stuck to his father's saying
Amarillo Slim, the greatest proposition gambler of all time, held to his father's maxim...Rounders · 1998 — Chapter 7 of 26 · 3'47" · B2
Slow Roll at the Russian Game, Explained: shear a sheep
A poker hand turns ugly when a winning hand is revealed too slowly. Outside, a returning player is warned that his reputation is already marked. "You can shear a sheep many times, but skin him only once" frames the real stakes: not one pot, but whether he can still get a game.
What happens
At a poker table, a hand ends with a slow roll that nearly sparks a fight. When the hand is over, two men step away to talk. One presses the other about getting a job, whether he will go away again, and the danger of being marked as a cheat in every Manhattan card room.
Listen for
shear a sheepslow rollingon a rolllisted as a mechanic
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Now
Phrase of the scene
shear a sheep
to shear a sheep; a metaphor for taking small profits again and again
A voiceover frames the table with a gambler's maxim: keep taking a little, never clean someone out.
A smart salesman will shear a sheep many times, but never skin it in one deal.
Also in this scene
- slow rolling
delaying the reveal to mock
- on a roll
having a lucky winning streak
- listed as a mechanic
put on a casino blacklist as a cheat
- rabbits
easy marks; weak players
- dump to
lose chips to someone on purpose
Everything marked in this scene
38 notes across 78 lines
appositive: The phrase renames Amarillo Slim before the main verb; it adds status without breaking the sentence.
Amarillo Slim, the greatest proposition gambler of all time, held to his father's maxim...took the trouble to learn
This is a lesson Worm's never bothered to learn.relative clause: The omitted 'that' hides a relative clause: this is the lesson Worm has never bothered to learn.
This is a lesson Worm's never bothered to learn.Run 'what are you' together; avoid hitting each word.
- What are you talking about? - What am I talking about?Let 'you're gonna' blur; land on 'stop'.
If you want to see this seventh card, you're gonna stop speaking fuckin' Sputnik.mocking name for Russian speech — A mocking jab at Russian speech; offensive to say to someone's face.
If you want to see this seventh card, you're gonna stop speaking fuckin' Sputnik.collude at the table here it means colluding at cards
- Oh, da, motherfucker. - You're worried we might work together.stop that
and snow and shit, but let's cut it out, all right?the last card dealt face down the final card dealt face down, before showdown
There's the river, down and dirty.pay to see the next card pay to see the next card, not suffer for a mistake
I think you got that ace, Roman, but I'm gonna pay for it.two pairs in poker
Wow, two pair. But I got sevens, too, though.put me on sevens make = read my hand as sevens
But you made me for the sevens, Maurice. You're a player.fresh players fresh players, not actual blood
Hey, Mike, you here to play? Come on, we need some new blood.down about two thousand dollars rack = a thousand dollars; stuck = losing
- I already stuck two racks. - Well, have a good rest, man.hit a winning streak a gambling hot streak, not a jog
I was pumped up eight G's. I was ready to go on a run when you came along.thousands of dollars — Street talk for money; keep it out of formal quotes.
I was pumped up eight G's. I was ready to go on a run when you came along.Tap the t in 'got a' lightly and slide straight into 'a'.
You're in town for five fuckin' minutes, you already got a sign on your back.snitch on me
Oh, what, that fuckin' Knish rat me out?sees every angle
He sees all the angles, but he doesn't have the balls to play one.guts, nerve — Vulgar for courage; avoid with elders or clients.
He sees all the angles, but he doesn't have the balls to play one.consider the long run
I just want you to think long term, all right? Be smart.keep records on players records on who cheats, not accounting books
Every place in Manhattan, they all keep books, all right?partial inversion: Fronting 'not only' flips the auxiliary and subject, stacking one bad consequence on another.
then not only are you gonna get the shit kicked out of you, you're not gonna get a fuckin' game anywhere in New York.Blur 'out of you' into one chunk; keep 'of' light.
then not only are you gonna get the shit kicked out of you, you're not gonna get a fuckin' game anywhere in New York.get badly beaten — Vulgar and violent; not for polite company.
then not only are you gonna get the shit kicked out of you, you're not gonna get a fuckin' game anywhere in New York.the overall situation the whole situation, not a photo
Look, this is what I love about you... you think about the big picture.by the rules, no cheating by the rules, not 'honestly speaking'
I don't play the game straight up, and then if I lose, go get some real work or something, okay?conditional clause: The if-clause sets up losing, then the imperative 'go get' turns it into a mocking plan B.
I don't play the game straight up, and then if I lose, go get some real work or something, okay?target, easy victim — Predatory slang; never call someone it to their face.
I see a mark, I take him down.vulnerable and exposed — Poker slang for being exposed; use with people who know the game.
- But I'm not the guy with my nose open right now. - Aw, come on.postmodifier: The phrase 'in there' narrows 'those two guys' to the men inside the room.
I'm not gonna preach to you, but those two guys in there, they're not rabbits.organized-crime types — Mob talk; fine in quotes, risky as a label.
Roman and Maurice? They're Russian outfit guys.Keep both 'as' light; stress 'bad' and 'KGB'.
Not as bad as KGB, but you don't want to be fuckin' with those guys.messing with — Vulgar warning; use 'messing with' in formal settings.
Not as bad as KGB, but you don't want to be fuckin' with those guys.make something look natural or convincing
The instruction is to lose the money back but make it look good, as if the cards simply went cold.
Just make it look good. Just catch a run of real shitty cards.scrape some money together scratch = money, not an itch
I gotta put some scratch together, man. I gotta get somethin' going.working stiff
Jesus, man, you're such a fuckin' workin' man now. I'm never gonna see you.Slow Roll at the Russian Game, explained
What's really going on
The slow roll is the visible insult, but the real argument is about how to survive. One player says he has to put money together and cannot simply give it back; the warning that every Manhattan room keeps books, and that being listed as a mechanic means no game anywhere in New York, hangs over the whole exchange. The line “I see a mark, I take him down” turns poker into a whole philosophy of life. The talk about thinking long term and the big picture is the other side of that argument. Neither side is talking only about one hand.
Theme
MoneyThe table is a workplace, a trap, and a test of whether a player can afford to walk away.
DeceptionSlow rolling and dumping are both ways of controlling what the other player believes.
Listen for
- What are you — Run 'what are you' together; avoid hitting each word.
- you're gonna — Let 'you're gonna' blur; land on 'stop'.
- got a — Tap the t in 'got a' lightly and slide straight into 'a'.
- out of you — Blur 'out of you' into one chunk; keep 'of' light.
"You can shear a sheep many times, but skin him only once."A regular can be beaten repeatedly for small amounts, but if you take everything once, you lose the source for good.
He sees all the angles, but he doesn't have the balls to play one.Someone understands every angle of the game but lacks the nerve to risk money on any of them.
I see a mark, I take him down.When a vulnerable opponent appears, the speaker's instinct is to take all his money, not to hold back.
You're in town for five fuckin' minutes, you already got a sign on your back.The speaker is saying the other man has been back almost no time and is already visibly marked as a target.
Not as bad as KGB, but you don't want to be fuckin' with those guys.These men are less dangerous than KGB, but still not people one should cross.
Questions about this scene
Why does the poker table nearly erupt after the last cards are shown?
One player had said he only had jacks but revealed more; the complaint is about being slow rolled, not just about losing the pot.
Why does one player refuse to give the money back?
He says he has to put some scratch together and get something going, and that he cannot dump to these guys.
Why is being listed as a mechanic so damaging?
The warning says every Manhattan place keeps books; a player listed as a mechanic gets beaten and cannot get a game anywhere in New York.
What does rabbits mean in the warning about the men inside?
Rabbits are easy targets. The warning says the two men are not rabbits, meaning they are not safe marks to take down.
Why does one man suggest a dentist's game or Swan Meadow?
He is offering a way out of the dangerous game inside: go out to suburbia, to a dentist's game or Swan Meadow's golf pro game.
Rounders · 26 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 8the juice is still runnin'Grama Threatens Worm
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
Watching · 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
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 7 of 26 · about 52 min to go