Rounders (1998)

John Turturro: Joey Knish

Photos 

Quotes 

• Mike McDermott : [talking in one of the corners of the Russian and Turkish bathhouse]  I never told anybody this, about eight nine months ago, I'm at the Taj it's late and I see Johnny Chan walk in and he goes and sits in the three hundred six hundred section and the whole place stops and everybody puts an eye on him, after a while there wasn't a crap going on because all the high rollers are over there watching and some of them playing but they're giving their money to him and say "oh", I played with the world champion", you know what I did?

  Joey Knish : What?

  Mike McDermott : I sat down

  Joey Knish : You need fifty to sixty grand to play right in that game

  Mike McDermott : I had six but I had to know

  Joey Knish : what happened?

  Mike McDermott : Played tight for an hour, folded mostly then I made a score

  Joey Knish : With what? aces or kings?

  Mike McDermott : Rags, I had nothing, but he raised and I decided I don't care about the money, I'm just going to out play the guy, I'm going to out play this guy, this hand, I'll re-raise

  Joey Knish : Re-raise? You play right back at him?

  Mike McDermott : Yeah, he comes back over the top at me trying bully me like I'm some tourist, I hesitate for like two seconds then I'll re-raise and he makes a move to his checks and he looks at me, check his cards and looks at me again, and he mucked it, I took it down

  Mike McDermott : [Flash back narrates Johnny Chan]  did you have it?

  Mike McDermott : [Flash back narrates]  I'm sorry John, I don't remember

  Mike McDermott : I got up and walked to the cashier, I sat with the best in the world, and I won

  Joey Knish : You made a fucking move on Chan you son of a bitch, so that's why you made that run at KGB's place

  Mike McDermott : That's right I'll do it again if I can

• Mike McDermott : [talking privately in one of the corners of the Russian and Turkish bathhouse]  What can you do for me? I mean five hundred isn't even enough to get me started

  Joey Knish : Five hundred won't help, what's two grand going to do? What kind of trouble you in?

  Mike McDermott : With the worst kind, with the worst guy

  Joey Knish : KGB?

  Mike McDermott : Yeah

  Joey Knish : [referring to Worm]  Didn't I tell you? Never let that guy ahold of you?

  Mike McDermott : You told me a lot of things

  Joey Knish : Yeah I did, and you don't listen, I tell you to play within your means, you risk your whole bank roll, I tell you not to over extend yourself, to rebuild, so you don't have to hock for more, I was giving you a living, showing you the playbook I put together off my beats and that wasn't enough for you

  Mike McDermott : This is the one time I don't need you to tell me how I fucked up, I know I fucked up, what I need from you is money, I need whatever money you can give me

  Joey Knish : That's the thing, this time there is no money, I give you two grand what's that buy you? A day? No I give it to you I'm wasting it

  Mike McDermott : That's fucking great

  Joey Knish : You did it to yourself, you had to put it all on the line for some Vegas pipe dream

  Mike McDermott : I took a risk, I took a risk, you see all the angles, and you never have the fucking stones to play one

  Joey Knish : Stones? you little punk, I'm not playing for the thrill of fucking victory here, I owe rent, alimony, child support, I play for money, my kids eat, I got stones enough not to chase card actions of fucking pipe dreams of winning the world series on ESPN, but about the money I've got to turn my back, I've got to say no

  Mike McDermott : That's fine I understand

• Joey Knish : [talking outside the sauna room in the Russian and Turkish bathhouse]  I'm listening. What do you need? 500? A grand?

  Mike McDermott : Huh? I need... I need 15,000.

  Joey Knish : Fifteen?

  Mike McDermott : Yep.

  Joey Knish : I need a blow job from Christy Turlington. Get the fuck outta here. $15,000?

• Joey Knish : [interrupting their study group]  Hey Jo, Long time.

  Jo : Knish. How are you?

  Joey Knish : The same.

• Joey Knish : [to Mike, referring the stacks of poker chips hidden underneath Mike's hat, before lifting up the hat]  you holding those for somebody?

  Mike McDermott : [to Joey, smiling]  yeah, I was holding it for you

  Joey Knish : [amused, to Mike]  you should be, because I hope you're not thinking of putting all that "glimmer" in play

  Joey Knish : [to Mike, gently grabs his arm and tries to find an empty seat at another table]  come here, you don't want to "butt onions" with these guys because they can chew you up, and take your whole bank roll

  Mike McDermott : so, you say

  Joey Knish : there's plenty easy games, we get outta here, get some coffee, ride over to that "soft seat" in Queens

  Mike McDermott : I know what I'm doing

  Joey Knish : making a run at, aren't you? Rolling up a stake and going to Vegas, am I right?

  Mike McDermott : I can beat the game

  Joey Knish : [to Mike eventually he looks up and gives Joey a serious look]  maybe, maybe this game can be beat, but you know you can beat the ten twenty at the Chesterfield, and high low game at 79th street, ok I understand

• Joey Knish : [Referring to Worm]  The guy's a cheat he always has been, right now his over at Chesterfield ruining your reputation with every lousy second he deals.

  Mike McDermott : I told him, did anybody else see you?

  Mike McDermott : No, nobody saw it I heard it, the snapping sound gave it away, had I known might not have noticed him turn around then I see him with the Mechanic's grip I know.

  Mike McDermott : Did you get into the office?

  Joey Knish : I tried to warn him but he looked right through me

  Mike McDermott : Alright I'll go get him

  Joey Knish : No, his ok now most of the players are at the tail end of a thirty six hour session they can't see straight, if his still there when Roman and Maurice start their game his going to wish he was still inside

  Mike McDermott : I'm going to go get him

• Mike McDermott : [leaning on the wall, talking on the sidewalk outside Teddy KBG's gambling club, in the middle of the night]  I lost everything I lost my case and I lost my tuition

  Joey Knish : [standing in front of him]  Happens to everyone, from time to time everyone goes bust, you'll be back in the game before you know it

  Mike McDermott : I'm done

  Joey Knish : They all say that at first, let me stake you, standard deal fifty percent of your winnings, if you lose it's on me

  Mike McDermott : I'd just throw it away you still got the truck?

  Joey Knish : Sure, come on

• Joey Knish : [walking up to their poker table with Mike playing with other rounders in the poker room at The Mirage]  This is what I like to see Mike McDermott where he belongs, sitting with the scum bags telling jokes dragging the occasional pot.

  Guberman : [sarcastically]  occasional? like my occasionally went out with other men

  Joey Knish : I was actually going to try to make some real money tonight but in Mike's honor return to the ring, I'll sit with you all for a while

  Petra : don't do us any favors, they're about to go to the boards to fill these seats

  Zagosh : you know if we wanted to take each other's "rolls" we could've just stayed home

• Joey Knish : [in the Russian and Turkish bathhouse, sees Mike with a broken nose]  you look like Duane Bobick, after one round with Norton, what the fuck happened to you?

  Mike McDermott : [Implying Worm got him beaten up]  Worm

  Joey Knish : When you gonna listen?

  Mike McDermott : I'm listening.