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Rounders

year 1998decade 90sdirector John Dahlgenre Dramagenre Crime

120 minutes

Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Matt Damon Mike McDermott
Edward Norton Lester 'Worm' Murphy
John Turturro Joey Knish
John Malkovich Teddy KGB
Martin Landau Abe Petrovsky
Josh Mostel Zagosh
Lenny Clarke Savino
Tom Aldredge Judge Marinacci

Rounders | The Rewatchables

host Bill Simmonshost Chris Ryanhost Sean Fennesseyhost Van Lathanproducer Craig Horlbeck format Live at Webster Hall, New Yorkevent Cold Weather Tour
Explore episodeClose episode

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Damon and Norton swapping roles (disputed)

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:15:49Read transcript
  • One view allows Norton as Mike but doubts Damon as Worm; another thinks Damon could dress down but Norton lacks Mike’s sweetness. Damon’s trustworthy appearance and Worm’s visible scruff are contrasted.
  • Ripley, Interstellar and School Ties supply scummy Damon candidates; the latter types pervert his trustworthy exterior whereas Worm must look untrustworthy from the outset.

The Coach Finstock Award for Best Life Lesson

Leave yourself an out; take your shot; avoid excessive caution

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:19:03Read transcript
  • The identity/destiny and going-bust maxims are read, with agreement on busting; always leaving an out prompts the Watson-contract analogy and a joking fallback-employer line.
  • The fate of failed risk-takers, not letting a sucker retain money, risking what is in the pot, the women-as-rake phrase and excessive caution become examples. The rake phrase is explicitly controversial and deferred.
  • Another favorite is the cold line about seeing a mark and taking them down, interpreted as preying on weakness.

Roger Ebert's review

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 00:21:09Read transcript
  • Ebert’s three-star sports-picture comparison follows the hero through winning, losing, crisis and a final champion confrontation. The hosts say both he and Siskel liked it.

Most Rewatchable Scene

Rolled-up aces speech; Mike defeats Teddy KGB

In the discussion (12)
Approx. transcript time · 00:21:38Read transcript
  • Teddy crushing Mike opens the choices. A writer is credited with inventing three stacks of high society, replacing three big dimes, and spreading it into real casino language.
  • Mike’s full-house shove fails to consider Teddy’s aces; the hosts blame overconfidence after bluffing Johnny Chan. Equinox basketball success versus trying out for the Lakers is an analogy, and his defeated face/Kinnish telling him to leave are praised.
  • Reading the judges’ hands impresses the audience. The writers reportedly saw a similar real feat; seven-card stud makes it easier, and televised hand-reading is cited. Worrying too much about others’ cards remains a possible Mike flaw; one speaker simply finds it cool.
  • The mansion game restores Mike and Worm’s rhythm and sharp dialogue. Worm engineers Mike’s lateness and repeatedly wins forgiveness, showing that Mike himself is his mark.
  • The girlfriend’s departure and rolled-up-aces speech lead to the excited decision to play cards. Worm’s fist pump and the James Gang song make the scene elite.
  • Chesterfield South, its nature-channel banter and rent-money insult are praised as a credible closed poker world; the real Mayfair is the reported model.
  • The municipal-worker game is a candidate. Mike’s face registers disaster when Worm arrives; leaving immediately seems obvious, but the remaining four-thousand target explains taking the risk. A Wild On viewing excuse is hypothetical.
  • Mike recounting the Johnny Chan bluff and the flashback are chosen. Turturro is praised despite only an estimated four or five scenes.
  • The final Teddy confrontation is a sustained run of taunts, cookie tell and the winning straight. His turning away to soccer and theatrical lines are relished; the suggestion he fixed the match is a joke, and Borat is a character/impression comparison.
  • Worm alone with Roman and Maurice and the hot-dog sequence receive an extra nomination for Norton’s virtuosity and the Sputnik insult.
  • The judge’s yeshiva story is an extra choice for thematic importance despite apparent repetition. Petra’s visit is suggested then explicitly deferred to aged-best discussion.
  • Two adjacent choices favor the rolled-up-aces speech; Van and Chris explicitly favor the final defeat of KGB. These are scene preferences, not movie-winner ballots.

What’s Aged the Best?

Opening and closing lines; narration; modest stakes; Russian mob; poker clubs; jail-release possessions; Johnny Chan; bad beats; World Series goal

In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 00:40:16Read transcript
  • The opening maxim and Worm’s final you’ll-thank-me line are liked; his last 25 minutes absence surprises. Voiceover elegantly explains poker without stripping jargon, despite one host’s general narration objection and a Forrest Gump joke.
  • The 15 thousand stakes and 10 thousand loan limit make danger feel grounded in real people’s money.
  • A speaker recalls this as their introduction to the Russian mob on screen, followed by Eastern Promises, Training Day and John Wick; another objects that the mob already existed. This is personal cultural memory, not a historical first-film claim.
  • The closed poker-club world and receiving possessions when released from jail are nostalgic pleasures; a never-ending montage and imagined returned belongings are jokes.
  • The early ESPN quote-awards column unexpectedly revealed fan enthusiasm before social media. Johnny Chan’s memorable real name and consecutive championships are source reports, with a Street Fighter 2 comparison.
  • The Buckner-at-Shea line is admired; its authorship is debated between Damon and the writers. Mike’s hometown is guessed from his plain cap, with Connecticut/Jersey/Rhode Island alternatives and no settled fact. Remembering bad beats more vividly than wins is endorsed.
  • Bad-beat memory gets sports-loss analogies; the grip exchange is admired. Mike’s World Series goal makes more sense in 2024, and Landau’s later Entourage character is imagined as a Petrovsky sequel, with Ed Wood Academy Award mentioned.

The Vincent Chase Award: Are We Sure This Character Is Actually Good at Their Job?

Miramax; Worm; Mike and Teddy

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:50:08Read transcript
  • Miramax is selected for allegedly pulling the film after three weeks; a broader company discussion is avoided.
  • Worm’s cheating is too easily spotted by Mike, Kinnish and cops, with Petra probably aware too. His use of brothers instead of a slur is separately appreciated.
  • Mike and Teddy may both be poor players for missing obvious hands; limited pre-internet experience is a tentative explanation.

The Butch’s Girlfriend Award for the Weakest Link in the Film

Jo’s writing; Mike rejecting Petra

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:52:11Read transcript
  • Petra’s visit should lead to sex after the breakup, according to Van, who imagines an alternate morning together. Jo is criticized as annoying and controlling; a Spider-Man 2 leisure analogy meets the objection that it does not cost 30000.
  • Petra shares Mike’s poker knowledge, asks for money, initiates contact and offers to stay; rejecting her is judged implausible. Her exact offer is corrected from why don’t I stay to I can stay; his empty apartment makes the desire clearer.
  • The writers reportedly called this their biggest mistake in 2006, explaining they wanted the debt to command immediate attention but now thought that choice wrong.

Mallory Rubin Award: Did This Movie Need a Better Sex Scene?

Mike rejecting Petra

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:52:11Read transcript
  • Petra’s visit should lead to sex after the breakup, according to Van, who imagines an alternate morning together. Jo is criticized as annoying and controlling; a Spider-Man 2 leisure analogy meets the objection that it does not cost 30000.
  • Petra shares Mike’s poker knowledge, asks for money, initiates contact and offers to stay; rejecting her is judged implausible. Her exact offer is corrected from why don’t I stay to I can stay; his empty apartment makes the desire clearer.
  • The writers reportedly called this their biggest mistake in 2006, explaining they wanted the debt to command immediate attention but now thought that choice wrong.

What’s Aged the Worst?

Jo’s writing (disputed); Seidel’s loss; poker scrutiny; loan; taunting Teddy

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 00:56:37Read transcript
  • Jo is placed in a tradition of sports-film girlfriends who obstruct the lead, but Chris defends her boundaries and poker logic. Other voices reject that defense; the film’s writing, not a real partner, is the object of debate. — Chris Ryan
  • Worm is interpreted as the true romantic attachment and noir femme fatale, explaining why their relationship must break. The writers reportedly lost a positive law-school-friend character under studio instruction; a mock-court peer is suggested and rejected as that same role.
  • Seidel’s televised loss overshadows his great career, and long-term poker-forum analysis dissects the movie. A five-step Petra-post claim is a joke about forum behavior, not reproduced advice.
  • Petrovsky lending 10000 to a bruised, absent student dropping out seems implausible. Another yeshiva story is joked to be the price, with mob violence versus listening presented as a comic false choice.
  • Mike’s taunting should be dangerous; Teddy’s unexplained integrity saves him. A speaker says this was also going to be a nitpick, without a separate formal nitpicks block yet.

Is There a Better Title for This Movie?

Leave That Bitch, Mike; Flop the Nuts Straight

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:02:10Read transcript
  • The first alternate title’s comma is clarified. Flop the Nuts Straight is another; a promised theory-related title waits until after hottest takes.

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Obvious tell; Worm’s conspiracy; ESPN’s benefit

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:02:47Read transcript
  • Chris argues Mike should spot Teddy’s cookie tell much earlier given his hand-reading skills. Malkovich reportedly added the near-ear cookie opening to the scripted eat/not-eat signal; how that works is questioned. — Chris Ryan
  • Van imagines a Cape Fear-like sequel in which Worm deliberately ruins Mike, even diverting the repaid loan through Jo. This is an invented conspiracy, not an asserted plot reveal. Serpico and Kaiser Sozay character comparisons follow.
  • Another take calls ESPN the biggest beneficiary because poker filled long summers; a hockey-strike explanation is questioned and celebrity storytelling is praised. This is not a Who Won ballot.

Casting What-Ifs

Phil Hellmuth; Neve Campbell

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:07:10Read transcript
  • Phil Hellmuth was reportedly intended instead of Chan; Chan is preferred while a Hellmuth meltdown is imagined.
  • Neve Campbell reportedly declined Jo when Party of Five and Scream made her popular; observed Neb spelling remains candidate normalization.

The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:08:39Read transcript
  • The ER doctor transcribed Goren mystic is nominated, with a Maurice/Roman role correction to Roman. Identity and nationality remain observed/candidate, not forced.
  • Michael Rispoli as Grandma is another candidate, with a reported runner-up-to-Gandolfini Tony Soprano casting story.
  • Brian Anthony Wilson is nominated for the prison player who notices Worm does not smoke, compared with his Creed boss role.
  • An interruption adds Sal Richards, the golf-club player, before the heat-check category resumes.

The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:09:40Read transcript
  • After an interrupted cue, Teddy’s roughly 30 minutes may be too much. Petra, Kinnish and Grandma eligibility is argued over; Landau is offered as a slow heat check despite earlier criticism.
  • Bill Kamp’s oily-finish cigar-bar line is the last candidate before the next category; no single final winner is declared.

Recasting Couch

Phil Ivey

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:10:43Read transcript
  • The modern poker-player replacement with greatest impact is Phil Ivy, repeated in agreement.

Half-Assed Internet Research

Writing location; Rutgers; accent origin; Damon’s tournament loss

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:12:47Read transcript
  • The first joint script was reportedly written in a basement storage room cleaned by a writer’s wife; Rutgers hosted law-school scenes. The supportive-spouse detail prompts a callback to Jo.
  • An internet claim attributes Malkovich’s accent to listening to a Russian woman. Damon and Norton reportedly played the 1998 World Series, with Damon’s kings eliminated by Brunson’s aces. Borat and football-commentary remarks are jokes.

Apex Mountain

Oreos

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:13:56Read transcript
  • Damon and poker are initially no; the first film observed as firstborn is proposed for Damon, and Norton’s Fight Club is preferred over this film despite an initial challenge.
  • Malkovich candidates are Dangerous Liaisons and Being John Malkovich. Janssen’s Gene Gray and X 2 period and the observed Titoro and Lobowski/Do the Right Thing are proposed; no full ordinal ranking is imposed.
  • Oreos from the audience and Binghamton receive support. Chan’s consecutive championships versus this cameo is debated, Atlantic City evokes 90 s fights and a bachelor party, Russians remain unresolved, and Gretchen Mall gets no.

Picking Nits

Basketball references; apartment; finances; mob behavior; poker tactics; smoking

In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 01:16:04Read transcript
  • Clyde/Pearl seems too old a comparison for the characters; Strickland/Jackson is suggested. Petrovsky’s personal-looking gin bottle is noticed but explicitly called not a nitpick.
  • The apartment is implausibly spacious, with joking claims that Jo must be rich. Teddy could not know Mike lacked four nines in the opening hand.
  • Teddy’s job and unlimited playing availability are questioned; running a mob-protected gambling room is the working explanation, not a verified occupation.
  • The mansion-game arithmetic leaves Mike 450 after sharing 1200 and a 25 percent fee, which seems inconsistent with his large cash roll. A don’t-touch label on a feared boss’s Oreos is funny.
  • Grandma’s hostility despite repayment is explained by villainous dog abuse and mocked as bloodlust. The Binghamton drive wastes time, and the beating should leave them worse injured; the Cape Fear conspiracy is recalled.
  • Revealing the cookie tell is debated as a psychological tactic, reportedly confirmed by the writers. Cashing a 10000 personal check at night without fees is questioned;12 percent is a tossed-out guess, not a verified fee.
  • Norton reportedly refused scripted smoking, which the speakers think would suit Worm. Mike leaving with the money alive seems implausible to one, who imagines an immediate killing; this is a hypothetical objection.

Sequel, Prequel, Limited Series, or All-Black Remake

Worm prequels; Worm as villain; Judges Night Out; Gerbil and Jo’s son

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:22:03Read transcript
  • Worm in jail or young Mike/Worm fixing high-school basketball are wanted; a Little Worm title is pitched.
  • Van’s reported rejected pitch makes Worm the new KGB figure and climaxes with Mike against him. A Russian accent and taunting title are jokes.
  • Judges Night Out would frame a legal case with a brief poker game at each end, borrowing Law and Order structure.
  • Another sequel makes Mike a champion and returns Worm after 20 years; Affleck as brother Gerbil, Johnny Chan and Joe’s internet-playing son populate a final table. Petrovsky as the father is a joke.

Is This Movie Better With…?

Byron Mayo; Wayne Jenkins

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:24:33Read transcript
  • The standard names are read before a Byron Mayo take on Petra’s arrival and the supposedly erotic World Series tape.
  • A Wayne Jenkins impression catches Worm cheating and invokes stolen credit cards and prison cigarettes; it is parody, not a real policing account.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Teddy’s location and cards; Knish’s friendship; Worm’s departure; money; five-role casting

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:26:02Read transcript
  • Teddy’s location is crowdsourced through several New York neighborhoods; Alphabet City is a good guess, not an established filming or story location.
  • The final flop and ace produce competing pocket-aces versus pocket-tens theories. Two nonplayers offer jokes about Magic the Gathering and Pokemon; the final advocate favors aces from the dialogue, not a revealed hand.
  • Kinnish may be smartest for steady income and business ownership, but his 50 percent backing offer and job option suggest a price on friendship. Others credit his wisdom and see him as the safe low-ceiling path the leads reject.
  • Worm’s destination is unknown in the released cut. The writers reportedly filmed a Bronx backroom encounter with an earlier prison opponent, then removed it so he simply disappears.
  • Offscreen repeated doubling explains the 60000 ending bankroll according to the discussion. Jo diverting repayment is the repeated conspiracy, with Cancun/Girls Gone Wild/Wild On fantasies clearly invented.
  • A dorky question asks who could play all five male roles at different ages: Newman for a viable film and Hoffman for a desired one receive support. Nicholson is suggested but rejected as insufficiently innocent for Mike; the question is called the wheel.

Best Double Feature

Rounders poster
Rounders
Poster unavailable
Fight Club
Poster unavailable
The Gambler (1974)
Poster unavailable
Cape Fear
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:31:17Read transcript
  • The source reads I hate California split at the pairing prompt, leaving its intended nomination uncertain. Fight Club is an explicit choice as reverse-Rounders, with Norton as poker’s Tyler.
  • The 1974 Gambler with James Kahn is explicitly recommended via a gifted poster; Cape Fear is another selected dark pairing based on Van’s theory.

Who Won the Movie?

Brian Koppelman and David Levien; poker; Edward Norton

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:33:08Read transcript
  • The writers receive an explicit case for unique dialogue and script, qualified that the actors may be essential to realizing it.
  • Poker is selected for the appealing world, with New York an added beneficiary. Another case centers on Norton as irreplaceable Worm; a shouted Michael Rappelma suggestion is rejected.
  • The final response ranks poker first and Norton second, then says it would go for him after praising Worm despite his last 25 minutes absence. Without recording, that phrasing and overlapping earlier Norton case do not safely establish an additional distinct ballot.
Podcast choices
Speaker not identified
Brian Koppelman and David Levien
Speaker not identified
Poker

More from the conversation

The four hosts’ final Cold Weather Tour show was recorded at Webster Hall in New York. Prior stops covered Forrest Gump, The Fugitive and Creed. A future episode is teased without naming its film; Larry David’s request for advance announcements is recalled.
Approx. transcript time · 00:01:35Read transcript
Chris Ryan, Van Lathan and Sean Fennessey are introduced live. Rounders was the first New York choice; Taxi Driver solo and Avengers suggestions are jokes. Repeated viewing is rewarding and personally formative. Swingers, Dazed and Confused and John Wick illustrate slow-building popularity; Suicide Kings and The Boondock Saints represent cable discoveries.
Approx. transcript time · 00:03:43Read transcript
An initial theatrical watch with roommate and future wife was liked but poker was confusing. Repeated cable viewing soon made this a favorite. The greatest-rewatchable claim is qualified by Godfather, Almost Famous, Boogie Nights and Heat; the time-window changes from30to26years. Its vocabulary is compared with Glengarry and Michael Clayton, not presented as a settled ranking.
Approx. transcript time · 00:06:45Read transcript
The inaccessible poker subculture, all-day sessions and flexible viewing entry points sustain interest, though Mike/Jo conversations may prompt an exit. The opening sucker maxim gets a Knicks joke. Chris loves the hangout world despite not knowing poker; Van relates to obligations to a friend leaving jail. Sean says college rewatches led to late games and he still plays, liking the unexplained lingo.
Approx. transcript time · 00:09:21Read transcript
The film also inspired another host to visit casinos despite never having played. Damon/Norton chemistry at their emerging-star stage is praised; Norton’s prior roles and Damon’s Saving Private Ryan exposure place it in a crowded younger-leading-men era. Reported actor ages and timelines remain unverified.
Approx. transcript time · 00:12:58Read transcript
The poker boom is attributed first to Moneymaker, with Rounders DVDs preparing viewers; a reported writer reply also credits hole-card cameras. Rounders remains mentally attached to poker, but Mississippi Grind is called great and the generational lineage includes Cincinnati Kid, California Split, Cool Hand Luke and Maverick. Casino Royale is garbled and contested;21 is a jokey suggestion.
Approx. transcript time · 00:17:14Read transcript
Reported budget is12million and theatrical gross22.9million; Miramax allegedly pulled it after three weeks. A hypothetical dollar per rewatch yields an Avatar comparison, not a real revenue calculation.
Approx. transcript time · 00:20:47Read transcript
Chris’s favorite player is reported as Daniel Neganue, admired for reading hands live on television. Daniel Negreanu is only an unresolved normalization candidate.
Approx. transcript time · 00:26:35Read transcript
The greatest about-to-gamble moment is debated: this and Vegas Baby Vegas begin as finalists, then The Color of Money, The Hangover and Rain Man are added. Rain Man’s escalator and blackjack sequence are liked with a wish for more, not a settled overall ranking.
Approx. transcript time · 00:30:09Read transcript
The taunts prompt a personal DX crotch-gesture anecdote that culminates in accidentally using it toward a parent; it is recollection of immature behavior, not a lesson or instruction.
Approx. transcript time · 00:36:02Read transcript
Johnny Chan prompts athlete-playing-self cameo candidates; Michael Jordan in Space Jam is excluded as a lead, while its Bird/Ewing appearances are reconsidered. Airplane’s Kareem mention is retained as the speaker’s candidate rather than externally correcting the character identity.
Approx. transcript time · 00:47:39Read transcript
A requested life lesson is dismissed as already covered by the early run. Goodfellas is welcomed as a possible future New York show. Closing recap says second Rounders episode, first live, and names full producer Craig Horlebeck; exact RSS supplies Craig Horlbeck spelling.
Approx. transcript time · 01:33:56Read transcript