the system. So...
Right.
Ben, last year,
the Robinson went to Hyum Jae Wook,
a Korean immigrant who has only one leg.
Well, I have both my legs.
Well, have you considered
cutting one of them off?
That was a joke.
Ben, it's all about the essay.
You need to really explain to us
what makes you special.
What life experience separates you
from all the rest.
Life experience.
What can you tell me, Ben,
that's going to dazzle me?
I'm so sorry I'm late.
- Where is your jacket?
- Oh, I got it. I got it. It's right here.
This is no way for the new
assistant manager to come to work.
Congratulations.
How does $8 an hour sound?
Eight dollars?
Wow! Wow. That's great, Warren.
Thank you. Thank you.
You slept with him, didn't you?
- Yes, I did. Yes, I did.
- Yes, you did.
I'll sleep with him, too,
and I'll get $8 an hour.
So Palmer finishes up his lecture, right?
And I say to him,
"Well, Professor Palmer, you're gonna need
at least 14 capacitance probes
"to get the kind of results
that you're looking for," okay?
So then he says to me, "Miles,
don't you think that's a little excessive?"
And I get up, I swear to God, Ben, I get up
in front of the entire class and I say,
"You can never have
enough capacitance probes."
Oh, my God.
What the hell is wrong with you?
Oh, nothing.
I hope nothing. You just got promoted, man.
You should be happy.
I just gotta write this essay for the
Robinson Scholarship, and I have nothing.
And the reason that I have nothing
is'cause, well, I've done nothing.
- Oh, give me a break, Ben.
- What?
You have everything.
You blow me out of the water,
and I'm a cerebral stud. Is that nothing?
Yeah, well, it doesn't dazzle.
Hey. It dazzles me, mister.
You know, ever since I was 16,
I crushed exams.
I took on extracurriculars.
I showed up early.
I even sat up at the front and I stayed late.
Man, I gave up everything.
You know, I gave up fun. I gave up sex.
I don't think you gave up sex.
- Okay. Maybe not sex.
- Yeah, you didn't give up sex.
All right, all right. Not sex, but...
It just annoys me that the one thing
that is stopping me
from going to Harvard Med is money.
You know, tuition fees and living expenses
alone cost over $300,000.
$300,000.
It's outrageous. It's astronomically high.
I get that.
You know, I just thought
there was more to life than just money.
Well, look at the bright side,
I just saved a bunch of money
on my car insurance.
Thank you.
- Happy birthday, honey.
- Thanks, Mom.
Thank you, love. Kisses.
Make a wish.
- Make a wish.
- Okay.
Bravo.
Congratulations, Benjamin.
Did you know Miles did the frosting on that?
You see that?
It took me five minutes
to figure out it was a Fibonacci series...
Where the next number is 21.
Now you're slipping, Cam.
Cam, you owe another six bucks.
No, no. I didn't eat any of the Buffalo wings.
Oh, really? That's great.
Well, we're not doing it that way.
We're just dividing equally.
So let's say you pay.
I got it, all right?
No, no. I got it. I got it. I got it. I got it.
It's your birthday.
You're as broke-ass as I am.
I just wish now
I had eaten some of those wings.
So, I nailed the specs on the 2.09 last night,
after 19 cups of coffee.
- Check it out.
- You are kidding. You're kidding!
This is good. Miles, this is good.
Yeah, well, it better be'cause this is what
we've been working for since we got here.
This is called destiny.
You know, there is the... Thank you.
There is the possibility that
we might not actually win this thing.
Oh, yeah?
Bite your tongue! Bite your damn tongue!
Look, guys,
we don't date, we don't travel,
we don't have any money.
The only thing that we do have
is the 2.09 Competition.
If we can't even win that, what's the point?
Hey, hey. Look at this!
No, no, no, no.
We suck.
Your father would be so proud of you, Ben.
Yeah.
Do you remember anything about him?
Not really. Maybe when he shaved?
Yeah, I think I watched him shave.
So, what are your plans
for the rest of the night?
I don't know. I'll probably just go back
and work on that essay.
Ben, you're working too hard.
Between the job and school and the 2.09,
you've had no time for just yourself.
You have to squeeze in
a little time for fun, Ben.
You only turn 21 once.
And it goes by very fast.
Okay. All right.
- Good night.
- All right, good night.
- Don't come home before 3:00.
- All right.
All right.
Now, who can explain Newton's method
and how you use it?
You can use it to solve nonlinear equations.
That's impressive. That's really good.
I mean, I'm very impressed by that,
especially since my class
is called Nonlinear Equations.
All right, now somebody tell me something
I don't already know.
Anyone?
Bueller. Anyone? Bueller.
Newton stole it.
- I'm sorry?
- Newton stole it.
Joseph Raphson published
this same method 50 years earlier.
And if the start value is too far removed
from true zero, then it fails.
- I'm sorry, what's your name?
- Ben. Ben Campbell.
Ben.
So Ben Campbell suggests
that Joseph Raphson
was the original author of this method.
Well, if that's the case,
then why didn't he get any credit?
Well, for one thing,
Newton had a better publicist.
And for another, after 1700,
we know very little about Raphson
other than the fact that he discovered the
Kabbalah about 300 years before Madonna.
All right, now, let's give Ben a chance
for some extra credit, shall we?
We're gonna call this
the game show host problem, all right?
Ben, suppose you're on a game show.
And you are given a chance to choose
from three different doors, all right?
Now, behind one of the doors is a new car.
Behind the other two, goats.
Which door would you choose, Ben?
Door number one?
Door number one.
Ben chooses door number one.
All right, now, the game show host,
who, by the way,
knows what's behind all the other doors,
decides to open another door.
Let's say he chooses door number three.
Behind which sits a goat. Now...
Ben, game show host comes up to you.
He says, "Ben, do you want to stay
with door number one
"or go with door number two?"
Now, is it in your interest
to switch your choice?
- Yeah.
- Well, wait.
Remember, the host knows where the car is
so how do you know
he's not playing a trick on you?
Trying to use reverse psychology
to get you to pick a goat?
Well, I wouldn't really care.
I mean, my answer's based on statistics.
Based on variable change.
Variable change?
But he just asked you a simple question.
Yeah, which changed everything.
Enlighten us.
Well, when I was originally
asked to choose a door,
I had a 33.3/ chance of choosing right.
But after he opens one of the doors
and then re-offers me the choice,
it's now 66.7/ if I choose to switch.
So, yeah, I'll take door number two,
and thank you for that extra 33.3/.
Exactly.
People, remember,
if you don't know which door to open,
always account for variable change.
Now, see, most people
wouldn't take the switch
out of paranoia, fear, emotions.
But Mr. Campbell, he kept emotions aside
and let simple math get his ass
into a brand-new car!
Which is better than that goat
you've been driving around campus.
All right, everybody.
That's the end of the day.
Thank you very much.
Your graded papers are down here
at the end.
You can pick them up on your way out.
I am invincible.
Guys, Jill Taylor, 10 o'clock.
Man. That's brutal.
You know,
you should just ask her out, man.
It's not like she's a rocket scientist
or anything.
Oh, wait, she is.
Well, why don't you ask her?
Because I'm already dating someone.
Yeah, your right hand doesn't count, Miles.
It does the way I use it.
It does the way I use it.
Hey, you know what?
Maybe I don't even want to go out with her.
Yeah, that's funny.
You know, you say
you want a life experience, right?
Well, I'd say getting down with that
would definitely qualify.
Cam!
Boy genius.
You have to follow me now.
- Excuse me?
- You have to follow me now.
Come on.
- Where are we going?
- You'll see.
Our honored guest.
- How you doing, Ben?
- I'm okay.
- You ever been in this room before?
- Yeah.
Organic Chemistry in my freshman year.
- How'd you do?
- Well, I got an A.
- Professor Rosa...
- Micky, please.
Is there a problem with my paper?
Well, you found a more efficient method
for finding true zero than Isaac Newton
and that, my friend, is not so much of
a problem as it is a major ass-kicking.
Although Newton has been dead for over
So, is this some kind of a math club?
Don't be rude, people.
- Kianna.
- Fisher.
- Choi.
- Jill.
- You ever studied blackjack?
- No.
No, really? Well, it's really simple, actually.
You play against the dealer.
You're given two cards.
Face cards are worth 10 points.
The closest to 21 wins.
If you go over, you lose.
If the dealer goes over, they lose.
It's the most popular card game
in the world.
It's a game with memory.
Cards drawn are the past,
ones to come are future.
And the best part, it's beatable.
Are you talking about counting cards?
No. I'm talking about getting very very rich.
You count cards, right? All of you?
As a team, yes.
- When?
- Weekends. And Christian holidays.
- Where?
- Vegas, baby.
So, why are you telling me?
Well, let's just say a spot opened up
on our roster.
How?
Jimmy got a job at Google.
- Jimmy got a job at Google?
- Yeah, it's catchy, I know.
Well, if you're making so much money
at this, then why did he take it?
Ben, I said Google, not Sizzler.
Yeah... This is crazy.
No, Ben. This is profitable.
Yeah, I can't do it. So, I'm sorry.
- Come on, Ben. It'll be fun.
- Yeah, Ben, it'll be fun.
No, it's not that. It's...
I just got a promotion at my job,
so it's kind of not a good time for me.
We pay better.
Look, I can't just go to Vegas on weekends.
Why not? MIT's on cruise control for you,
you've already gotten into Harvard Med.
I mean, what do you have to worry about?
- How did you know that?
- I like to take an interest in my students.
Well, I'm also really involved
in the science competition.
You know, the 2.09 Competition?
Wait, no.
I'm building a car that drives by itself.
Yeah, well, it's something I've been doing
with my friends for over a year,
so it's kind of important.
Ben, let the car drive by itself.
Listen, you not only have a gifted mind,
but you're also composed.
You don't give in to your emotions.
You think logically.
Ben, you were born for this.
You'll have more fun
than you've ever had in your entire life.
It's perfect.
Thank you. But I'm really not the right guy.
So I'm sorry.
Ben.
I hope this little conversation
we just had will remain private.
- No, of...
- No.
You're one of my favorite new students,
and I'd hate to lose you,
if you know what I mean.
- I'm just not sure it's me.
- t's boring.
It's boxy. It's blue. How is that not you?
So, how much is this thing gonna run me?
Oh, well, let's see, the belt's $49.95,
minus 15/.
The jacket's $589.99.
The pants, $285.99, minus 10/ for both.
Unfortunately, the shirt's not on sale,
but I can knock off 5/ from the $69.99.
The shoes were just marked down
from $155,
so you're looking at $1,042.68.
I'm pretty good with numbers.
- Yeah.
- I guess so.
Yeah, so let me know
when I can ring that up for you guys.
- Yes. Thank you.
- Thanks.
- Yes. Thank you.
- Thanks.
Hey.
Hey.
- Could you help me?
- Oh, yeah. Yeah, sure.
I'm looking for a tie.
Oh, well, we're having a 15/ sale
on the ties.
And if you want,
I could probably get you an additional 10/
with my employee discount.
- This one's nice.
- Yeah. Oh, yeah.
This one has actually been treated with
our patented Nano-Tex fabric protection,
you know, to repel liquids and stains.
- Well, that's really functional.
- Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, it's pretty functional.
Face me. Stay still.
Despite being tempted
by the Nano-Tex repellant,
I'm actually not here for a tie, Ben.
I came to see you.
You did?
Blackjack's a great game.
No, look, it's easy to learn
and there's really not as much strategy to it
as people think.
I grew up on it, actually.
- You grew up on it?
- Yeah.
Every night after dinner,
my father and I would play.
I knew basic strategy
before I was, like, nine years old.
If I won, he'd take me out for ice cream.
And what if he won?
He'd still take me out for ice cream.
Oh, yeah. Sure, yeah, he's your dad.
Ben, you should feel the thrill
of winning more money
than you can possibly imagine.
I think you should come to Vegas.
'Cause I'm guessing that you could
probably use a break from this place.
I can't.
I'm sorry.
I just can't.
Okay. If you change your mind,
you know where we meet.
Yeah.
You're welcome any time.
You know,
I think the best thing about Vegas
is you can become anyone you want.
- What's the count?
- Plus 9.
- No.
- Plus 11.
No.
- Dude, I lost count 20 cards ago.
- Don't call me "dude."
- Plus 9?
- You're just following Jill.
People, please. We had a total of 76 cards
that came out of the deck.
Twenty-three were high cards
with a value of minus one.
Seventeen were neutral with no value at all,
and the rest were low cards
with a value of plus one.
- How could you lose the count?
- Plus 13.
The count. It's plus 13.
Yes.
Pull up a chair.
Stop.
- What is it?
- Plus 12. Eggs.
Twelve eggs in a carton.
- Now what?
- Plus 9.
Cats have nine lives.
Cat.
Sweet 16.
Every card had a value.
A high card, minus one.
A low card, plus one.
The rest, zero.
Plus 13. Plus 8. Plus 9. Plus 12.
I was studying all day, every day.
But it wasn't physics, chemistry
and engineering. I was back to simple math,
used in ways I could never have imagined.
The team had a system.
And to go unnoticed,
we created a whole new language.
Words were numbers,
and numbers were words.
- Plus 17.
- Magazine.
- Plus 6.
- Gun.
- Plus 15.
- Paycheck.
Plus 12.
Is this chemistry review?
- Plus 14.
- Ring.
- Plus 16.
- Sweet.
Use it in a sentence.
Man, that sugar's sweet.
Because I knew the count,
I knew which cards were left in the deck.
That's how I knew what to bet.
You're doing great.
Micky, I just want to let you know
that I'm only doing this for medical school,
which is $300,000.
I mean, if I can get anything close to that,
then I'm done.
Well, in the first place, Ben,
it's not "if," it's "when."
And second of all,
I get it. I completely understand.
- You do?
- Yeah. It's a means to an end.
Look, they've got this new computer
software that reads people's faces,
so who knows how long this gig's
gonna last for any of us?
What if we get caught?
Our system keeps us under the radar,
you'll see.
Anyway, counting cards isn't illegal.
- So, there's no danger in it at all?
- No, Ben, it's safe. Very safe.
You think you can beat the system?
This is the system, beating you back.
You wanna count cards,
you do it in Atlantic City.
- Get him up.
- Come on, kid.
Count to five.
- Count to five!
- What?
Count to five so I know you don't have
brain damage, you can go home.
Start with one.
One, two, three, four, five.
Good. Now, stop counting.
Let's go.
You're crazy,
everybody knows to split eights.
My grandmother splits eights.
Not against a 10. It's a sucker play.
Look, you're choosing to play two hands
against the highest up card
a dealer can have, right?
Against a five or a six, it'd be fine.
Against a 10 or an ace, it's a sucker play.
Yeah, Kianna, save it, all right?
Jill's right. All right?
Choi, why don't you explain to Ben
how we do?
Oh, all right.
So, our team is divided
into two kinds of players,
spotters and big players, right?
So if you think that this table
is the casino floor,
then salt and pepper shakers
are your spotters.
Spotters are just sitting
at the various blackjack tables
and they're betting the table minimum.
They never fluctuate their bet.
That's right. Spotters never raise the bet
or play any kind of progressive system.
That's how we stay under the radar,
and that's why we never get caught.
Exactly. Okay, they're just sitting
at the table, betting the table min,
and they're keeping the count
waiting for one of these decks to get hot.
Right. And then when one of the decks
gets hot,
the spotter at that table signals
in the big player.
This... Mustard.
Give me the mustard, honey. Please.
Well, I'm always the mustard, so...
When I get the signal for the hot deck,
I stumble over like some drunk rich kid,
or some zoned out dot-com millionaire,
and I throw down big money.
So the big player bets big
and still keeps the count.
When the deck cools, he cashes in.
It's not as easy as it sounds.
Oh, yeah, it's not, you know,
because if Grey Poupon over here
ever loses the count,
it's up to his table's spotter
to give him the signal to get out.
- And you know the signals, right?
- Yeah.
Show us.
Okay, what's this?
- The deck's hot.
- Right.
We need to talk.
The deck's cooling.
And get out. Get out now.
Good. I think he's gonna be ready
for our little trial run tomorrow.
There's a trial run?
- Where?
- You'll find out.
Hey.
- You Ben?
- Yeah.
Follow me.
This way.
Go, go. You go.
No more bet. No more bet.
Come on, money.
Today, 14.
Whose side are you on?
Sixteen.
Thank you. Sorry, gentlemen.
So, Henry, did I tell you I read
about this place in a magazine?
- You wanna put that money down?
- Yeah. $300.
$300.
$300.
You bet, sir?
Thanks.
Winner, winner, chicken dinner.
"Winner, winner, chicken dinner." All right.
Nice.
Can I get another drink, please?
Thank you.
What the hell are you doing?
What are you doing?
I haven't done anything! Get off me!
Get off, I haven't done anything!
Please. Please let go.
- What's the count?
- Please don't hurt me.
- I said, what's the count?
- Look, I haven't even done anything!
What's the count?
Plus 18.
Oh, you've gotta be kidding.
Congratulations, Ben.
Sorry, we had to make sure
you'd keep the count under pressure.
Welcome to the team.
We didn't mean it.
It's okay, Campbell, I cried inside that bag.
Fisher and Jimmy
have always been the big players.
I want you to take Jimmy's place.
I've never done this.
I know that and I understand.
But I don't trust the girls,
and Choi is, well, Choi.
Look, I've been teaching
for more than 14 years,
and I've never had a student
as impressive as you.
Your brain is like a goddamn Pentium chip.
You're gonna do great.
You know how I know that?
'Cause you remind me of myself
You in?
- Yeah. Yeah, I'm in.
- Good. Good.
There's one more thing, Ben,
and this is important.
We're counting cards, we're not gambling.
We're following a specific set of rules
and playing a system.
Right.
I've seen how crazy
it can get at those tables,
and sometimes, people lose control.
They give in to their emotions.
You will not.
You understand?
Yeah.
Get some rest.
- Some rest?
- Yeah, we're leaving tomorrow.
Tomorrow? I have a Quantitative Literacy
paper due Tuesday.
- No, you don't.
- I don't?
No, I spoke to Professor O'Reilly.
I told him you were helping me
with a special assignment,
and he understood, so he gave you an A.
You see, Ben, amazing things
can happen from the inside.
You'll get a call about details later.
So did the girls go on ahead, huh?
Oh, yeah. They got a lot more bags
to check, you know?
Okay.
Well, wait for us by security
'cause Ben and I are gonna hit the head.
No, I'm good.
No, I really think you should go.
It's a long flight.
- No, I'm okay.
- We're going to the bathroom.
Honestly, I really don't have to go.
- I don't care what you have to do.
- Look, I really don't have to...
Please just shut up.
Why are you looking over there?
Look, I don't...
I don't care. Shut up. Get in here.
- What are you doing?
- Let's go.
- Pull down your pants.
- What?
Don't ask questions.
- Shove these in your underwear.
- Why?
You want me to do it?
'Cause, I swear to God, I will.
- Why can't we leave it in the bag?
- Because it shows up on the scanner.
And we're not about
to have them confiscate $250,000.
$250,000?
- No. Why do I have to do it?
- 'Cause you're the donkey boy.
You really suck at not asking questions.
What's a donkey boy?
- Step forward, sir.
- Thanks.
- In the basket, please.
- There's a table when you get to the line.
Act casual, think casual, be casual.
Remove your keys, any metal objects.
Laptops out, please.
Thank you.
If you have liquids in a Ziploc bag,
please show them to us now.
- Thank you.
- You're welcome.
Your boarding pass.
Sir?
You forgot your bag.
Thanks.
Nice going, Campbell.
Hey, Ben.
Basic strategy says you should hit that.
Burt, Moishe, Vladimir,
Mona, Miss Sommers,
your new identities are on the bar.
So glad you could make it.
Vladimir Stupnitsky?
Yeah. Your dad's a diplomat
with the Russian consulate.
You live in Washington, D.C.
Your hobbies are backgammon, chess
and long walks on the beach.
- I don't like my name.
- Why not?
"Sierra Sommers." Do I look like a Sierra?
Well, you have a lot of clever outfits.
You'll figure it out.
Just pretend you don't speak English.
Then you don't have to change your hair.
You know, I thought this was legal.
Why do we have to use fake names?
Well, it is. We not only use fake names,
we use disguises.
It's for the benefit of the dealers
to make sure you're old enough to gamble
and it allows everyone to be different people
in different casinos.
Hey! You steal the Bible, you go to hell.
That's the way it works.
Like I'm not going already.
Yeah. All right. Now, listen.
Ben, this is for you.
All the casinos have cameras in the ceiling.
They're called "eyes in the sky."
For their benefit, order a tonic water
and lime and act a little drunk,
and at all times, you don't know each other.
Let me say that one more time,
you do not know each other ever.
And what's our motto?
- Don't get caught counting.
- Don't get caught counting.
Thank you very much.
How come you don't play?
Oh, I did. I played for a long time
and I was the best. But I'm retired now.
Take my advice, Ben, it's always best
to go out when you're on top.
Welcome to Vegas.
No more bets.
All right, here we go.
Big money, now. Big money.
Let me tell you about blackjack, honey.
You ever hear of basic strategy?
Oh, see,
now that sounds really complicated.
- I'm Sierra Sommers from Charleston.
- Pleasure.
Here to double my family's inheritance.
I don't know.
$10,000.
Changing $10,000.
Sweet. Too sweet.
Eight. The count's still plus 16.
Ten. That's minus one.
Count's plus 15.
Eight. Still plus 15.
Nine. Plus 15.
Five. The count's 16.
Eights. Split eights.
Can I split those?
- Sir, please don't touch the cards.
- I'm sorry.
Jack. Count's plus 15.
Ten. Plus 14.
King. Nine. Plus 13.
Jack. Plus 12.
Nine. Still plus 12.
Blackjack.
Monkey! Monkey!
- So what's a monkey?
- Face card.
All right, face card.
Come on, monkey. Okay, monkey.
Monkey!
Monkey! Come on, give us a monkey!
Monkey! Come on, monkey,
monkey, monkey! Monkey.
Monkey! Monkey!
All right, all right.
Oh, God.
I need to quit.
Could I color up, please?
Nice undies.
- What's this?
- It's last night's take.
We split it five ways.
So, what do you think?
Yeah, it was fun.
- You were good.
- Really?
Yeah. Came in quick off the count.
You acted the part.
You weren't afraid to play big, and
you got out when you were supposed to.
And you made more money than Fisher.
I was pretty nervous, actually.
You know, but after a while,
it felt kind of easy.
Not for everyone.
Yeah, it's just simple math.
Good.
We can do some serious damage with you.
Here's the thing I told Micky.
You know, I'm only really doing this
just to pay for medical school.
You know, $300,000 and then I'm out.
That's what they all say.
No, really, I mean, I'm just doing this
to pay for Harvard.
It's just a means to an end for me.
I believe you.
Good.
- Hello?
- We have a team meeting in five minutes.
Team meeting.
Hello?
- Hey.
- Hey.
Where's everybody else?
I don't know. Fisher was right behind us.
Oh, Fisher, you didn't sleep.
- I did. With Ida.
- Ida?
She's a dancer. I pulled her out of Sapphire.
- And Ida's her dancer name?
- Yeah. After her grandmother.
Where's Kianna?
Slots.
- Choi, where the hell you been?
- Unattended maid cart, ninth floor.
I've been busy this morning.
All right, guys, let's get something clear.
This is not summer camp
and I'm not your counselor.
This is real, world-class
moneymaking business.
Kianna, slots are for losers.
Fisher, peelers are stealers.
Choi?
You made five grand last night,
so would you stop stealing nine-cent pens
and everything you can get your hands on
from the maid's cart? It's embarrassing.
But, Fisher,
what the hell were you up to last night?
What?
Three separate occasions, the spotters
let you know that the deck was cooling,
but you kept on anyway.
You either lost the count
or you lost your head.
In either case,
I don't wanna see it happen again.
Jill, nice disguise last night.
And Ben, good work. You came out
of that chute like a pro. Keep it up.
Beginner's luck.
Hey, Fisher. Win like a man, lose like a man.
Micky, I didn't play
into a cold deck three times.
You know what's worse than a loser?
Someone who won't admit
he played it wrong.
Take it up with Ida.
Who's Ida?
- Who the hell is Ida?
- Shut up.
- Who the hell is Ida?
- Shut up.
There goes that paycheck.
- Money plays.
- Money plays, up to the limit.
How's she doing?
Oh, that doesn't matter, man.
The way I see it, yesterday's history,
tomorrow's a mystery.
It's all what you do in the moment, baby.
Just lost another property.
- Who is it this time, Caesars or the Mirage?
- Caesars.
That was a 14-year account.
- They opted to go with the new software.
- I know, Terry, I know.
Hey, Cole. We got absolutely murdered in
pits four and five the last couple of nights.
Okay, Clark, I'll take a look at the tape.
By the way, you wanna lose the cigarette?
There's no smoking in here, you know that.
I appreciate it.
End of an era, my friend.
Ben. Time for school.
I seem to keep waking up to you.
Don't get used to it.
I'm glad you came over this morning.
- I have something I wanna give you.
- Oh, yeah?
I want you to have this.
What's this?
That's a lot of money.
I've been saving for a long time.
It's for medical school.
I know it won't pay the whole way,
but it should help.
Ma, I can't take this.
This is your money.
You worked hard for this.
For precisely this reason. I wanna help pay
for med school, Dr. Campbell.
Well, you know what? You don't have to.
'Cause I got the Robinson Scholarship.
Yep, they're gonna pay the whole way.
- Why didn't you tell me?
- Well, because I wanted it to be a surprise.
And actually, I just found out today.
I can't believe it! Oh, my God!
This is amazing. I am so proud of you.
- I knew the hard work would pay off.
- Yeah, I know.
So, listen, you keep this, all right?
It's yours.
What are you doing?
I'm just jumping up and down on my bed.
What? You never did that
when you were a kid?
- No. Not really, never.
- No.
Right.
All right.
So where were you this weekend?
I tried calling you, like, 15 times.
Oh, yeah? I ended up
having to go to New Hampshire
to help my cousin move.
You didn't bring your cell phone?
Your cell? Your phone?
You didn't bring that?
No, I forgot it. I ended up leaving it here.
So, you know.
Yeah, well, you missed
a hell of a dorm party on Saturday.
Oh, yeah?
We almost had a girl there.
- Republik?
- Yes.
Let's do it!
She is an eight.
- No way. She's a 7.649.
- I was rounding up.
Hey, I thought we agreed
we weren't gonna round up anymore.
That's right.
But if we win the 2.09, I'm asking her out.
Wait. Ben? Ben, you only owe eight bucks.
Hey. Can I get you a beer?
- Sure.
- Yeah? Okay.
Excuse me. Can I get two Bud Lights?
Hey.
- How you doing?
- I'm okay.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
Thank you.
Are those your friends over there?
No. No, I've never seen them before
in my life.
Could you just excuse me for one second?
Guys, I'm serious.
What are you doing? You're staring.
Yeah, we know.
Yeah, well, can you not?
I think it's gonna freak her out a bit,
don't you think?
Yeah, I got a feeling we're a little
more freaked out than she is right now.
So how do you know her?
Did you, like, take some self-help seminar
or something?
What?
- Jedi mind trick, huh?
- Jedi mind trick. Like that Luke.
- You will drink beer.
- Right. Right, right.
There is a fortune on the table now,
and it's all up to my dad.
It's getting ridiculous.
He actually needs to stop the table play,
track down my uncle and take a loan.
- No, are you serious?
- Yeah.
They let him, and he does.
He ends up with, like, two 19s and two 20s.
The dealer turns over a 17.
It's soft. He needs to take another card.
No. Don't say a four. Is it a four?
- It's a four, yeah.
- It's a four. My God.
Not a great Christmas that year.
So, what does he think about what you do?
Does he know?
Oh, no, he's long gone, Ben.
My dad's gone, too.
So, you know, when you came into the store
to ask me to join the team,
was that because...
What?
Well, you know,
was it because Micky asked you to?
Look, we've had three classes together.
You gave that presentation
on combinatorial algorithms
that nobody understood.
You're the smartest person in every single
one of those classes, Ben.
That is why you're on the team.
And that's why I came into the store.
No, no, not so much...
- Oh, God. I'm so, so sorry.
- No. It's fine.
- It's not a problem.
- I don't know why I just did that.
- Don't apologize.
- Are you sure?
Yes. Shit, this is my stop.
- You're getting off here?
- Yeah, I've gotta get off.
But, really, don't worry about it.
I don't know,
it's just'cause we've been drinking, and...
It's just we're on a team, we work together.
- I get it.
- Just don't feel bad about this.
Okay. Sure. Bye.
My world was flashing by
at a million miles a minute.
I had saved over $100,000.
Only $200,000 to go.
But there was still one thing
I couldn't get off my mind.
The moment we left campus,
the concept of vectors and formulas
were replaced with counting,
shuffle tracking
knowing when to hit
and knowing when to color out.
I was becoming a pro on all levels.
I made more money in one trip to Vegas
than I would have in 5 years, 9 months,
In Boston, I was just Ben Campbell.
But in Vegas, I could be anyone I wanted.
You know what I'm gonna do?
You know what I'm gonna do?
I'm gonna throw a half-mill down
on the one hand. Come on. Hit me!
One night, I'd be the high-rolling heir
to a pharmaceutical fortune.
Leon, could you make sure
there's some champagne,
maybe some strawberries
waiting in there for me.
I may not be alone.
The next, I'd be the hottest video game
designer on the West Coast.
There it is.
Winner, winner, chicken dinner!
No, please, keep going.
This video's priceless.
I'm not gonna lie.
It did get, well, a little confusing sometimes.
Operator, how can I help you?
Yeah, room service.
Excuse me?
Honey, we don't do room service.
What do you mean,
you don't do room service?
I mean, we don't do room service.
In Boston, we had a secret.
In Vegas, we had a life.
Micky said I was gonna have more fun
than I could possibly imagine.
And he was right.
- Hey, Jamie. There you go.
- Nice.
It was too good to be true.
There you go. All right,
my night just got better. Thank you, Joe.
And it felt like it was never going to end.
Clark? I think I got something over here.
Take a look at this.
That guy? He's a kid.
He was on the tape from last week.
Got a big roll and he's crushing your table.
Plus, he ordered a tonic and lime.
Tonic and lime. What does that mean?
It means he wants you
to think he's drinking.
Okay. So is he counting
or is he just getting lucky?
He's not running a progressive system.
He doubled on 10 when the deck was heavy,
but he didn't on 11 when it got lighter.
- How can you tell if it's heavy or light?
- I'm counting.
You...
Tell me something, Cole,
if you can count that well,
why are you still consulting for us?
I've been asking myself the same thing.
Let's just say I like being
on your side of the hustle.
Bring up a frame of that for me
on the printer.
So, Terry, I heard
you guys are losing a lot of work
to that biometric facial recognition software.
Just gives us a little bit more time
to focus on you guys.
- That's impressive software.
- They do.
Here he is.
I still think there're bigger fish
to fry out there.
So do I.
Hey, Fisher.
He's mad at me and jealous of you.
But don't worry.
Greatness evokes that reaction sometimes.
- Don't worry about it. I gotta go.
- All right.
- Hey.
- What's going on?
He just didn't like the subject
I chose for my final paper.
- That's bullshit, Ben.
- What?
I know when you're lying,
I'm your best friend.
At least I thought I was.
Are you on drugs, Ben?
Because there's a group that meets
at Simpson Hall on Saturdays.
No, no. Cam, I'm not on drugs, okay?
I'll go to the meeting if you need me to.
Why didn't you tell me you quit J. Press?
I don't know.
- Is it Jill Taylor?
- No.
What about Harvard?
Lt'll find a way of working itself out.
Look, I gotta go. I'll see you.
I think the worst part of it
was not being able to tell anyone.
But for the first time in my life,
the world made itself easy for me.
Here you go, sir.
And I liked it.
That's for you.
We just made $210,000.
Yes.
Now, Ben, this is how we play!
And play we did.
Nothing cost too much.
Nothing was out of reach.
I guess you could say
the casino host of fate
gave Ben Campbell a major upgrade.
Dorm rooms turned into high-roller suites.
Bicycles became stretch limos.
No, no!
And college bars that were always filled
with frat dudes were upgraded to,
well, something more interesting.
- Hey, baby. Where you in from?
- I'm from Boston.
- On a convention?
- No, business, actually.
What line of work you in, mister?
I count things.
My name's Sierra.
Hi, Sierra. I'm Salvador Sanchez.
Would you like a private dance, Salvador?
Well, that all depends
on how much it's gonna run me, Sierra.
$20 a song, 30-song minimum.
Sounds expensive.
- Good evening, Mr. Klein.
- Hey, Frank. It's good to see you.
Jeffrey, you're taking my money.
You are so lucky you're cute.
'Cause if you weren't cute, I'd leave.
You know that?
Jeffrey. My brother from another mother.
How you doing? You good?
I'm good, I'm good, Mr. K.
What, are you back in town for business?
- It's all business in this town, right?
- Well, with your money, I'm sure it always is.
Oh, damn, I forgot my ring.
Oh, please.
I don't wanna bet that. That's for keep.
$100,000 going out.
Thank you, Jeffrey.
Cole. Your boy's back.
- That's him, right?
- There he is.
And he brought
a whole lot more money with him.
That is a hell of a suit, by the way.
- That is some aftershave he has going on.
- Sir, could you not? Please.
This girl's only betting the table minimum.
Why's she keep looking at him?
Terry, rewind the tape. I wanna see
if she signals him to come to the table.
We don't use "tape" anymore, old school.
It's digital now.
Never mind. Terry, rewind it.
Okay, okay.
She's playing the table minimum.
Now, in a second,
she's gonna do something.
She's gonna raise her hand,
scratch her head... There it is.
That's the signal. See?
She gave him the signal.
He comes to the table.
I'm telling you, they're working together.
Nice.
Show me a computer that can do that.
You look familiar.
I know you, don't I?
- I don't think so.
- No?
Oh, sure, you look exactly like that guy
in Rain Man.
Oh, yeah? Well, people say
I look like Tom Cruise all the time.
Oh, yeah? No.
The other one, the... What's his... The retard.
I just love that scene in Vegas
when the retard wins at blackjack.
You look just like that.
What I could never understand, though,
is how someone so retarded,
could win so much.
Hey, Jeffrey,
his brother from another mother,
how did that retard win so much?
- You know what, sir? I think that maybe...
- Okay, get your hands off me.
Oh, I didn't mean it.
His luck'll run out eventually.
It always does.
- Hey, Ben...
- No, Ben, stop it!
- What the hell is the matter with you?
- Hey, come on! Ben!
Oh, you think that's funny?
You think that was funny? Shut up!
I understand, Ben. We don't need anymore...
This is not the time. Okay?
I want to thank you
for confirming my choice in Ben.
Now go home.
- What?
- You're off the team.
No.
- I was drunk, I was...
- I don't care what you were.
I'm not leaving.
Yes, you are.
What are you gonna do about it, huh?
You've been the big man for a long time,
but you just acted like a child.
So I want you to pick up the ticket
and go home,
because if you don't,
you know exactly what I'm capable of doing,
don't you?
All right, listen up.
Casino's gonna change out their chips,
just like the MGM did after the Tyson fight.
That means we got less than 24 hours
to cash in,
or we're gonna be sitting
with 200 grand of worthless plastic.
- So we'll cash out.
- It's too hot.
They're gonna be dissecting the eye in
the sky footage of Fisher's little power play.
So let's do it right now
before they can do that.
Are you deliberately slow?
What about them?
What about them?
They can cash in the chips.
The casino's just gonna think they're tips.
- Cashing out.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
- Thanks, sweetie.
- Thanks, hon.
- Thank you, baby.
I love a parade, don't you?
You know, there's a word
I don't throw around all that often,
"Genius."
Hey, Kianna.
Let me hold your bag for a second.
Thanks, baby, here.
Oh, no problem. Anytime.
- Watch. Watch, watch. Ready?
- Okay, I'm watching. That's beautiful.
Watch.
No, it's great, you just need
to get your knee a little higher.
- Hi.
- Hey.
So the Hard Rock comped me a suite.
That's cool, that's great.
You wanna see it?
All right, take care, Bobby. All right?
God, it's cold.
Hey, what time is it?
He's only 45 minutes late.
Show a little patience.
Oh, look. Here he comes.
Guys, I'm sorry I'm late.
Hey, Ben.
You know, you could try
returning a call once in a while.
Good of you to show up, man.
It's not like we're cold or anything.
Yeah, funny.
- Hey, did you bring it?
- Yeah, I got it. There it is.
And you're sure
you didn't inlay the software on more space
than the parameters suggest?
No. It's just one-fifth of the free face.
Let's fire this mother up.
Beautiful.
Okay.
Okay.
What's happening?
- I don't understand.
- It's the wrong size.
No. What?
- What the hell, Ben? This is an 8K.
- Right.
Yeah, we needed 16K!
- I can't believe this.
- I thought it was an 8K.
- No, you didn't.
- Yeah, I did.
No, you didn't. You knew the entire time
the discrete was 16K.
Damn it, Ben.
It's gonna take us two weeks
to get a fresh 16K from the fabrication.
And another five days, minimum,
to get it ready to press.
Miles, calm down, all right?
It was an honest mistake.
What?
You know what? I think we're gonna have
to go at this without you, man.
You're gonna what?
No, no.
This is just as much mine as it is yours.
We've been working on this for over a year.
I know that.
But your heart just isn't in this anymore.
Are you serious?
Fine.
Fine.
You know what? I don't even care.
Honestly, I don't even care.
You know why?
'Cause no one in the real world gives a shit
about the 2.09 Competition.
You know, it's just something
that you build up in your head
to make yourselves feel important.
You guys are pathetic.
Thanks.
Welcome back, Mr. Youngman.
- Thanks, Joseph. It's good to see you.
- Good to see you, too.
Good evening, Mr. Youngman,
welcome back to the Red Rock.
Nice to see you.
Anything I can do for you, let me know.
Double down.
I guess you play big or you don't play at all.
Right?
Honey, there you are. Let's go.
We don't wanna miss the show!
Honey, we're actually playing a game here.
Yeah.
Yeah, so you know what?
Why don't you run upstairs
and wait for me there? Okay?
All right. Let's go.
Yeah, all right.
I've got the worst headache right now.
- Ten.
- Come on, monkey.
- Fourteen.
- Come on. Come on, monkey.
- Sixteen.
- Monkey. Come on.
Twenty-one.
Pete, you're killing us.
I guess it's not my night.
Are you out of your mind?
I don't know what happened.
I messed up. I'm sorry.
Oh, you're sorry.
Well, see, now that's what I've been waiting
to hear, Ben. As long as you're sorry.
I'm out 200 grand, but Ben's sorry!
Everybody hear that? Ben's sorry!
So we can all go back to being friends
and laughing over cocktails!
Come on, Micky. It can happen to anyone.
They get on a rush and they lose control.
You shut your mouth. This is business.
Hey, I let you down, all right? I get it.
Excuse me? You let me down? I don't care!
Let me make one thing clear to you,
I am not your father!
You are not my friend. This is a business.
You are only as good to me
as the money you make,
and, right now, it's not worth a hell of a lot!
You're gonna give me back
everything you lost.
I can't do that! That money was for Harvard!
I have made you so much more
than what I just lost!
It doesn't matter, Ben.
You had very clear instructions,
and you didn't follow them.
You didn't do your job.
You weren't counting, you were gambling!
Well, why aren't you out there, then, Micky?
I mean, we take all the risks.
Seems to me like you don't do shit.
This isn't about me,
you arrogant little infant.
You can all find your own way
back to Boston.
And, Ben, you're gonna pay me that money,
every penny, one way or the other.
And you damn well know it.
I need a drink.
Anybody else?
Yeah, well, we don't need him.
- Yeah, okay, Ben.
- No, I'm serious.
Why do we need him?
We have our own money now.
You know, his cut was 50/,
and he doesn't even play!
Why do we need him?
Hey, you know what I think?
I think we play out the weekend,
and I think we do this without him.
No. No, I don't think that's a good idea.
I think we should go back to Boston
and figure this out.
Yeah, well,
why don't we let the team decide?
I'm with Jill. This is Micky's thing.
Micky brought us together.
And then he drove us apart.
I mean, you saw
how he played Fisher against me.
Choi, what do you say, man?
You wanna make some money?
- Kind of.
- Really?
We need 100 grand just to play.
You're talking about risking our own money.
All I'm saying is that we try it. You know?
If we make the investment,
then we take all of the winnings.
All of it.
Okay.
Yeah.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
Choi?
I'm in.
Now I need a drink.
- What are you doing?
- What?
What are you doing?
Well, we're printing money.
What, you think just'cause Micky left
that we're gonna stop?
No, I could do this. I can lead this team.
You know, I'm not the same guy
I was back in Boston.
- Exactly.
- Yeah, exactly.
You know, isn't this exactly
who you wanted me to be
when you first came into the store
to buy a tie?
What happened to "$300,000 and I'm out"?
What happened to "a means to an end"?
- How much do you have?
- What?
- How much do you have?
- I got enough.
Come on, Ben. How much do you have
saved back in Boston?
I've got 315 grand, all right?
Then why are you still here?
Because I wanna still be here.
I like being here.
So does everybody else.
So come on, Jill. Are you in?
You are the big player, Ben.
Yes, I am.
Yeah, can I get a drink?
Rose, I wanna thank you.
You have been most accommodating.
All right, that's for you.
Okay, take care. Hey, good luck.
Hey, how we doing here, people?
Yeah, I'm gonna put you on hold
while I track him down.
Just got an interesting call.
There's nobody left to fire us.
Planet Hollywood is our last client.
I don't know about that.
This is Cole.
Queen of diamonds. Your lady luck tonight.
You're doing good.
You're a real winner.
Sometimes. Just like everybody else.
Now, why don't I believe that?
Maybe you're just smarter
than everybody else, huh?
Yeah, I bet it's been that way your entire life.
Except it just recently started
paying dividends, am I right?
I'd split them.
Deck's heavy as hell and since
I've been here, the true count's at plus 7.
Kianna. I think
we have a serious problem over there.
- Walk now!
- Oh, shit. Oh, shit!
Let's go. I'm out. Thank you.
Let's go, Jill. Let's go.
I think we need
to call security or something.
Yeah, I don't think they're gonna help.
Let's go! Come on.
Let's take a walk, huh?
Come on, kid.
See if we can't get you that chicken dinner.
It's called Biometrics.
Biometrics.
It's sort of like a fingerprint of your face.
See, when the player sits down
at the table, the software, it reads this...
Biometric profile.
...biometric profile of your face,
cross-references it
with a database of counters.
Software'll probably put you and me
out of business, but it still can't do this.
All right.
You understand all this. You go to MIT.
Smart boy.
My name is Cole Williams.
And if I ever see you in this town again,
I will break your cheek bone
with a small hammer,
and then I will kill you.
Please. Please just take the money.
You can take it.
Tell me,
how's good old Professor Rosa doing, huh?
Oh, yeah. Me and Micky, we go way back.
I spent years, chased him all over this town.
Giving him beat downs left and right,
only to find him at the tables a week later.
He was very persistent.
And then, one September night,
when I was in Barstow
at my father's funeral,
my casino was taken for seven figures.
Can you imagine that?
The most ever taken by a single counter
in one night.
'Course I was, naturally,
unceremoniously fired.
Funny thing, though.
I never saw Micky Rosa after that.
Never.
Cauchy was the first
to make a rigorous study
of the conditions for convergence
of an infinite series.
And was concerned with developing
the basic theorems of the calculus
as rigorously as possible.
Any questions?
No? All right, moving on.
Isn't it true Cauchy stole from his students?
Yes, I heard that.
What's your theory on that?
They say he used his students
for their brilliance,
then discredited them
and stole their equations,
stole their hard work.
Well, that wouldn't be the first time
a teacher was accused of that.
I think what he's referring to
is Vladimir Stupnitsky, yes?
He was a student of Cauchy's
who accused Cauchy
of stealing his four-volume text
on this analysis
and publishing it under a pseudonym.
Of course, nobody knows
what really went down there.
They never did prove it, and without
the proof, it's a little like it never happened.
And, you know, it's a real shame,
because if Stupnitsky had just realized
that he shouldn't have crossed Cauchy,
this was the dispute,
if he'd been able to get beyond some
of the personal mistakes that were made,
I have no doubt that Cauchy
would have worked with him again,
and they could have
done great things together.
But, as history shows us,
some students never learn.
You should get that eye looked at.
You okay?
Everything's gone.
- What?
- Micky's taken everything.
He's taken the money,
taken away Harvard Med, even MIT.
- What are you talking about?
- Micky, he's taken everything.
I gotta find a way to get it back.
Are you insane?
You just got the shit kicked out of you
and you won't let this go!
Look, what am I supposed to do, Jill?
I've just lost everything!
Look, please...
I don't want to lose you, too.
Ben, you were dragged away in Vegas.
I haven't heard from you.
I had no idea where you were.
I know.
I know.
You know, I'm so sorry that I hurt you.
I'm sorry.
In Vegas, I don't know what happened.
That wasn't me.
Look, you know me.
You know what I'm like.
You know me.
I need you to trust me.
And the winner of this year's 2.09
for excellence in the field of robotics
goes to the team of Conolly and Kazazi!
That's it. That's the story.
Jill Taylor. Really?
- Yeah. Yeah, really.
- Wow.
Yeah, it doesn't feel like "wow," Miles.
I really screwed up.
Yeah, you did.
But you had a life experience.
I can't believe how I treated you, Miles.
You know, you're my best friend,
and I really let you down.
I really let you down. I'm sorry.
And I'm happy for you, you know?
Winning the 2.09? That's great.
- Jill Taylor. Really?
- Yeah.
So let me get this straight.
Money, girls,
high-roller suites, clubs vEgas.
Yeah, I think I probably would have
blown off the 2.09 Competition, too.
So we cool?
Yeah, we're cool.
But you better believe that
you're gonna make this up to me, big time.
All right.
So, what are you gonna do now?
What do you want, Ben?
This is an alumni dinner.
You need a diploma
to come to one of these.
Wait. Stupnitsky wants back in.
What?
Look, I've had some time
to think about what you said.
I want back in.
- Why now?
- Because I have nothing else.
All right, look, Ben. I'm not gonna lie to you.
You're good, you're very very good.
But you did exactly what I told you not to.
You got emotional and then you got stupid.
Now you tell me why in the world
I'd ever get back in business with you.
Look, I know I should never have
disrespected you, all right? I know that.
With this facial recognition software,
our window of opportunity
is closing in on us.
Now, I need this, Micky.
I really, really need this.
Well, the take would have to be really, really
good to get me even vaguely interested.
Well, you know, that's why I was thinking
maybe you should be the other big player.
You know, two big players playing big?
Hey, slow down,
I haven't played in a long time, Ben.
But Fisher's out.
No one else on the team
can be the big player, can they?
And if we do well, if we do really well,
then you get your grades back,
get to Harvard Med,
and I might even get that sabbatical.
Well, amazing things can be done
from the inside, right?
Just went back to the head of the class.
I gotta go be social.
All right, now listen.
It's different out there this time.
The stakes are high
and it's more dangerous.
But the return is gonna be the biggest.
Now they know our faces,
so we're gonna wear disguises.
And we can't mess around.
I'm glad you're back with us, Micky.
Well, I couldn't let you guys
come back to this town
and not prove to Ben
that I can do more than just teach.
But as we've all said, this game
is about the past and the future,
and tonight we forget about the past.
We just focus on the future.
Right. This is our last time.
Now, we all know the drill if things get ugly.
We meet at the Fox Strip Club.
Nobody leaves this town alone.
Let's go make a killing.
All right.
Let's see what we can do with this.
Seems like I'm having one of those days,
you know what I mean, Jim?
I'm bringing all the luck today.
I'm just bringing it all.
Anyone who's in any kind of contact
with me is getting so much luck today.
Winner, winner, chicken dinner! There it is.
Thank you. God, I love this town.
I love this game.
And, Jim, I might even love you.
Hey, you mind if I sit down?
What's your name?
Shane? I'm about to change your luck.
It's gonna become mine.
There you go, give me it all.
There you go.
Thank you. Thank you.
Such a shame, Shane!
Okay, I'm supposed to double, right?
- Is this your first time, darling?
- I've been winning and losing for hours.
Well, that's all right.
I've been winning and losing for years.
What the hell kind of streak
are you on, boy?
This never happens, this never happens.
I'm just gonna have to split those tens.
- Splitting tens.
- Splitting tens!
- Split tens!
- Again!
- Split tens!
- Again!
- Thank you, ma'am.
- Give me the chips, Blanca.
Give me the chips!
Come on, give me the chips, Blanca.
Come on, just give me the chips!
- My bus has to leave right away.
- I gotta walk my dog.
- I'm sorry we're making such a mess.
- Go, go, go, go, go.
Nice to see you. Have a good night, darling.
This way!
Go.
This way!
Come on, Jill. Come on!
Go that way. Throw me the chips.
Come on, we gotta separate.
Give me the chips, I'll meet you at Fox's.
Go, go, go, go!
Come on, come on.
Move, move, move!
Come on.
Go, go, this way.
All right, let's go.
Go, go, go, go! Airport!
I never saw Micky Rosa after that.
Oh, God.
But I think I wanna see him now.
And I want you to make that happen.
I don't work for Micky anymore.
Come on, kid.
Your picture's all over the database.
Your Vegas gig is done.
But I will give you one night.
And I can guarantee
that you won't be bothered.
You'll make a killing, and you'll keep it all.
Listen.
My name's Cole.
Cole Williams.
You just bring me Micky Rosa, kid.
I'll take care of the rest.
Son of a bitch.
Who the hell are you?
Ben. Good job.
You'll be glad to know I'm gonna have a talk
with your professor, and that MIT thing?
It's gonna work out for you.
So that's it?
- That's it.
- All right.
Oh, Dr. Campbell?
They don't have pensions
in my line of work.
And the software does
what it's supposed to do.
And I been chasing Micky Rosa around here
for too damn long.
I'm looking at some retirement.
Leave the bag.
No. No, no, no, no.
I need this money. You have no idea
what I went through to get this money.
I know, kid, but you're gonna figure out
how to get everything you want in this life,
'cause you're smart.
So, you're gonna leave the bag.
Ben, give him the bag. Give him the bag.
It doesn't matter. Give him the bag.
I knew you were smart.
I had a 1590 on my SAT.
I got a 44 on my MCATs.
And I have a 4.0 GPA from MIT.
I thought I had my life mapped out.
But then I remembered
what my Nonlinear Equations professor
once told me,
"Always account for variable change."
Hello, Micky.
Look, I got money in Boston.
A hundred grand.
I'll give it to you.
Just let me walk away. I'll walk away.
I don't want your money, Micky.
I don't need it.
But I know someone
who might be interested.
He's good with numbers, too.
He works for the IRS.
I let down my good friends.
But as it turns out,
they weren't too bad at simple math either.
I scored the prettiest girl in school.
I got beaten down
by an old-school Vegas thug
who was having trouble
accepting his retirement.
But I worked out a deal with him
that got him a nice pension.
And I lied to my mother.
But I confessed the lie,
and, well, she still loved me.
So my senior year of college,
I joined this team.
And I learned this new skill.
I went to Vegas 17 times to use it.
I made hundreds of thousands of dollars
counting cards.
And then I had it all stolen from me.
Twice.
How's that for life experience, professor?
Did I dazzle you?
Did I jump off the page?
Those words had been dancing
around my head all night.
I mean, it's Vegas lore, that phrase.
Just ask any of the old-time pit bosses,
they'll know.
It was a Chinese dealer at Binion's
who was first credited with the line.
He would shout it every time
he dealt blackjack.
That was over 40 years ago,
and the words still catch.
Winner, winner, chicken dinner. There it is!
"Winner, winner, chicken dinner."
Yeah, try it.
I had heard it at least 14 times that night.
I couldn't lose.
First of all, what I was doing wasn't illegal.
There were certain institutions and people
that frowned upon it,
but it's legal.
And not everyone can do it.
Just those with gifted minds.
I have a gifted mind.
That's what got me into all this mess.
I was counting cards
and I was up over $640,000.
All right!
I'm just gonna have to split those tens.
- Splitting tens.
- Splitting tens again.
Well, that's all right.
I've been winning and losing for years.
We used hand signals, too.
Folded arms, the table's hot.
A touch to the eye, we need to talk.
And a hand running through
perfect flowing hair meant only one thing.
Get out. Now.
"Winner, winner, chicken dinner."
Stroke. Stroke. Stroke. Stroke.
Premed.
President, American Legion Math League.
TA to Professors Wilkins and Sanders.
Both of whom are friends of mine,
and who wrote glowing recommendations.
And you're accepted early into school here
at Harvard Med,
pending graduation from MIT.
It's very impressive.
Thank you.
The Robinson Scholarship
is comprehensive, as you know.
It's a free ride.
And free rides don't come easy.
Absolutely.
We have 76 applicants this year,
only one of whom will get the scholarship
and most of whom have rsums
just as impressive as yours.
Right.
Professor Phillips?
Some kids grow up
wanting to play for the Red Sox.
You know, some grow up wanting to be,
I don't know, a fireman.
I grew up... Well, really,
I just wanted to come here to Harvard Med.
And now that I've gotten accepted,
it seems to only come down to the money.
Which I don't really have.
So, what I'm trying to say
is that I really, really need this scholarship.
Did you rehearse that?
Yeah. Like, 14 times in front of the mirror.
Unfortunately,
desire doesn't figure into this much.
The Robinson is going
to go to someone who
dazzles.
Somebody who just jumps off the page.
Oh, well, then, I'm also involved
in a science competition.
We're building a robotic wheel
that can navigate itself
using a proprietary GPS system.
Well, I'm designing the system. So...
Right.
Ben, last year,
the Robinson went to Hyum Jae Wook,
a Korean immigrant who has only one leg.
Well, I have both my legs.
Well, have you considered
cutting one of them off?
That was a joke.
Ben, it's all about the essay.
You need to really explain to us
what makes you special.
What life experience separates you
from all the rest.
Life experience.
What can you tell me, Ben,
that's going to dazzle me?
I'm so sorry I'm late.
- Where is your jacket?
- Oh, I got it. I got it. It's right here.
This is no way for the new
assistant manager to come to work.
Congratulations.
How does $8 an hour sound?
Eight dollars?
Wow! Wow. That's great, Warren.
Thank you. Thank you.
You slept with him, didn't you?
- Yes, I did. Yes, I did.
- Yes, you did.
I'll sleep with him, too,
and I'll get $8 an hour.
So Palmer finishes up his lecture, right?
And I say to him,
"Well, Professor Palmer, you're gonna need
at least 14 capacitance probes
"to get the kind of results
that you're looking for," okay?
So then he says to me, "Miles,
don't you think that's a little excessive?"
And I get up, I swear to God, Ben, I get up
in front of the entire class and I say,
"You can never have
enough capacitance probes."
Oh, my God.
What the hell is wrong with you?
Oh, nothing.
I hope nothing. You just got promoted, man.
You should be happy.
I just gotta write this essay for the
Robinson Scholarship, and I have nothing.
And the reason that I have nothing
is'cause, well, I've done nothing.
- Oh, give me a break, Ben.
- What?
You have everything.
You blow me out of the water,
and I'm a cerebral stud. Is that nothing?
Yeah, well, it doesn't dazzle.
Hey. It dazzles me, mister.
You know, ever since I was 16,
I crushed exams.
I took on extracurriculars.
I showed up early.
I even sat up at the front and I stayed late.
Man, I gave up everything.
You know, I gave up fun. I gave up sex.
I don't think you gave up sex.
- Okay. Maybe not sex.
- Yeah, you didn't give up sex.
All right, all right. Not sex, but...
It just annoys me that the one thing
that is stopping me
from going to Harvard Med is money.
You know, tuition fees and living expenses
alone cost over $300,000.
$300,000.
It's outrageous. It's astronomically high.
I get that.
You know, I just thought
there was more to life than just money.
Well, look at the bright side,
I just saved a bunch of money
on my car insurance.
Thank you.
- Happy birthday, honey.
- Thanks, Mom.
Thank you, love. Kisses.
Make a wish.
- Make a wish.
- Okay.
Bravo.
Congratulations, Benjamin.
Did you know Miles did the frosting on that?
You see that?
It took me five minutes
to figure out it was a Fibonacci series...
Where the next number is 21.
Now you're slipping, Cam.
Cam, you owe another six bucks.
No, no. I didn't eat any of the Buffalo wings.
Oh, really? That's great.
Well, we're not doing it that way.
We're just dividing equally.
So let's say you pay.
I got it, all right?
No, no. I got it. I got it. I got it. I got it.
It's your birthday.
You're as broke-ass as I am.
I just wish now
I had eaten some of those wings.
So, I nailed the specs on the 2.09 last night,
after 19 cups of coffee.
- Check it out.
- You are kidding. You're kidding!
This is good. Miles, this is good.
Yeah, well, it better be'cause this is what
we've been working for since we got here.
This is called destiny.
You know, there is the... Thank you.
There is the possibility that
we might not actually win this thing.
Oh, yeah?
Bite your tongue! Bite your damn tongue!
Look, guys,
we don't date, we don't travel,
we don't have any money.
The only thing that we do have
is the 2.09 Competition.
If we can't even win that, what's the point?
Hey, hey. Look at this!
No, no, no, no.
We suck.
Your father would be so proud of you, Ben.
Yeah.
Do you remember anything about him?
Not really. Maybe when he shaved?
Yeah, I think I watched him shave.
So, what are your plans
for the rest of the night?
I don't know. I'll probably just go back
and work on that essay.
Ben, you're working too hard.
Between the job and school and the 2.09,
you've had no time for just yourself.
You have to squeeze in
a little time for fun, Ben.
You only turn 21 once.
And it goes by very fast.
Okay. All right.
- Good night.
- All right, good night.
- Don't come home before 3:00.
- All right.
All right.
Now, who can explain Newton's method
and how you use it?
You can use it to solve nonlinear equations.
That's impressive. That's really good.
I mean, I'm very impressed by that,
especially since my class
is called Nonlinear Equations.
All right, now somebody tell me something
I don't already know.
Anyone?
Bueller. Anyone? Bueller.
Newton stole it.
- I'm sorry?
- Newton stole it.
Joseph Raphson published
this same method 50 years earlier.
And if the start value is too far removed
from true zero, then it fails.
- I'm sorry, what's your name?
- Ben. Ben Campbell.
Ben.
So Ben Campbell suggests
that Joseph Raphson
was the original author of this method.
Well, if that's the case,
then why didn't he get any credit?
Well, for one thing,
Newton had a better publicist.
And for another, after 1700,
we know very little about Raphson
other than the fact that he discovered the
Kabbalah about 300 years before Madonna.
All right, now, let's give Ben a chance
for some extra credit, shall we?
We're gonna call this
the game show host problem, all right?
Ben, suppose you're on a game show.
And you are given a chance to choose
from three different doors, all right?
Now, behind one of the doors is a new car.
Behind the other two, goats.
Which door would you choose, Ben?
Door number one?
Door number one.
Ben chooses door number one.
All right, now, the game show host,
who, by the way,
knows what's behind all the other doors,
decides to open another door.
Let's say he chooses door number three.
Behind which sits a goat. Now...
Ben, game show host comes up to you.
He says, "Ben, do you want to stay
with door number one
"or go with door number two?"
Now, is it in your interest
to switch your choice?
- Yeah.
- Well, wait.
Remember, the host knows where the car is
so how do you know
he's not playing a trick on you?
Trying to use reverse psychology
to get you to pick a goat?
Well, I wouldn't really care.
I mean, my answer's based on statistics.
Based on variable change.
Variable change?
But he just asked you a simple question.
Yeah, which changed everything.
Enlighten us.
Well, when I was originally
asked to choose a door,
I had a 33.3/ chance of choosing right.
But after he opens one of the doors
and then re-offers me the choice,
it's now 66.7/ if I choose to switch.
So, yeah, I'll take door number two,
and thank you for that extra 33.3/.
Exactly.
People, remember,
if you don't know which door to open,
always account for variable change.
Now, see, most people
wouldn't take the switch
out of paranoia, fear, emotions.
But Mr. Campbell, he kept emotions aside
and let simple math get his ass
into a brand-new car!
Which is better than that goat
you've been driving around campus.
All right, everybody.
That's the end of the day.
Thank you very much.
Your graded papers are down here
at the end.
You can pick them up on your way out.
I am invincible.
Guys, Jill Taylor, 10 o'clock.
Man. That's brutal.
You know,
you should just ask her out, man.
It's not like she's a rocket scientist
or anything.
Oh, wait, she is.
Well, why don't you ask her?
Because I'm already dating someone.
Yeah, your right hand doesn't count, Miles.
It does the way I use it.
It does the way I use it.
Hey, you know what?
Maybe I don't even want to go out with her.
Yeah, that's funny.
You know, you say
you want a life experience, right?
Well, I'd say getting down with that
would definitely qualify.
Cam!
Boy genius.
You have to follow me now.
- Excuse me?
- You have to follow me now.
Come on.
- Where are we going?
- You'll see.
Our honored guest.
- How you doing, Ben?
- I'm okay.
- You ever been in this room before?
- Yeah.
Organic Chemistry in my freshman year.
- How'd you do?
- Well, I got an A.
- Professor Rosa...
- Micky, please.
Is there a problem with my paper?
Well, you found a more efficient method
for finding true zero than Isaac Newton
and that, my friend, is not so much of
a problem as it is a major ass-kicking.
Although Newton has been dead for over
So, is this some kind of a math club?
Don't be rude, people.
- Kianna.
- Fisher.
- Choi.
- Jill.
- You ever studied blackjack?
- No.
No, really? Well, it's really simple, actually.
You play against the dealer.
You're given two cards.
Face cards are worth 10 points.
The closest to 21 wins.
If you go over, you lose.
If the dealer goes over, they lose.
It's the most popular card game
in the world.
It's a game with memory.
Cards drawn are the past,
ones to come are future.
And the best part, it's beatable.
Are you talking about counting cards?
No. I'm talking about getting very very rich.
You count cards, right? All of you?
As a team, yes.
- When?
- Weekends. And Christian holidays.
- Where?
- Vegas, baby.
So, why are you telling me?
Well, let's just say a spot opened up
on our roster.
How?
Jimmy got a job at Google.
- Jimmy got a job at Google?
- Yeah, it's catchy, I know.
Well, if you're making so much money
at this, then why did he take it?
Ben, I said Google, not Sizzler.
Yeah... This is crazy.
No, Ben. This is profitable.
Yeah, I can't do it. So, I'm sorry.
- Come on, Ben. It'll be fun.
- Yeah, Ben, it'll be fun.
No, it's not that. It's...
I just got a promotion at my job,
so it's kind of not a good time for me.
We pay better.
Look, I can't just go to Vegas on weekends.
Why not? MIT's on cruise control for you,
you've already gotten into Harvard Med.
I mean, what do you have to worry about?
- How did you know that?
- I like to take an interest in my students.
Well, I'm also really involved
in the science competition.
You know, the 2.09 Competition?
Wait, no.
I'm building a car that drives by itself.
Yeah, well, it's something I've been doing
with my friends for over a year,
so it's kind of important.
Ben, let the car drive by itself.
Listen, you not only have a gifted mind,
but you're also composed.
You don't give in to your emotions.
You think logically.
Ben, you were born for this.
You'll have more fun
than you've ever had in your entire life.
It's perfect.
Thank you. But I'm really not the right guy.
So I'm sorry.
Ben.
I hope this little conversation
we just had will remain private.
- No, of...
- No.
You're one of my favorite new students,
and I'd hate to lose you,
if you know what I mean.
- I'm just not sure it's me.
- t's boring.
It's boxy. It's blue. How is that not you?
So, how much is this thing gonna run me?
Oh, well, let's see, the belt's $49.95,
minus 15/.
The jacket's $589.99.
The pants, $285.99, minus 10/ for both.
Unfortunately, the shirt's not on sale,
but I can knock off 5/ from the $69.99.
The shoes were just marked down
from $155,
so you're looking at $1,042.68.
I'm pretty good with numbers.
- Yeah.
- I guess so.
Yeah, so let me know
when I can ring that up for you guys.
- Yes. Thank you.
- Thanks.
- Yes. Thank you.
- Thanks.
Hey.
Hey.
- Could you help me?
- Oh, yeah. Yeah, sure.
I'm looking for a tie.
Oh, well, we're having a 15/ sale
on the ties.
And if you want,
I could probably get you an additional 10/
with my employee discount.
- This one's nice.
- Yeah. Oh, yeah.
This one has actually been treated with
our patented Nano-Tex fabric protection,
you know, to repel liquids and stains.
- Well, that's really functional.
- Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, it's pretty functional.
Face me. Stay still.
Despite being tempted
by the Nano-Tex repellant,
I'm actually not here for a tie, Ben.
I came to see you.
You did?
Blackjack's a great game.
No, look, it's easy to learn
and there's really not as much strategy to it
as people think.
I grew up on it, actually.
- You grew up on it?
- Yeah.
Every night after dinner,
my father and I would play.
I knew basic strategy
before I was, like, nine years old.
If I won, he'd take me out for ice cream.
And what if he won?
He'd still take me out for ice cream.
Oh, yeah. Sure, yeah, he's your dad.
Ben, you should feel the thrill
of winning more money
than you can possibly imagine.
I think you should come to Vegas.
'Cause I'm guessing that you could
probably use a break from this place.
I can't.
I'm sorry.
I just can't.
Okay. If you change your mind,
you know where we meet.
Yeah.
You're welcome any time.
You know,
I think the best thing about Vegas
is you can become anyone you want.
- What's the count?
- Plus 9.
- No.
- Plus 11.
No.
- Dude, I lost count 20 cards ago.
- Don't call me "dude."
- Plus 9?
- You're just following Jill.
People, please. We had a total of 76 cards
that came out of the deck.
Twenty-three were high cards
with a value of minus one.
Seventeen were neutral with no value at all,
and the rest were low cards
with a value of plus one.
- How could you lose the count?
- Plus 13.
The count. It's plus 13.
Yes.
Pull up a chair.
Stop.
- What is it?
- Plus 12. Eggs.
Twelve eggs in a carton.
- Now what?
- Plus 9.
Cats have nine lives.
Cat.
Sweet 16.
Every card had a value.
A high card, minus one.
A low card, plus one.
The rest, zero.
Plus 13. Plus 8. Plus 9. Plus 12.
I was studying all day, every day.
But it wasn't physics, chemistry
and engineering. I was back to simple math,
used in ways I could never have imagined.
The team had a system.
And to go unnoticed,
we created a whole new language.
Words were numbers,
and numbers were words.
- Plus 17.
- Magazine.
- Plus 6.
- Gun.
- Plus 15.
- Paycheck.
Plus 12.
Is this chemistry review?
- Plus 14.
- Ring.
- Plus 16.
- Sweet.
Use it in a sentence.
Man, that sugar's sweet.
Because I knew the count,
I knew which cards were left in the deck.
That's how I knew what to bet.
You're doing great.
Micky, I just want to let you know
that I'm only doing this for medical school,
which is $300,000.
I mean, if I can get anything close to that,
then I'm done.
Well, in the first place, Ben,
it's not "if," it's "when."
And second of all,
I get it. I completely understand.
- You do?
- Yeah. It's a means to an end.
Look, they've got this new computer
software that reads people's faces,
so who knows how long this gig's
gonna last for any of us?
What if we get caught?
Our system keeps us under the radar,
you'll see.
Anyway, counting cards isn't illegal.
- So, there's no danger in it at all?
- No, Ben, it's safe. Very safe.
You think you can beat the system?
This is the system, beating you back.
You wanna count cards,
you do it in Atlantic City.
- Get him up.
- Come on, kid.
Count to five.
- Count to five!
- What?
Count to five so I know you don't have
brain damage, you can go home.
Start with one.
One, two, three, four, five.
Good. Now, stop counting.
Let's go.
You're crazy,
everybody knows to split eights.
My grandmother splits eights.
Not against a 10. It's a sucker play.
Look, you're choosing to play two hands
against the highest up card
a dealer can have, right?
Against a five or a six, it'd be fine.
Against a 10 or an ace, it's a sucker play.
Yeah, Kianna, save it, all right?
Jill's right. All right?
Choi, why don't you explain to Ben
how we do?
Oh, all right.
So, our team is divided
into two kinds of players,
spotters and big players, right?
So if you think that this table
is the casino floor,
then salt and pepper shakers
are your spotters.
Spotters are just sitting
at the various blackjack tables
and they're betting the table minimum.
They never fluctuate their bet.
That's right. Spotters never raise the bet
or play any kind of progressive system.
That's how we stay under the radar,
and that's why we never get caught.
Exactly. Okay, they're just sitting
at the table, betting the table min,
and they're keeping the count
waiting for one of these decks to get hot.
Right. And then when one of the decks
gets hot,
the spotter at that table signals
in the big player.
This... Mustard.
Give me the mustard, honey. Please.
Well, I'm always the mustard, so...
When I get the signal for the hot deck,
I stumble over like some drunk rich kid,
or some zoned out dot-com millionaire,
and I throw down big money.
So the big player bets big
and still keeps the count.
When the deck cools, he cashes in.
It's not as easy as it sounds.
Oh, yeah, it's not, you know,
because if Grey Poupon over here
ever loses the count,
it's up to his table's spotter
to give him the signal to get out.
- And you know the signals, right?
- Yeah.
Show us.
Okay, what's this?
- The deck's hot.
- Right.
We need to talk.
The deck's cooling.
And get out. Get out now.
Good. I think he's gonna be ready
for our little trial run tomorrow.
There's a trial run?
- Where?
- You'll find out.
Hey.
- You Ben?
- Yeah.
Follow me.
This way.
Go, go. You go.
No more bet. No more bet.
Come on, money.
Today, 14.
Whose side are you on?
Sixteen.
Thank you. Sorry, gentlemen.
So, Henry, did I tell you I read
about this place in a magazine?
- You wanna put that money down?
- Yeah. $300.
$300.
$300.
You bet, sir?
Thanks.
Winner, winner, chicken dinner.
"Winner, winner, chicken dinner." All right.
Nice.
Can I get another drink, please?
Thank you.
What the hell are you doing?
What are you doing?
I haven't done anything! Get off me!
Get off, I haven't done anything!
Please. Please let go.
- What's the count?
- Please don't hurt me.
- I said, what's the count?
- Look, I haven't even done anything!
What's the count?
Plus 18.
Oh, you've gotta be kidding.
Congratulations, Ben.
Sorry, we had to make sure
you'd keep the count under pressure.
Welcome to the team.
We didn't mean it.
It's okay, Campbell, I cried inside that bag.
Fisher and Jimmy
have always been the big players.
I want you to take Jimmy's place.
I've never done this.
I know that and I understand.
But I don't trust the girls,
and Choi is, well, Choi.
Look, I've been teaching
for more than 14 years,
and I've never had a student
as impressive as you.
Your brain is like a goddamn Pentium chip.
You're gonna do great.
You know how I know that?
'Cause you remind me of myself
You in?
- Yeah. Yeah, I'm in.
- Good. Good.
There's one more thing, Ben,
and this is important.
We're counting cards, we're not gambling.
We're following a specific set of rules
and playing a system.
Right.
I've seen how crazy
it can get at those tables,
and sometimes, people lose control.
They give in to their emotions.
You will not.
You understand?
Yeah.
Get some rest.
- Some rest?
- Yeah, we're leaving tomorrow.
Tomorrow? I have a Quantitative Literacy
paper due Tuesday.
- No, you don't.
- I don't?
No, I spoke to Professor O'Reilly.
I told him you were helping me
with a special assignment,
and he understood, so he gave you an A.
You see, Ben, amazing things
can happen from the inside.
You'll get a call about details later.
So did the girls go on ahead, huh?
Oh, yeah. They got a lot more bags
to check, you know?
Okay.
Well, wait for us by security
'cause Ben and I are gonna hit the head.
No, I'm good.
No, I really think you should go.
It's a long flight.
- No, I'm okay.
- We're going to the bathroom.
Honestly, I really don't have to go.
- I don't care what you have to do.
- Look, I really don't have to...
Please just shut up.
Why are you looking over there?
Look, I don't...
I don't care. Shut up. Get in here.
- What are you doing?
- Let's go.
- Pull down your pants.
- What?
Don't ask questions.
- Shove these in your underwear.
- Why?
You want me to do it?
'Cause, I swear to God, I will.
- Why can't we leave it in the bag?
- Because it shows up on the scanner.
And we're not about
to have them confiscate $250,000.
$250,000?
- No. Why do I have to do it?
- 'Cause you're the donkey boy.
You really suck at not asking questions.
What's a donkey boy?
- Step forward, sir.
- Thanks.
- In the basket, please.
- There's a table when you get to the line.
Act casual, think casual, be casual.
Remove your keys, any metal objects.
Laptops out, please.
Thank you.
If you have liquids in a Ziploc bag,
please show them to us now.
- Thank you.
- You're welcome.
Your boarding pass.
Sir?
You forgot your bag.
Thanks.
Nice going, Campbell.
Hey, Ben.
Basic strategy says you should hit that.
Burt, Moishe, Vladimir,
Mona, Miss Sommers,
your new identities are on the bar.
So glad you could make it.
Vladimir Stupnitsky?
Yeah. Your dad's a diplomat
with the Russian consulate.
You live in Washington, D.C.
Your hobbies are backgammon, chess
and long walks on the beach.
- I don't like my name.
- Why not?
"Sierra Sommers." Do I look like a Sierra?
Well, you have a lot of clever outfits.
You'll figure it out.
Just pretend you don't speak English.
Then you don't have to change your hair.
You know, I thought this was legal.
Why do we have to use fake names?
Well, it is. We not only use fake names,
we use disguises.
It's for the benefit of the dealers
to make sure you're old enough to gamble
and it allows everyone to be different people
in different casinos.
Hey! You steal the Bible, you go to hell.
That's the way it works.
Like I'm not going already.
Yeah. All right. Now, listen.
Ben, this is for you.
All the casinos have cameras in the ceiling.
They're called "eyes in the sky."
For their benefit, order a tonic water
and lime and act a little drunk,
and at all times, you don't know each other.
Let me say that one more time,
you do not know each other ever.
And what's our motto?
- Don't get caught counting.
- Don't get caught counting.
Thank you very much.
How come you don't play?
Oh, I did. I played for a long time
and I was the best. But I'm retired now.
Take my advice, Ben, it's always best
to go out when you're on top.
Welcome to Vegas.
No more bets.
All right, here we go.
Big money, now. Big money.
Let me tell you about blackjack, honey.
You ever hear of basic strategy?
Oh, see,
now that sounds really complicated.
- I'm Sierra Sommers from Charleston.
- Pleasure.
Here to double my family's inheritance.
I don't know.
$10,000.
Changing $10,000.
Sweet. Too sweet.
Eight. The count's still plus 16.
Ten. That's minus one.
Count's plus 15.
Eight. Still plus 15.
Nine. Plus 15.
Five. The count's 16.
Eights. Split eights.
Can I split those?
- Sir, please don't touch the cards.
- I'm sorry.
Jack. Count's plus 15.
Ten. Plus 14.
King. Nine. Plus 13.
Jack. Plus 12.
Nine. Still plus 12.
Blackjack.
Monkey! Monkey!
- So what's a monkey?
- Face card.
All right, face card.
Come on, monkey. Okay, monkey.
Monkey!
Monkey! Come on, give us a monkey!
Monkey! Come on, monkey,
monkey, monkey! Monkey.
Monkey! Monkey!
All right, all right.
Oh, God.
I need to quit.
Could I color up, please?
Nice undies.
- What's this?
- It's last night's take.
We split it five ways.
So, what do you think?
Yeah, it was fun.
- You were good.
- Really?
Yeah. Came in quick off the count.
You acted the part.
You weren't afraid to play big, and
you got out when you were supposed to.
And you made more money than Fisher.
I was pretty nervous, actually.
You know, but after a while,
it felt kind of easy.
Not for everyone.
Yeah, it's just simple math.
Good.
We can do some serious damage with you.
Here's the thing I told Micky.
You know, I'm only really doing this
just to pay for medical school.
You know, $300,000 and then I'm out.
That's what they all say.
No, really, I mean, I'm just doing this
to pay for Harvard.
It's just a means to an end for me.
I believe you.
Good.
- Hello?
- We have a team meeting in five minutes.
Team meeting.
Hello?
- Hey.
- Hey.
Where's everybody else?
I don't know. Fisher was right behind us.
Oh, Fisher, you didn't sleep.
- I did. With Ida.
- Ida?
She's a dancer. I pulled her out of Sapphire.
- And Ida's her dancer name?
- Yeah. After her grandmother.
Where's Kianna?
Slots.
- Choi, where the hell you been?
- Unattended maid cart, ninth floor.
I've been busy this morning.
All right, guys, let's get something clear.
This is not summer camp
and I'm not your counselor.
This is real, world-class
moneymaking business.
Kianna, slots are for losers.
Fisher, peelers are stealers.
Choi?
You made five grand last night,
so would you stop stealing nine-cent pens
and everything you can get your hands on
from the maid's cart? It's embarrassing.
But, Fisher,
what the hell were you up to last night?
What?
Three separate occasions, the spotters
let you know that the deck was cooling,
but you kept on anyway.
You either lost the count
or you lost your head.
In either case,
I don't wanna see it happen again.
Jill, nice disguise last night.
And Ben, good work. You came out
of that chute like a pro. Keep it up.
Beginner's luck.
Hey, Fisher. Win like a man, lose like a man.
Micky, I didn't play
into a cold deck three times.
You know what's worse than a loser?
Someone who won't admit
he played it wrong.
Take it up with Ida.
Who's Ida?
- Who the hell is Ida?
- Shut up.
- Who the hell is Ida?
- Shut up.
There goes that paycheck.
- Money plays.
- Money plays, up to the limit.
How's she doing?
Oh, that doesn't matter, man.
The way I see it, yesterday's history,
tomorrow's a mystery.
It's all what you do in the moment, baby.
Just lost another property.
- Who is it this time, Caesars or the Mirage?
- Caesars.
That was a 14-year account.
- They opted to go with the new software.
- I know, Terry, I know.
Hey, Cole. We got absolutely murdered in
pits four and five the last couple of nights.
Okay, Clark, I'll take a look at the tape.
By the way, you wanna lose the cigarette?
There's no smoking in here, you know that.
I appreciate it.
End of an era, my friend.
Ben. Time for school.
I seem to keep waking up to you.
Don't get used to it.
I'm glad you came over this morning.
- I have something I wanna give you.
- Oh, yeah?
I want you to have this.
What's this?
That's a lot of money.
I've been saving for a long time.
It's for medical school.
I know it won't pay the whole way,
but it should help.
Ma, I can't take this.
This is your money.
You worked hard for this.
For precisely this reason. I wanna help pay
for med school, Dr. Campbell.
Well, you know what? You don't have to.
'Cause I got the Robinson Scholarship.
Yep, they're gonna pay the whole way.
- Why didn't you tell me?
- Well, because I wanted it to be a surprise.
And actually, I just found out today.
I can't believe it! Oh, my God!
This is amazing. I am so proud of you.
- I knew the hard work would pay off.
- Yeah, I know.
So, listen, you keep this, all right?
It's yours.
What are you doing?
I'm just jumping up and down on my bed.
What? You never did that
when you were a kid?
- No. Not really, never.
- No.
Right.
All right.
So where were you this weekend?
I tried calling you, like, 15 times.
Oh, yeah? I ended up
having to go to New Hampshire
to help my cousin move.
You didn't bring your cell phone?
Your cell? Your phone?
You didn't bring that?
No, I forgot it. I ended up leaving it here.
So, you know.
Yeah, well, you missed
a hell of a dorm party on Saturday.
Oh, yeah?
We almost had a girl there.
- Republik?
- Yes.
Let's do it!
She is an eight.
- No way. She's a 7.649.
- I was rounding up.
Hey, I thought we agreed
we weren't gonna round up anymore.
That's right.
But if we win the 2.09, I'm asking her out.
Wait. Ben? Ben, you only owe eight bucks.
Hey. Can I get you a beer?
- Sure.
- Yeah? Okay.
Excuse me. Can I get two Bud Lights?
Hey.
- How you doing?
- I'm okay.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
Thank you.
Are those your friends over there?
No. No, I've never seen them before
in my life.
Could you just excuse me for one second?
Guys, I'm serious.
What are you doing? You're staring.
Yeah, we know.
Yeah, well, can you not?
I think it's gonna freak her out a bit,
don't you think?
Yeah, I got a feeling we're a little
more freaked out than she is right now.
So how do you know her?
Did you, like, take some self-help seminar
or something?
What?
- Jedi mind trick, huh?
- Jedi mind trick. Like that Luke.
- You will drink beer.
- Right. Right, right.
There is a fortune on the table now,
and it's all up to my dad.
It's getting ridiculous.
He actually needs to stop the table play,
track down my uncle and take a loan.
- No, are you serious?
- Yeah.
They let him, and he does.
He ends up with, like, two 19s and two 20s.
The dealer turns over a 17.
It's soft. He needs to take another card.
No. Don't say a four. Is it a four?
- It's a four, yeah.
- It's a four. My God.
Not a great Christmas that year.
So, what does he think about what you do?
Does he know?
Oh, no, he's long gone, Ben.
My dad's gone, too.
So, you know, when you came into the store
to ask me to join the team,
was that because...
What?
Well, you know,
was it because Micky asked you to?
Look, we've had three classes together.
You gave that presentation
on combinatorial algorithms
that nobody understood.
You're the smartest person in every single
one of those classes, Ben.
That is why you're on the team.
And that's why I came into the store.
No, no, not so much...
- Oh, God. I'm so, so sorry.
- No. It's fine.
- It's not a problem.
- I don't know why I just did that.
- Don't apologize.
- Are you sure?
Yes. Shit, this is my stop.
- You're getting off here?
- Yeah, I've gotta get off.
But, really, don't worry about it.
I don't know,
it's just'cause we've been drinking, and...
It's just we're on a team, we work together.
- I get it.
- Just don't feel bad about this.
Okay. Sure. Bye.
My world was flashing by
at a million miles a minute.
I had saved over $100,000.
Only $200,000 to go.
But there was still one thing
I couldn't get off my mind.
The moment we left campus,
the concept of vectors and formulas
were replaced with counting,
shuffle tracking
knowing when to hit
and knowing when to color out.
I was becoming a pro on all levels.
I made more money in one trip to Vegas
than I would have in 5 years, 9 months,
In Boston, I was just Ben Campbell.
But in Vegas, I could be anyone I wanted.
You know what I'm gonna do?
You know what I'm gonna do?
I'm gonna throw a half-mill down
on the one hand. Come on. Hit me!
One night, I'd be the high-rolling heir
to a pharmaceutical fortune.
Leon, could you make sure
there's some champagne,
maybe some strawberries
waiting in there for me.
I may not be alone.
The next, I'd be the hottest video game
designer on the West Coast.
There it is.
Winner, winner, chicken dinner!
No, please, keep going.
This video's priceless.
I'm not gonna lie.
It did get, well, a little confusing sometimes.
Operator, how can I help you?
Yeah, room service.
Excuse me?
Honey, we don't do room service.
What do you mean,
you don't do room service?
I mean, we don't do room service.
In Boston, we had a secret.
In Vegas, we had a life.
Micky said I was gonna have more fun
than I could possibly imagine.
And he was right.
- Hey, Jamie. There you go.
- Nice.
It was too good to be true.
There you go. All right,
my night just got better. Thank you, Joe.
And it felt like it was never going to end.
Clark? I think I got something over here.
Take a look at this.
That guy? He's a kid.
He was on the tape from last week.
Got a big roll and he's crushing your table.
Plus, he ordered a tonic and lime.
Tonic and lime. What does that mean?
It means he wants you
to think he's drinking.
Okay. So is he counting
or is he just getting lucky?
He's not running a progressive system.
He doubled on 10 when the deck was heavy,
but he didn't on 11 when it got lighter.
- How can you tell if it's heavy or light?
- I'm counting.
You...
Tell me something, Cole,
if you can count that well,
why are you still consulting for us?
I've been asking myself the same thing.
Let's just say I like being
on your side of the hustle.
Bring up a frame of that for me
on the printer.
So, Terry, I heard
you guys are losing a lot of work
to that biometric facial recognition software.
Just gives us a little bit more time
to focus on you guys.
- That's impressive software.
- They do.
Here he is.
I still think there're bigger fish
to fry out there.
So do I.
Hey, Fisher.
He's mad at me and jealous of you.
But don't worry.
Greatness evokes that reaction sometimes.
- Don't worry about it. I gotta go.
- All right.
- Hey.
- What's going on?
He just didn't like the subject
I chose for my final paper.
- That's bullshit, Ben.
- What?
I know when you're lying,
I'm your best friend.
At least I thought I was.
Are you on drugs, Ben?
Because there's a group that meets
at Simpson Hall on Saturdays.
No, no. Cam, I'm not on drugs, okay?
I'll go to the meeting if you need me to.
Why didn't you tell me you quit J. Press?
I don't know.
- Is it Jill Taylor?
- No.
What about Harvard?
Lt'll find a way of working itself out.
Look, I gotta go. I'll see you.
I think the worst part of it
was not being able to tell anyone.
But for the first time in my life,
the world made itself easy for me.
Here you go, sir.
And I liked it.
That's for you.
We just made $210,000.
Yes.
Now, Ben, this is how we play!
And play we did.
Nothing cost too much.
Nothing was out of reach.
I guess you could say
the casino host of fate
gave Ben Campbell a major upgrade.
Dorm rooms turned into high-roller suites.
Bicycles became stretch limos.
No, no!
And college bars that were always filled
with frat dudes were upgraded to,
well, something more interesting.
- Hey, baby. Where you in from?
- I'm from Boston.
- On a convention?
- No, business, actually.
What line of work you in, mister?
I count things.
My name's Sierra.
Hi, Sierra. I'm Salvador Sanchez.
Would you like a private dance, Salvador?
Well, that all depends
on how much it's gonna run me, Sierra.
$20 a song, 30-song minimum.
Sounds expensive.
- Good evening, Mr. Klein.
- Hey, Frank. It's good to see you.
Jeffrey, you're taking my money.
You are so lucky you're cute.
'Cause if you weren't cute, I'd leave.
You know that?
Jeffrey. My brother from another mother.
How you doing? You good?
I'm good, I'm good, Mr. K.
What, are you back in town for business?
- It's all business in this town, right?
- Well, with your money, I'm sure it always is.
Oh, damn, I forgot my ring.
Oh, please.
I don't wanna bet that. That's for keep.
$100,000 going out.
Thank you, Jeffrey.
Cole. Your boy's back.
- That's him, right?
- There he is.
And he brought
a whole lot more money with him.
That is a hell of a suit, by the way.
- That is some aftershave he has going on.
- Sir, could you not? Please.
This girl's only betting the table minimum.
Why's she keep looking at him?
Terry, rewind the tape. I wanna see
if she signals him to come to the table.
We don't use "tape" anymore, old school.
It's digital now.
Never mind. Terry, rewind it.
Okay, okay.
She's playing the table minimum.
Now, in a second,
she's gonna do something.
She's gonna raise her hand,
scratch her head... There it is.
That's the signal. See?
She gave him the signal.
He comes to the table.
I'm telling you, they're working together.
Nice.
Show me a computer that can do that.
You look familiar.
I know you, don't I?
- I don't think so.
- No?
Oh, sure, you look exactly like that guy
in Rain Man.
Oh, yeah? Well, people say
I look like Tom Cruise all the time.
Oh, yeah? No.
The other one, the... What's his... The retard.
I just love that scene in Vegas
when the retard wins at blackjack.
You look just like that.
What I could never understand, though,
is how someone so retarded,
could win so much.
Hey, Jeffrey,
his brother from another mother,
how did that retard win so much?
- You know what, sir? I think that maybe...
- Okay, get your hands off me.
Oh, I didn't mean it.
His luck'll run out eventually.
It always does.
- Hey, Ben...
- No, Ben, stop it!
- What the hell is the matter with you?
- Hey, come on! Ben!
Oh, you think that's funny?
You think that was funny? Shut up!
I understand, Ben. We don't need anymore...
This is not the time. Okay?
I want to thank you
for confirming my choice in Ben.
Now go home.
- What?
- You're off the team.
No.
- I was drunk, I was...
- I don't care what you were.
I'm not leaving.
Yes, you are.
What are you gonna do about it, huh?
You've been the big man for a long time,
but you just acted like a child.
So I want you to pick up the ticket
and go home,
because if you don't,
you know exactly what I'm capable of doing,
don't you?
All right, listen up.
Casino's gonna change out their chips,
just like the MGM did after the Tyson fight.
That means we got less than 24 hours
to cash in,
or we're gonna be sitting
with 200 grand of worthless plastic.
- So we'll cash out.
- It's too hot.
They're gonna be dissecting the eye in
the sky footage of Fisher's little power play.
So let's do it right now
before they can do that.
Are you deliberately slow?
What about them?
What about them?
They can cash in the chips.
The casino's just gonna think they're tips.
- Cashing out.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
- Thanks, sweetie.
- Thanks, hon.
- Thank you, baby.
I love a parade, don't you?
You know, there's a word
I don't throw around all that often,
"Genius."
Hey, Kianna.
Let me hold your bag for a second.
Thanks, baby, here.
Oh, no problem. Anytime.
- Watch. Watch, watch. Ready?
- Okay, I'm watching. That's beautiful.
Watch.
No, it's great, you just need
to get your knee a little higher.
- Hi.
- Hey.
So the Hard Rock comped me a suite.
That's cool, that's great.
You wanna see it?
All right, take care, Bobby. All right?
God, it's cold.
Hey, what time is it?
He's only 45 minutes late.
Show a little patience.
Oh, look. Here he comes.
Guys, I'm sorry I'm late.
Hey, Ben.
You know, you could try
returning a call once in a while.
Good of you to show up, man.
It's not like we're cold or anything.
Yeah, funny.
- Hey, did you bring it?
- Yeah, I got it. There it is.
And you're sure
you didn't inlay the software on more space
than the parameters suggest?
No. It's just one-fifth of the free face.
Let's fire this mother up.
Beautiful.
Okay.
Okay.
What's happening?
- I don't understand.
- It's the wrong size.
No. What?
- What the hell, Ben? This is an 8K.
- Right.
Yeah, we needed 16K!
- I can't believe this.
- I thought it was an 8K.
- No, you didn't.
- Yeah, I did.
No, you didn't. You knew the entire time
the discrete was 16K.
Damn it, Ben.
It's gonna take us two weeks
to get a fresh 16K from the fabrication.
And another five days, minimum,
to get it ready to press.
Miles, calm down, all right?
It was an honest mistake.
What?
You know what? I think we're gonna have
to go at this without you, man.
You're gonna what?
No, no.
This is just as much mine as it is yours.
We've been working on this for over a year.
I know that.
But your heart just isn't in this anymore.
Are you serious?
Fine.
Fine.
You know what? I don't even care.
Honestly, I don't even care.
You know why?
'Cause no one in the real world gives a shit
about the 2.09 Competition.
You know, it's just something
that you build up in your head
to make yourselves feel important.
You guys are pathetic.
Thanks.
Welcome back, Mr. Youngman.
- Thanks, Joseph. It's good to see you.
- Good to see you, too.
Good evening, Mr. Youngman,
welcome back to the Red Rock.
Nice to see you.
Anything I can do for you, let me know.
Double down.
I guess you play big or you don't play at all.
Right?
Honey, there you are. Let's go.
We don't wanna miss the show!
Honey, we're actually playing a game here.
Yeah.
Yeah, so you know what?
Why don't you run upstairs
and wait for me there? Okay?
All right. Let's go.
Yeah, all right.
I've got the worst headache right now.
- Ten.
- Come on, monkey.
- Fourteen.
- Come on. Come on, monkey.
- Sixteen.
- Monkey. Come on.
Twenty-one.
Pete, you're killing us.
I guess it's not my night.
Are you out of your mind?
I don't know what happened.
I messed up. I'm sorry.
Oh, you're sorry.
Well, see, now that's what I've been waiting
to hear, Ben. As long as you're sorry.
I'm out 200 grand, but Ben's sorry!
Everybody hear that? Ben's sorry!
So we can all go back to being friends
and laughing over cocktails!
Come on, Micky. It can happen to anyone.
They get on a rush and they lose control.
You shut your mouth. This is business.
Hey, I let you down, all right? I get it.
Excuse me? You let me down? I don't care!
Let me make one thing clear to you,
I am not your father!
You are not my friend. This is a business.
You are only as good to me
as the money you make,
and, right now, it's not worth a hell of a lot!
You're gonna give me back
everything you lost.
I can't do that! That money was for Harvard!
I have made you so much more
than what I just lost!
It doesn't matter, Ben.
You had very clear instructions,
and you didn't follow them.
You didn't do your job.
You weren't counting, you were gambling!
Well, why aren't you out there, then, Micky?
I mean, we take all the risks.
Seems to me like you don't do shit.
This isn't about me,
you arrogant little infant.
You can all find your own way
back to Boston.
And, Ben, you're gonna pay me that money,
every penny, one way or the other.
And you damn well know it.
I need a drink.
Anybody else?
Yeah, well, we don't need him.
- Yeah, okay, Ben.
- No, I'm serious.
Why do we need him?
We have our own money now.
You know, his cut was 50/,
and he doesn't even play!
Why do we need him?
Hey, you know what I think?
I think we play out the weekend,
and I think we do this without him.
No. No, I don't think that's a good idea.
I think we should go back to Boston
and figure this out.
Yeah, well,
why don't we let the team decide?
I'm with Jill. This is Micky's thing.
Micky brought us together.
And then he drove us apart.
I mean, you saw
how he played Fisher against me.
Choi, what do you say, man?
You wanna make some money?
- Kind of.
- Really?
We need 100 grand just to play.
You're talking about risking our own money.
All I'm saying is that we try it. You know?
If we make the investment,
then we take all of the winnings.
All of it.
Okay.
Yeah.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
Choi?
I'm in.
Now I need a drink.
- What are you doing?
- What?
What are you doing?
Well, we're printing money.
What, you think just'cause Micky left
that we're gonna stop?
No, I could do this. I can lead this team.
You know, I'm not the same guy
I was back in Boston.
- Exactly.
- Yeah, exactly.
You know, isn't this exactly
who you wanted me to be
when you first came into the store
to buy a tie?
What happened to "$300,000 and I'm out"?
What happened to "a means to an end"?
- How much do you have?
- What?
- How much do you have?
- I got enough.
Come on, Ben. How much do you have
saved back in Boston?
I've got 315 grand, all right?
Then why are you still here?
Because I wanna still be here.
I like being here.
So does everybody else.
So come on, Jill. Are you in?
You are the big player, Ben.
Yes, I am.
Yeah, can I get a drink?
Rose, I wanna thank you.
You have been most accommodating.
All right, that's for you.
Okay, take care. Hey, good luck.
Hey, how we doing here, people?
Yeah, I'm gonna put you on hold
while I track him down.
Just got an interesting call.
There's nobody left to fire us.
Planet Hollywood is our last client.
I don't know about that.
This is Cole.
Queen of diamonds. Your lady luck tonight.
You're doing good.
You're a real winner.
Sometimes. Just like everybody else.
Now, why don't I believe that?
Maybe you're just smarter
than everybody else, huh?
Yeah, I bet it's been that way your entire life.
Except it just recently started
paying dividends, am I right?
I'd split them.
Deck's heavy as hell and since
I've been here, the true count's at plus 7.
Kianna. I think
we have a serious problem over there.
- Walk now!
- Oh, shit. Oh, shit!
Let's go. I'm out. Thank you.
Let's go, Jill. Let's go.
I think we need
to call security or something.
Yeah, I don't think they're gonna help.
Let's go! Come on.
Let's take a walk, huh?
Come on, kid.
See if we can't get you that chicken dinner.
It's called Biometrics.
Biometrics.
It's sort of like a fingerprint of your face.
See, when the player sits down
at the table, the software, it reads this...
Biometric profile.
...biometric profile of your face,
cross-references it
with a database of counters.
Software'll probably put you and me
out of business, but it still can't do this.
All right.
You understand all this. You go to MIT.
Smart boy.
My name is Cole Williams.
And if I ever see you in this town again,
I will break your cheek bone
with a small hammer,
and then I will kill you.
Please. Please just take the money.
You can take it.
Tell me,
how's good old Professor Rosa doing, huh?
Oh, yeah. Me and Micky, we go way back.
I spent years, chased him all over this town.
Giving him beat downs left and right,
only to find him at the tables a week later.
He was very persistent.
And then, one September night,
when I was in Barstow
at my father's funeral,
my casino was taken for seven figures.
Can you imagine that?
The most ever taken by a single counter
in one night.
'Course I was, naturally,
unceremoniously fired.
Funny thing, though.
I never saw Micky Rosa after that.
Never.
Cauchy was the first
to make a rigorous study
of the conditions for convergence
of an infinite series.
And was concerned with developing
the basic theorems of the calculus
as rigorously as possible.
Any questions?
No? All right, moving on.
Isn't it true Cauchy stole from his students?
Yes, I heard that.
What's your theory on that?
They say he used his students
for their brilliance,
then discredited them
and stole their equations,
stole their hard work.
Well, that wouldn't be the first time
a teacher was accused of that.
I think what he's referring to
is Vladimir Stupnitsky, yes?
He was a student of Cauchy's
who accused Cauchy
of stealing his four-volume text
on this analysis
and publishing it under a pseudonym.
Of course, nobody knows
what really went down there.
They never did prove it, and without
the proof, it's a little like it never happened.
And, you know, it's a real shame,
because if Stupnitsky had just realized
that he shouldn't have crossed Cauchy,
this was the dispute,
if he'd been able to get beyond some
of the personal mistakes that were made,
I have no doubt that Cauchy
would have worked with him again,
and they could have
done great things together.
But, as history shows us,
some students never learn.
You should get that eye looked at.
You okay?
Everything's gone.
- What?
- Micky's taken everything.
He's taken the money,
taken away Harvard Med, even MIT.
- What are you talking about?
- Micky, he's taken everything.
I gotta find a way to get it back.
Are you insane?
You just got the shit kicked out of you
and you won't let this go!
Look, what am I supposed to do, Jill?
I've just lost everything!
Look, please...
I don't want to lose you, too.
Ben, you were dragged away in Vegas.
I haven't heard from you.
I had no idea where you were.
I know.
I know.
You know, I'm so sorry that I hurt you.
I'm sorry.
In Vegas, I don't know what happened.
That wasn't me.
Look, you know me.
You know what I'm like.
You know me.
I need you to trust me.
And the winner of this year's 2.09
for excellence in the field of robotics
goes to the team of Conolly and Kazazi!
That's it. That's the story.
Jill Taylor. Really?
- Yeah. Yeah, really.
- Wow.
Yeah, it doesn't feel like "wow," Miles.
I really screwed up.
Yeah, you did.
But you had a life experience.
I can't believe how I treated you, Miles.
You know, you're my best friend,
and I really let you down.
I really let you down. I'm sorry.
And I'm happy for you, you know?
Winning the 2.09? That's great.
- Jill Taylor. Really?
- Yeah.
So let me get this straight.
Money, girls,
high-roller suites, clubs vEgas.
Yeah, I think I probably would have
blown off the 2.09 Competition, too.
So we cool?
Yeah, we're cool.
But you better believe that
you're gonna make this up to me, big time.
All right.
So, what are you gonna do now?
What do you want, Ben?
This is an alumni dinner.
You need a diploma
to come to one of these.
Wait. Stupnitsky wants back in.
What?
Look, I've had some time
to think about what you said.
I want back in.
- Why now?
- Because I have nothing else.
All right, look, Ben. I'm not gonna lie to you.
You're good, you're very very good.
But you did exactly what I told you not to.
You got emotional and then you got stupid.
Now you tell me why in the world
I'd ever get back in business with you.
Look, I know I should never have
disrespected you, all right? I know that.
With this facial recognition software,
our window of opportunity
is closing in on us.
Now, I need this, Micky.
I really, really need this.
Well, the take would have to be really, really
good to get me even vaguely interested.
Well, you know, that's why I was thinking
maybe you should be the other big player.
You know, two big players playing big?
Hey, slow down,
I haven't played in a long time, Ben.
But Fisher's out.
No one else on the team
can be the big player, can they?
And if we do well, if we do really well,
then you get your grades back,
get to Harvard Med,
and I might even get that sabbatical.
Well, amazing things can be done
from the inside, right?
Just went back to the head of the class.
I gotta go be social.
All right, now listen.
It's different out there this time.
The stakes are high
and it's more dangerous.
But the return is gonna be the biggest.
Now they know our faces,
so we're gonna wear disguises.
And we can't mess around.
I'm glad you're back with us, Micky.
Well, I couldn't let you guys
come back to this town
and not prove to Ben
that I can do more than just teach.
But as we've all said, this game
is about the past and the future,
and tonight we forget about the past.
We just focus on the future.
Right. This is our last time.
Now, we all know the drill if things get ugly.
We meet at the Fox Strip Club.
Nobody leaves this town alone.
Let's go make a killing.
All right.
Let's see what we can do with this.
Seems like I'm having one of those days,
you know what I mean, Jim?
I'm bringing all the luck today.
I'm just bringing it all.
Anyone who's in any kind of contact
with me is getting so much luck today.
Winner, winner, chicken dinner! There it is.
Thank you. God, I love this town.
I love this game.
And, Jim, I might even love you.
Hey, you mind if I sit down?
What's your name?
Shane? I'm about to change your luck.
It's gonna become mine.
There you go, give me it all.
There you go.
Thank you. Thank you.
Such a shame, Shane!
Okay, I'm supposed to double, right?
- Is this your first time, darling?
- I've been winning and losing for hours.
Well, that's all right.
I've been winning and losing for years.
What the hell kind of streak
are you on, boy?
This never happens, this never happens.
I'm just gonna have to split those tens.
- Splitting tens.
- Splitting tens!
- Split tens!
- Again!
- Split tens!
- Again!
- Thank you, ma'am.
- Give me the chips, Blanca.
Give me the chips!
Come on, give me the chips, Blanca.
Come on, just give me the chips!
- My bus has to leave right away.
- I gotta walk my dog.
- I'm sorry we're making such a mess.
- Go, go, go, go, go.
Nice to see you. Have a good night, darling.
This way!
Go.
This way!
Come on, Jill. Come on!
Go that way. Throw me the chips.
Come on, we gotta separate.
Give me the chips, I'll meet you at Fox's.
Go, go, go, go!
Come on, come on.
Move, move, move!
Come on.
Go, go, this way.
All right, let's go.
Go, go, go, go! Airport!
I never saw Micky Rosa after that.
Oh, God.
But I think I wanna see him now.
And I want you to make that happen.
I don't work for Micky anymore.
Come on, kid.
Your picture's all over the database.
Your Vegas gig is done.
But I will give you one night.
And I can guarantee
that you won't be bothered.
You'll make a killing, and you'll keep it all.
Listen.
My name's Cole.
Cole Williams.
You just bring me Micky Rosa, kid.
I'll take care of the rest.
Son of a bitch.
Who the hell are you?
Ben. Good job.
You'll be glad to know I'm gonna have a talk
with your professor, and that MIT thing?
It's gonna work out for you.
So that's it?
- That's it.
- All right.
Oh, Dr. Campbell?
They don't have pensions
in my line of work.
And the software does
what it's supposed to do.
And I been chasing Micky Rosa around here
for too damn long.
I'm looking at some retirement.
Leave the bag.
No. No, no, no, no.
I need this money. You have no idea
what I went through to get this money.
I know, kid, but you're gonna figure out
how to get everything you want in this life,
'cause you're smart.
So, you're gonna leave the bag.
Ben, give him the bag. Give him the bag.
It doesn't matter. Give him the bag.
I knew you were smart.
I had a 1590 on my SAT.
I got a 44 on my MCATs.
And I have a 4.0 GPA from MIT.
I thought I had my life mapped out.
But then I remembered
what my Nonlinear Equations professor
once told me,
"Always account for variable change."
Hello, Micky.
Look, I got money in Boston.
A hundred grand.
I'll give it to you.
Just let me walk away. I'll walk away.
I don't want your money, Micky.
I don't need it.
But I know someone
who might be interested.
He's good with numbers, too.
He works for the IRS.
I let down my good friends.
But as it turns out,
they weren't too bad at simple math either.
I scored the prettiest girl in school.
I got beaten down
by an old-school Vegas thug
who was having trouble
accepting his retirement.
But I worked out a deal with him
that got him a nice pension.
And I lied to my mother.
But I confessed the lie,
and, well, she still loved me.
So my senior year of college,
I joined this team.
And I learned this new skill.
I went to Vegas 17 times to use it.
I made hundreds of thousands of dollars
counting cards.
And then I had it all stolen from me.
Twice.
How's that for life experience, professor?
Did I dazzle you?
Did I jump off the page?