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Rounders · 1998 — Chapter 14 of 26 · 3'01" · B2

Mike Fumbles Oral Arguments, Explained: throw in your cards

A late courtroom advocate cites the wrong Supreme Court case and gets corrected; afterward, the poker rule he taught — 'Throw in your cards the moment you know they can't win' — is turned against him in a breakup.

What happens

In a courtroom session, the lead counsel arrives late, fumbles the opening, and cites a free-speech case that has no bearing on the issue. Someone else takes over and delivers the argument. After court, a tense exchange turns the poker rule about folding a losing hand into a verdict on a relationship.

CourtroomBreakupsPersuadingConfrontingCoupleB2mediumamericanClean
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Listen for

lead counseloral argumentsno bearingtake over

00:00 / 03:01
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Phrase of the scene

throw in your cards

fold; quit a losing hand

After the hearing, a line says 'I learned it from you, Mike,' then turns to the poker rule: throw in your cards as a way to explain leaving; the tone is calm, as if reciting a rule once taught.

Sometimes the smart move is to throw in your cards early.

Also in this scene

  • lead counsel

    head lawyer for a case

  • oral arguments

    spoken arguments in court

  • no bearing

    have no connection to; not affect

  • take over

    take control

  • make it sound as if

    make something seem as if it were true

Everything marked in this scene

23 notes across 42 lines

Soundwait another

In fast speech, let the t in 'wait' brush past and slide into 'another'.

I suggest we wait another five minutes, and then choose another lead counsel.
Soundso sorry

Put the weight on 'so sorry' and let the apology stretch a little.

I'm so sorry I'm late.
Phrase · B2come to order

court is now in session

Come to order in the matter of Slater v. New York State Higher Education Services.
Phrase · C1facts have been stipulated

have been formally agreed

The facts have been stipulated, the briefs have been read.
Phrase · B2proceed with something

go ahead with

please proceed with oral arguments now.
Phrase · C1the issue at bar

the issue before the court bar here means the court, not a drinking place

the case which controls the issue at bar would be, uh, Texas v. Johnson, - Which holds... - Texas v. Johnson?
Grammar · C1which controls the issue at bar

relative clause: The relative clause narrows 'the case' to the one controlling the issue before the court.

the case which controls the issue at bar would be, uh, Texas v. Johnson, - Which holds... - Texas v. Johnson?
Phrase · C1de facto + noun

segregation in practice de facto means in reality, not necessarily by law

and focus instead on the idea of de facto segregation.
Phrase · B1focus instead on something

turn attention to instead

and focus instead on the idea of de facto segregation.
Phrase · C1if it pleases the court

if the court allows

Mr. McDermott has been unreachable, so I'll take over, if it pleases the court.
Phrase · B2please someone a great deal

satisfy someone very much

Someone saying something meaningful would please us a great deal.
Grammar · C1Someone saying something meaningful

participle phrase: The participle phrase 'saying something meaningful' modifies 'Someone'; the whole noun phrase is the subject.

Someone saying something meaningful would please us a great deal.
Phrase · B2a clear case of something

a clear instance of

What we have here is a clear case of gerrymandering, impacting schoolchildren and schools in the district...
Phrase · B1the student body

all students at a school not a physical body, but the whole student population

Although not dispositive, the student body is more than 99 percent white.
Grammar · C1Although not dispositive

reduced concession: The reduced clause concedes one legal point before the racial makeup is emphasized.

Although not dispositive, the student body is more than 99 percent white.
Phrase · B2give an opening statement

first speech to a court

Usually you have to know something about a case to give an opening statement.
Phrase · B1work out great for someone

turn out well for someone

Hey, it worked out great for me, McDermott. I think I actually impressed Marinacci.
Soundpretty quick

Let the t in 'pretty' tap lightly; don't clip both syllables.

We're not gonna talk? You left me pretty quick there.
Slang · B1gonna

going to (spoken) — Common in speech; avoid it in formal writing.

We're not gonna talk? You left me pretty quick there.
Phrase · B2make it sound as if + clause

make something seem as if it were true

After court, the two rehash the breakup; 'make it sound as if' pushes back on a version of events in which the decision was the speaker's.

- You make it sound as if it was my decision. - Well, it wasn't mine.
Slang · B2Fold the hand

fold; quit the hand — Poker jargon; it can also metaphorically mean backing out.

- Fold the hand. - Look, this is our thing that we're talking about.
Phrase · B2the last of something

the end of something

So, that's the last of it, then?
Phrase · B1it's not about something

luck isn't the point

I mean, I'd say good luck, but I know it's not about luck in your game.

Mike Fumbles Oral Arguments, explained

What's really going on

The courtroom failure is not just lateness. Mike starts with 'Texas v. Johnson', and the reply is blunt: it is a free-speech case that 'has no bearing in the premises.' When someone offers to take over, the answer is dry: 'Someone saying something meaningful would please us a great deal.' Then the scene moves from court to a breakup, and the poker language arrives. 'I learned it from you, Mike. You always told me that this was the rule.' The rule is 'Throw in your cards the moment you know they can't win.' The reply, 'It's not some losing hand of poker,' tries to keep cards and relationship apart, but the dialogue shows how easily the language of folding spreads from the table to people.

Theme

HeartbreakA breakup is argued with poker rules, turning 'fold the hand' into a reason to walk away.
PhilosophyPoker logic leaks into law and love, where 'throw in your cards' becomes a life rule.

Listen for

  • wait another — In fast speech, let the t in 'wait' brush past and slide into 'another'.
  • so sorry — Put the weight on 'so sorry' and let the apology stretch a little.
  • pretty quick — Let the t in 'pretty' tap lightly; don't clip both syllables.
Someone saying something meaningful would please us a great deal.

A dry courtroom rebuke: after weak arguments, the speaker says the court would be pleased by someone saying something meaningful.

Usually you have to know something about a case to give an opening statement.

Sarcastic criticism: the opening was so uninformed that it implies the person giving it skipped the basic preparation.

I learned it from you, Mike.

The line turns the breakup back on Mike: the habit of walking away was taught by him.

Rule number one: Throw in your cards the moment you know they can't win.

The poker rule is invoked as a life rule: once a situation is clearly lost, cut your losses and leave.

I mean, I'd say good luck, but I know it's not about luck in your game.

A parting shot that mixes farewell with the claim that his game is not about luck.

Questions about this scene

Why is Texas v. Johnson said to have no bearing?

Because the dialogue identifies it as a Supreme Court free-speech case and says it 'has no bearing in the premises.' A following line says each group was told to ignore that aspect and focus instead on de facto segregation.

Why does someone ask to take over the argument?

The line says Mr. McDermott has been unreachable and asks to take over 'if it pleases the court.' The next line replies that someone saying something meaningful 'would please us a great deal.'

What does 'throw in your cards' mean in the breakup?

It means folding a losing hand. In the breakup, it becomes the rule for leaving once a situation cannot win; the reply insists it is 'not some losing hand of poker.'

What is sarcastic about 'Usually you have to know something about a case to give an opening statement'?

It follows an opening that clearly went badly. The line implies the opening statement was given without knowing the case, which is why it lands as a rebuke.

Rounders · 26 chapters

All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 15run someone upPetra Visits Mike About Worm's Debt
Chapter 1make a run at itBuying Into Teddy KGB's GameChapter 2represent that you have somethingPoker Night With the JudgesChapter 3read his hand blindReading a Hand Starts a FightChapter 4get cleaned outMike Picks Up an Old FriendChapter 5crack the gameMike and Worm Fleece a Private GameChapter 6cut this room upMike and Worm at the Card GameChapter 7shear a sheepSlow Roll at the Russian GameChapter 8the juice is still runnin'Grama Threatens WormChapter 9tight, but aggressiveMichael and the Professor Discuss PokerChapter 10can't run from who we areThe Prodigy Who Left the YeshivaChapter 11the rakeMike Gets Dumped OutsideChapter 12tellsMike Returns to the Card RoomChapter 13juiceA Friend's Debt Comes DueWatching · Chapter 14throw in your cardsMike Fumbles Oral ArgumentsChapter 15run someone upPetra Visits Mike About Worm's DebtChapter 16in hockMike Finds Worm at the GymChapter 17good for itMike Vouches for WormChapter 18wait someone outCigar Talk at the Poker TableChapter 19total fishPitching the Binghamton GameChapter 20let the cards do the talkingMike Joins the Police Poker GameChapter 21get outta DodgeTwo Men Argue Over Skipping TownChapter 22go into hockKnish Refuses to Lend Mike MoneyChapter 23put it all on the lineThe Johnny Chan StoryChapter 24vouch forMichael Asks for a $15,000 LoanChapter 25let it rideHeads-Up With KGBChapter 26alligator bloodA Poker Player Doubles the Blind
Chapter 14 of 26 · about 35 min to go