stop by; visit
Yeah, your Uncle Pete told me to come by if I ever was around here.Rounders · 1998 — Chapter 20 of 26 · 4'56" · B2
Mike Joins the Police Poker Game, Explained: let the cards do the talking
The cards are friendly and the stakes are clear, until a hand is questioned and the table turns. "Looks like we got a road gang here" lands less like a joke than a warning, and the game stops being about cards.
What happens
Mike sits down at a poker table full of cops, learns the buy-in is a grand, and plays 20-40 Stud. Names are exchanged, someone is up 4,200, and a newcomer asks to be dealt in. Then a hand is challenged, someone is accused of dealing off the bottom, and the table erupts.
Listen for
buy-indeal me inyour money's good herejust to warn you
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Phrase of the scene
let the cards do the talking
let the cards settle it
Someone pulls the table back from a fight and asks the cards to settle the dispute.
If you think you're right, let the cards do the talking.
Also in this scene
- buy-in
entry stake
- deal me in
include me in the game
- your money's good here
your money is welcome here
- just to warn you
a quick heads-up
- road gang
a mocking label for a crew of traveling card players
Everything marked in this scene
30 notes across 76 lines
be in prison here 'inside' means in prison
Oh, no, no, no, no. I... I wasn't inside.win or swindle an amount from someone not 'took me along'; he won about a grand from me
I met him over at, uh... He took me for like a grand over at the lodge.take a seat
- Grab a seat. - Great.In fast speech, you almost disappears; hear the stressed How and doing.
- How you doing? I'm Mike. - How you doing? Vitter.comparative correlative: The nicer..., the poorer... ties two changes together: friendlier guys tend to play worse.
Generally, the rule is, the nicer the guy, the poorer the card player.Stress nicer and poorer; let the two the's blur.
Generally, the rule is, the nicer the guy, the poorer the card player.exactly on plan
I'm right on schedule, up 4,200.an impressive elk hell is an intensifier here, not the place
Holy shit! That's a hell of an elk.holy crap — Vulgar surprise; keep it out of formal settings.
Holy shit! That's a hell of an elk.isn't (dialect) — Dialectal speech; not for formal writing.
My grandfather got that one. Ain't that a beauty?have found the right spot
Well, you've come to the right place.include me in the game
The newcomer asks to be included in the game without ceremony.
Okay. Deal me in.your money is welcome here
The host grants entry by saying the newcomer's money is welcome at this table.
All right, your money's good here.ace-high hand bets first
- Ace high bets. - Well, I like what I have.recognize that expression
I know that look. I'm gonna fold.heavy betting; lots of activity not physical action; lots of betting
- I'm in. - Wow. Wow. A lot of action.attempt a comeback
I'm staging a late-night comeback here.a quick heads-up
Someone softens a warning before the table hears the bad news.
Okay? Just to... Just to warn you.a free card
All right, free card. Here we go.what on earth — Casual shock or anger; avoid in formal contexts.
- What are you... What? - What the hell's going on over here, Stu?dealing from the bottom — Poker jargon for a cheating deal; not for general use.
This son of a bitch is base dealing.deal cheatingly from the bottom
- He's saying you're dealing off the bottom of the deck. - Oh, God. Come on, guys.nominal relative clause: The what-clause means 'the things you want to say' and acts as the object of listen to.
If the seven didn't help you, we'll listen to what you have to say.turn over the cards
Ozzy, turn the cards.three cards of one rank
Come on! It's three of a kind!one final point
One last thing, Stu.calm down
Hey, all right, take it easy.negative question: The negative question carries an accusation: 'aren't you supposed to' means you clearly should be doing this.
Aren't you supposed to read us our rights?Let supposed to run together; don't pronounce each word separately.
Aren't you supposed to read us our rights?Mike Joins the Police Poker Game, explained
What's really going on
The scene builds a comfortable illusion: a private game, polite introductions, and a player keeping score like a man on a shift. The line "Generally, the rule is, the nicer the guy, the poorer the card player" sounds like harmless table talk, but it also explains why the room feels safe. That comfort breaks when a hand is challenged and the accusation becomes specific: "dealing off the bottom of the deck." Someone answers with "Let's let the cards do the talking," and the argument is handed back to the cards: if the seven didn't help, the player gets heard. By the end the table has stopped talking about cards at all, and the shouting takes over.
Theme
DeceptionA friendly game turns on an accusation of dealing from the bottom, making trust at the table the real stake.
MoneyThe buy-in is a grand and a player is up 4,200, but the cheating turns the game into a fight over control.
Listen for
- How you doing — In fast speech, you almost disappears; hear the stressed How and doing.
- the nicer the guy — Stress nicer and poorer; let the two the's blur.
- supposed to read — Let supposed to run together; don't pronounce each word separately.
Generally, the rule is, the nicer the guy, the poorer the card player.A friendly manner is no sign of skill; at this table, being likable may mean being easy to beat.
The morning can't get here soon enough.The speaker can't wait for morning to arrive; the line suggests the night has gone on long enough.
Okay, okay. Let's let the cards do the talking.Stop arguing and settle it by playing the hand; the cards will show who is right.
Aren't you supposed to read us our rights?A sarcastic jab: shouldn't they be read their rights first? It throws legal procedure back into the argument.
I'm staging a late-night comeback here.The line means the speaker is trying to turn the night around and make a late comeback.
Questions about this scene
Why is the new player at the game?
He explains that Uncle Pete told him to come by if he was ever around; the table then explains the buy-in and the game, and he sits down.
What accusation stops the game?
Someone says a player is 'base dealing,' and another line spells it out as 'dealing off the bottom of the deck.' The table then demands the cards be turned.
What does 'road gang' mean here?
It is a mocking label for a group of traveling card players, not a literal road crew; the reply 'A what?' shows the phrase is unfamiliar to at least one player.
Why does someone ask about reading rights?
In the blowup, someone asks, "Aren't you supposed to read us our rights?" It reads as a sarcastic jab at procedure; the lines don't show exactly who is asking.
How is the cheating accusation settled?
Someone says, "Let's let the cards do the talking," then adds that if the seven didn't help, they'll listen to what the player has to say, and calls for the cards to be turned.
Rounders · 26 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 21get outta DodgeTwo Men Argue Over Skipping Town
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
Chapter 18wait someone outCigar Talk at the Poker Table
Chapter 19total fishPitching the Binghamton Game
Watching · 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 20 of 26 · about 16 min to go