Rounders (1998)
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Two friends must navigate the dangerous underground world of high-stakes poker to settle a mounting debt.
The story
New York City law student and gifted poker player Mike McDermott dreams of winning the World Series of Poker. After losing a significant amount of money in an underground game run by a Russian mobster, Mike attempts to leave the game behind to focus on his studies. However, the return of his childhood friend, a hustler named Worm, forces Mike back into the high-stakes poker scene. To help Worm pay off a debt to a dangerous pimp, Mike must navigate a series of high-stakes games across the city, ultimately risking his future and his relationship with his girlfriend to settle the escalating stakes.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Mike McDermott, a law student and talented poker player, loses his bankroll to a Russian mobster named Teddy 'KGB'. He tries to quit, but when his friend Worm is released from prison with a debt to a pimp named Grama, Mike agrees to help him win money through high-stakes games. As Mike's involvement in the poker world grows, his relationship with his girlfriend, Jo, suffers. After a series of games, including one where Worm is caught cheating by state troopers, Mike finds himself in a desperate situation. He secures a loan from his professor and faces off against KGB in a high-stakes, winner-take-all match. Mike wins the final game, allowing him to pay off all debts. He ultimately chooses to leave his law studies and his relationship to pursue his dream of playing in the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.
- First release year
- 1998
- Runtime (minutes)
- 121
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- John Dahl
- Writers
- David Levien · writer; Brian Koppelman · writer
- Cast and characters
- Matt Damon · Mike McDermott; Edward Norton · Lester "Worm" Murphy; John Turturro; Famke Janssen; Gretchen Mol; John Malkovich · Teddy "KGB"; Martin Landau
- Genres
- crime drama; buddy drama; independent films
- Themes
- risk and reward; loyalty; ambition
- Tone and mood
- tense; atmospheric
- Premise and plot tags
- poker; crime; underground gambling
- Source material / true-story basis
- A novelization of the film was written by Kevin Canty.
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics but gained a cult following among poker enthusiasts.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 64% · scale: percentage · review count: 80; Metacritic · score: 53 · scale: 100 · review count: 32
- Production trivia
- The film gained a cult following due to the poker boom in the early 2000s.; Several pro poker players credit the film for getting them into the game.; The soundtrack features the song 'Baby, I'm a Big Star Now' by Counting Crows.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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