make that amount twice as large in two days
We got 7,300, Mike. We gotta double that in two days.Rounders · 1998 — Chapter 19 of 26 · 2'11" · B2
Pitching the Binghamton Game, Explained: total fish
Two men are short on cash and need to double $7,300 in two days. One pitches a juicy Binghamton game full of municipal workers; the other worries about getting a seat. "You're gonna clean this game up," one says, while the fear of coming up short hangs over the plan.
What happens
Two men sit and work out how to turn $7,300 into twice that in two days. One describes a Binghamton poker game with two full tables of municipal workers who play right after payday. To get a seat, he explains, they can use a prison contact and a nephew named Sean Frye.
Listen for
get whackedcome up a little shortin the jointtotal fish
00:00 / 02:11Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Phrase of the scene
total fish
a clueless, easy-to-beat player
Someone recalls losing about ten thousand to a guard over eighteen months, and says the guard sees him as an easy mark.
At the poker table, he acts like a total fish and then takes your chips.
Also in this scene
- get whacked
be killed or beaten
- come up a little short
fall just short of a target
- in the joint
in prison
- clean this game up
win all the money in this game
- play straight
play honestly, without cheating
Everything marked in this scene
23 notes across 30 lines
In fast speech 'gotta' compresses; lean on 'double' and glide over 'that'.
We got 7,300, Mike. We gotta double that in two days.fall just short of a target
Someone tries to play down the risk of missing the target, and the next line spells out a far harsher consequence.
Well, we're gonna get close. I'm sure if we come up a little short, Grama...if-less conditional: The first clause is an if-clause with 'if' dropped; it sets the condition for the threat.
We come up even a little short, Grama will shoot us and bury us in a hole somewhere.Let 'come up even' run together; keep the p brief.
We come up even a little short, Grama will shoot us and bury us in a hole somewhere.immediately after they receive their wages
They come play right after they get their paychecks. It's very fat.a thousand dollars — Casual for a thousand dollars; avoid it in formal writing.
Well, look, I figure there's 15 or 20 grand in that room, okay?we're set; we've made it not literally at home; means we're set
If we get even half of that, we're home.a better plan
- You got any better ideas? - How the hell am I supposed to even get in this game?get into this poker game
- You got any better ideas? - How the hell am I supposed to even get in this game?used to intensify a question — Informal intensifier in questions; avoid in formal settings.
- You got any better ideas? - How the hell am I supposed to even get in this game?pouring money into guards' pockets
No, it's easy. The whole time I was in the joint, I was just dumping money to guards.Keep 'the' weak and put the beat on 'joint'.
No, it's easy. The whole time I was in the joint, I was just dumping money to guards.lost about ten thousand over eighteen months
This one guy, Pete Frye, I probably lost like ten grand over 18 months.get in touch with his nephew
He told me anytime I wanted a game when I got out, just look up his nephew.time clause: The 'anytime' clause sets the time and condition for looking up the nephew.
He told me anytime I wanted a game when I got out, just look up his nephew.you're admitted; you're in not physically inside; means you are admitted
You just go in there, you ask for Sean Frye, you're in.win all the money in this game
Someone urges his partner on, treating the poker table as easy money to be swept up.
You're gonna clean this game up. These guys are total suckers.easy marks — Casual put-down; avoid in formal settings.
You're gonna clean this game up. These guys are total suckers.sit for a short time
- Why don't I come in? I'll sit for a little while. - No.no way; absolutely not
- No, not a chance. - I'll sit at the other table and play straight.play honestly, without cheating
Someone offers to sit at a separate table and play honestly, but the offer is still refused.
You wanna play straight? You go in there, I'll be back in eight hours.spoken conditional: The question works as a condition: if you want to play straight, here is the deal.
You wanna play straight? You go in there, I'll be back in eight hours.Pitching the Binghamton Game, explained
What's really going on
The pitch sounds like a simple road trip, but every number carries pressure. $7,300 has to double in two days, and the fear is not total failure but coming up short: "We come up even a little short, Grama will shoot us and bury us in a hole somewhere." The Binghamton game is presented as easy money, and the way in is a story of losing to a guard who thinks he is "a total fish." The exchange over playing straight is a standoff about who sits at the table: one asks to sit in, and the answer is "You wanna play straight? You go in there, I'll be back in eight hours." The plan may be about cards, but the scene is about risk and how far each man will go for a seat.
Theme
MoneyThe whole plan is driven by a hard deadline: $7,300 must double in two days, and every poker table is measured in cash.
DeceptionAccess depends on being underestimated: one player is remembered as a "total fish," and that false reputation becomes the way in.
Listen for
- gotta double — In fast speech 'gotta' compresses; lean on 'double' and glide over 'that'.
- come up even — Let 'come up even' run together; keep the p brief.
- in the joint — Keep 'the' weak and put the beat on 'joint'.
We got 7,300, Mike. We gotta double that in two days.They have $7,300 and need twice that in two days; the line sets the deadline and the size of the hole.
We come up even a little short, Grama will shoot us and bury us in a hole somewhere.Even a small shortfall is treated as fatal; it shows how little room for error they think they have.
If we get even half of that, we're home.Half the $15,000–$20,000 in that room would be enough; "we're home" means they'd be safe or set.
You're gonna clean this game up. These guys are total suckers.The game is seen as easy money because the players are suckers; "clean it up" means win heavily.
You wanna play straight? You go in there, I'll be back in eight hours.If the other man insists on playing honestly, the plan changes: he can go in alone while the speaker stays out.
Questions about this scene
How long do they have to double $7,300?
Two days. One line puts it plainly: "We got 7,300, Mike. We gotta double that in two days." The dialogue does not say why they need the money.
Why is the Binghamton game considered easy money?
The players are municipal workers who come right after payday, and the room is said to hold $15,000–$20,000. One line calls them "total suckers," so the game looks fat.
How does one man plan to get into the game?
By asking for Sean Frye. The plan relies on a prison contact: someone lost money to Pete Frye for 18 months, was seen as "a total fish," and was told to look up his nephew.
How does the other man respond to the offer to sit at the table?
He refuses with a flat "No, not a chance." The offer to sit in for a little while is turned down.
What compromise does one man propose?
He offers to sit at the other table and play straight—meaning honestly, without tricks. The reply rejects that too: "You wanna play straight? You go in there, I'll be back in eight hours."
Rounders · 26 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 20let the cards do the talkingMike Joins the Police Poker 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
Chapter 18wait someone outCigar Talk at the Poker Table
Watching · 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 19 of 26 · about 21 min to go