put in every chip
I bet the full amount.Rounders · 1998 — Chapter 18 of 26 · 2'53" · B2
Cigar Talk at the Poker Table, Explained: wait someone out
The table talk runs through cigar notes—"A nice, nutty finish", "Cameroon wrapper"—but the real conversation is the betting. A pot-limit bet is followed by a crack about a daughter's riding lessons; the answer is "There's a lot more where that came from." It is a status fight disguised as poker.
What happens
In a smoke-filled game, a player bets the full amount; another studies him and raises. The table moves from poker hands to cigar talk—earthy tones, a smooth draw—then to a pot-limit bet and a jab about riding lessons. After the hand, two players argue over whether folding was caution or a missed chance.
Listen for
a smooth drawDoes he look likemore where that came fromringer
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Phrase of the scene
wait someone out
hold back until the other side cracks
Accused of playing too safe, he does not argue, he explains that he was simply sitting still until the other man cracked.
If the seller won't budge, you can wait someone out and let them name a price first.
Also in this scene
- a smooth draw
an easy pull on a cigar; draw also hints at drawing cards
- Does he look like
a rhetorical question that means obviously not
- more where that came from
there is plenty more of the same
- ringer
a ringer: an outsider brought in to win
- cheap bastard
a stingy bastard, a crude insult
Everything marked in this scene
27 notes across 48 lines
sort of like it
I kinda like this robusto.pleasantly smooth and oily
I love the Cameroon wrapper on this baby. Nice and oily.In fast speech the end of wrapper slides into on; say the three words as one lump.
I love the Cameroon wrapper on this baby. Nice and oily.what are you holding literally what did you get; here it asks what cards you hold
I'll call. What do you got?In quick questions do you gets squeezed into one beat; don't give it two.
I'll call. What do you got?what people call
I have what's known as the wheel.past participle modifier: The participle phrase after the noun turns a hand into a person: a man who was beaten by jacks.
Does he look like a man beaten by jacks?next to something, by comparison
Jacks are a monster compared to the crap you play, Taki.junk, rubbish hands — Casual contempt between friends; keep it out of formal talk.
Jacks are a monster compared to the crap you play, Taki.call it five
- Make it five. - You're raising me 300, kid?match the bet call here means match, not shout
I call your 300.how much is inside it
- How much is in there, Weitz? - About 1,500. 1,500.kid, said with a bit of swagger — Playful or condescending address; not for clients.
I bet you the pot limit, kiddo.save a little for someone
You might want to leave a little something for your daughter's riding lessons.get off your backside, move — Rude hurry-up for people you know well; never to a boss.
Get up. Get off your ass. We're done. Come on.Hit the any- of each word and pause between them; slow down on the last anybody.
Anytime, anyplace, anywhere... Oh, by the way, anybody.win a pot from someone
Since when you have to have it to take a pot off a hump like that?rhetorical since when: A challenge, not a time question: since when does that rule exist?
Since when you have to have it to take a pot off a hump like that?fight back with a raise literally hit back; here it means counter-raise
- A grade schooler would've played back at that guy. - I was waiting the guy out.bluff into a hand that will not fold
Eventually, he was going to bluff at the wrong pot. I was gonna take him.push chips into the pot literally place it in the middle; here, bet it
The move was folding. I can't lose what I don't put in the middle.noun clause: The what-clause is the object of lose: the money he never bets is the money he cannot lose.
The move was folding. I can't lose what I don't put in the middle.Run the t of don't straight into put with no extra vowel between them.
The move was folding. I can't lose what I don't put in the middle.screw all of that — Vulgar dismissal of an argument; only among close friends.
Oh, Jesus, you know what? Fuck all that 'cause we needed that pot.what is our running total literally what are we doing; here it asks the total
Well, what are we up to?exactly the place you need
I know... I got just the place for you. Yeah, yeah.Cigar Talk at the Poker Table, explained
What's really going on
The hand is less about cards than about who can make whom blink. The cigar talk—"A nice, nutty finish", "Cameroon wrapper"—sounds like idle chat, yet the line that praises the smoke ends with "enough kick to win me the Hi and the Lo," so the hand is being announced in code. When someone asks "Does he look like a man beaten by jacks?" it is not analysis but a comeback to the question just before it, "What did you think he had?" The pot-limit bet and the line about "your daughter's riding lessons" push the same nerve: money as a way to measure and humiliate. The reply, "There's a lot more where that came from," tries to turn the insult back into proof of resources.
Theme
MoneyEvery bet and needle turns the table into a test of who can afford to lose.
DeceptionHands are won by selling a story; one player admits he had nothing after bluffing the big ringer.
Listen for
- wrapper on this — In fast speech the end of wrapper slides into on; say the three words as one lump.
- What do you — In quick questions do you gets squeezed into one beat; don't give it two.
- Anytime, anyplace, anywhere — Hit the any- of each word and pause between them; slow down on the last anybody.
- don't put in — Run the t of don't straight into put with no extra vowel between them.
The move was folding. I can't lose what I don't put in the middle.Folding was the correct play: money never placed in the pot cannot be lost.
Does he look like a man beaten by jacks?A rhetorical put-down: the man does not look like someone who would lose to jacks, so the very idea is mocked.
You might want to leave a little something for your daughter's riding lessons.A needle disguised as advice: the bet is so large it threatens money meant for the opponent's daughter.
Anytime, anyplace, anywhere... Oh, by the way, anybody.A boast of total availability: the speaker claims he is ready for anyone, anywhere, at any time.
It's got earthy tones, a smooth draw, enough kick to win me the Hi and the Lo.Cigar talk doubles as poker talk: the cigar draws well, and the hand is strong enough to sweep both the high and low pots.
Questions about this scene
What is 'the wheel' in this poker game?
It is a straight that uses an ace as the low card. The line 'I have what's known as the wheel' names the hand before the cigar description continues.
Why does the riding-lessons line sting?
It turns a bet into a comment on the other player's money and family. The line 'You might want to leave a little something for your daughter's riding lessons' implies the bet is cutting into money meant for her.
Why does one player describe the opponent as 'papier-mache'?
The line follows an argument about waiting and making moves. 'Papier-mache' means flimsy or weak, so the speaker says the opponent is not as solid as he looks and urges stronger play.
Do the cigar lines have anything to do with the cards?
They can be read two ways. "a smooth draw" describes a cigar, but draw is also a poker term; the same line ends with "enough kick to win me the Hi and the Lo," which is about the hand.
Why does one player insist that folding was the right move?
The line 'The move was folding. I can't lose what I don't put in the middle' gives the reason: chips not placed in the pot cannot be lost. The other player answers that they needed that pot.
Rounders · 26 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 19total fishPitching the Binghamton Game
Chapter 1make a run at itBuying Into Teddy KGB's Game
Chapter 2represent that you have somethingPoker Night With the Judges
Chapter 3read his hand blindReading a Hand Starts a Fight
Chapter 4get cleaned outMike Picks Up an Old Friend
Chapter 5crack the gameMike and Worm Fleece a Private Game
Chapter 6cut this room upMike and Worm at the Card Game
Chapter 7shear a sheepSlow Roll at the Russian Game
Chapter 8the juice is still runnin'Grama Threatens Worm
Chapter 9tight, but aggressiveMichael and the Professor Discuss Poker
Chapter 10can't run from who we areThe Prodigy Who Left the Yeshiva
Chapter 11the rakeMike Gets Dumped Outside
Chapter 12tellsMike Returns to the Card Room
Chapter 13juiceA Friend's Debt Comes Due
Chapter 14throw in your cardsMike Fumbles Oral Arguments
Chapter 15run someone upPetra Visits Mike About Worm's Debt
Chapter 16in hockMike Finds Worm at the Gym
Chapter 17good for itMike Vouches for Worm
Watching · Chapter 18wait someone outCigar Talk at the Poker Table
Chapter 19total fishPitching the Binghamton Game
Chapter 20let the cards do the talkingMike Joins the Police Poker Game
Chapter 21get outta DodgeTwo Men Argue Over Skipping Town
Chapter 22go into hockKnish Refuses to Lend Mike Money
Chapter 23put it all on the lineThe Johnny Chan Story
Chapter 24vouch forMichael Asks for a $15,000 Loan
Chapter 25let it rideHeads-Up With KGB
Chapter 26alligator bloodA Poker Player Doubles the BlindChapter 18 of 26 · about 23 min to go