Hey, Charlie!
Time to go home, Ace.
Already? This is really sudden.
I like the place.
Really shit.
...you do that.
Maybe I'll hit you up next weekend.
I got a good feeling about Green Bay.
Love to help you out, Joey.
But I'm out of the game.
Come on.
You gotta be shitting me, right?
No shit. I'm goin' clean.
Well, that's a fuckin' shame, if there ever was one.
Guess this is goodbye.
It is.
You take care of yourself, Charlie.
Good luck out there, eh.
I don't believe in luck.
I only believe in odds.
Yeah. I don't give a fuck what time he says!
Gimme--gimme 30,000 on the...
I was a bookie. Not only a good one.
I was the best in town. It was a sixth sense.
I could tell if a quarterback was comin' down with a cold,
just by looking at him in a press conference.
I could tell how injured a guy was after a hit,
just by the way he walked off the field.
And on any given Sunday, I knew the odds of one group
of meatheads clobberin' another group of meatheads.
And if I liked you, I'd give you those odds.
But if I didn't, I'd give you the exact opposite.
Charlie, give 'em 50,000 on the Ravens for Jimmy.
A'right, I got it, plus four. Don't worry about it.
I got you, I got you, I got you.
The only other guy I knew who was as good as me,
if not better, was Felix.
My partner and best friend.
Yo, I wanna put 30,000 on the
His parents moved here from Georgia,
without two pennies to rub together.
And he grew up knowin' what hard work was.
And he didn't want any part of it.
While we were takin' bets from high school kids
to state attorneys, we were also placing 'em.
- Fuck me! God fuckin' damnit! - Big ones.
Oh, my God, I can't fuckin' believe it!
There's nothin' like the anticipation.
That build-up, then boom!
Put your fucking hands in the air!
Then it was over.
They got us on a total Greek salad of charges.
From illegal gambling to drug possession,
unpaid parking tickets.
It was a mess.
But you know what they say: When one cell door closes,
another one opens.
Sports weren't our only bread and butter.
Me and Felix knew everything about gambling.
There was a bet to be made, we were right there to take it.
The thing about gambling is, you might win sometimes.
But if you stay at the table long enough...
Ohh!
...you'll always lose.
What's the word on the street, Charlie.
Are you battin' with that fat fuck meanie
from the fuckin' West Side?
Are you givin' him my fucking money? Are you, Charlie?
I was tryin' to win it back for you.
And when you see that little fuckin' prick Felix,
you tell him I want my fuckin' money.
I want my fuckin' money!
You understand me?
I want my fuckin' money!
What the fuck are they playin'? Crazy Eights?
I don't know what the fuck they're doin',
but I got 50 on fuckin' Jamal.
Felix got out a year before me.
-I'm gonna miss you. -Me too, buddy.
When I got out, I couldn't even play
the lottery without someone breathin' down my neck.
But Felix never forgot about me.
Let's go.
Yo, Regina.
Charlie fucking Cons! You're out.
Yeah, it's about fuckin' time, right?
About fucking time!
You look good, Regina.
Thanks.
To time.
Here's to not wastin' any more of it.
Yo, Felix, uh, wrote me a letter.
He said he dropped off a package here for me.
Yeah. Holy shit, yeah.
He dropped it off months ago.
I completely forgot. A moment.
Bingo.
Good to see you, Charlie.
Good to see you, Regina.
- Yeah? - Yeah?
That's how you answer the phone, you piece of shit?
Don't have caller ID over there?
I knew it was you, you fucking hard-on!
Great to hear your voice, buddy.
-So, you got my package, right? -Yeah, I got it.
I'm in fuckin' Georgia. The Homeland.
Charlie, listen. Get your fuckin' passport
and get your ass down here. A-S-A-P.
They don't know nothing about fuckin' football here.
Yeah, I'm comin'.
But I gotta ask,
what the fuck are we gonna do in Georgia?
Make fuckin' money, baby!
I was on the next plane out.
In a year, Felix had turned a shitstained
Georgian basement into Atlantic City.
Well, maybe Reno.
But with my help, he wanted to turn it into Vegas.
-What do you think? -How'd you do all this?
What do you mean, how'd I fuckin' do it?
I made a few phone calls, I killed a few people.
Seriously?
No, not seriously, fuckin' idiot!
I used the money.
What money?
The fuckin' money!
-The fan? -Yeah, the fuckin' fan!
Every weekend, we'd put away a few bucks
into somethin' we called "the fan fund."
The idea being, if the shit hit the fan,
we'd be covered.
We didn't trust banks,
so I took it to a place that was a hundred times safer.
My mom's.
We're doin' great. Business every fuckin' day.
That's why I brought you here.
-Come. Come, come, come. -What?
I'm taking care of a lot of people,
but it's fuckin' cool, right?
Our own fuckin' casino. And we don't have to deal
with the fuckin' bullshit from back home.
Well, bullshit'll come. Trust me.
Yeah, but it's our own fuckin' casino!
But this--
it's an underground, illegal casino.
Obviously! We've never done anything
that's fuckin' legal in our life.
That's true.
Charlie, don't worry about it.
I got it all fuckin' covered.
Yeah, it's pretty great.
We'll have to get permits or somethin'.
Pay off the chief of police.
No, we're not paying anybody off.
Are you fuckin' nuts? I'm taking care of a few people.
Let me handle all that shit, all right? Listen.
Let's go inside and make some fuckin' money, huh?
Let's make some fuckin' money!
I love you, buddy.
-Love you, buddy. -Go.
What Felix managed to put together in a year
was nothin' short of unbelievable.
He was friends with everybody.
Whatever they wanted, drinks, girls.
Felix made everyone feel like they were VIPs.
This is Charlie, my new partner!
And my focus was always on the tables.
It's all fun and games on the outside,
but there's a lot of money on these tables.
We have to keep everyone smiling while we take it.
And make sure they keep comin' back for more.
When we were runnin' the sport books,
the philosophy was, "You win some, you lose more."
No matter if someone hit it big one week,
they'd always end up losin' a lot more the next.
That old Kenny Rogers song was no joke.
You really had to know when to hold 'em
and know when to fuckin' fold 'em.
If someone's on a winning streak,
it's customary to switch out the dealer.
In order to keep the winning streak in check
and kill it altogether.
You take a card from the shoe, and you burn it.
Changes the whole deck.
Some games made it feel like the odds are in your favor.
If your number hadn't come up yet,
it's sure to come up eventually, right?
Wrong. It's called the "house advantage."
Keep 'em playin' long enough, the house always wins.
Let me see your passport.
Some guys asked for markers,
a house loan to keep 'em playin'
and give 'em a chance to win their money back.
Good for another 20.
I appreciate it. I really do.
Don't fuck this up.
But the markers didn't come without a price.
Listen, I'm gonna take your car.
You owe us money.
Get us our money back, you get your car back.
Got it?
Let's go.
The house always wins.
Breakfast of champions.
I need a fuckin' drink.
-What is that? -This guy's a convicted cheat.
We can't have him dealin' blackjack.
- Franco? - Yeah.
Franco's a good fuckin' guy.
We can't have him dealin'.
Charlie, I can't just fuckin' fire the guy.
Well, have him walk around the floor,
keep an eye on the tables,
see if he sees anything funny goin' on.
All right.
We need more dealers.
We need to make more switches.
Sonia Poriz...
Porizkova.
Uh, you're Russian?
Is that a problem?
Why would that be a problem?
How'd you hear about us?
My friend is one of your, uh, girls.
And that job doesn't interest you?
You wanna be a dealer?
I'm not like my friend.
Listen, I don't judge.
We just hire 'em to keep the VIPs company.
If somethin' happens outside the casino,
we don't wanna know about it. We don't take a cut.
Not judging.
Still not interested?
You ever, uh, dealt in a casino before?
I've dealt cards, but never in a casino.
I worked private games.
Private games? That's big money.
You're not gonna see that kind of money,
on your side of the table at least.
I gotta ask.
Why don't you still work there?
I got caught.
How are you still breathin'?
I paid another way.
Deal.
Sure.
Do you wanna win, or do you wanna lose?
I only wanna win.
When can you start?
Don't you wanna see the cards?
I've seen enough.
Come back tonight. We'll have a uniform for you,
and you'll have to put your hair up.
My hair?
Yeah, you show up in a dress like that,
no one's gonna be lookin' at the cards.
Got it.
And I will.
See you?
Give him the other card. Give him.
Aw, fuck.
You should probably hit.
Charlie, Charlie! Come here, come here.
Guys, this is my partner Charlie.
-Charlie, this is-- -Victor.
Victor Kovalev.
Nice to meet you, Victor.
I have heard a lot about you, Charlie.
Well, I hope it was good.
This is my head of security, Oleg
Oleg, shake the man's hand.
Havin' a good time?
The best time!
Good time.
Heh!
Victor was actually telling me
that he's thinking about opening his own casino.
Really?
Some friendly competition.
It's good for business.
-Yes? -Yeah.
Great for business.
Well, uh, hope you enjoy the rest of your night.
Uh, Felix, can I have a word with you?
Yeah, yeah. I'll be right back.
Make sure he wins this hand.
Who the fuck is that?
He's a friend of mine, Victor.
Friend of mine, Victor.
Well, who the fuck's Victor?
He's a friend of mine. What's the problem, Charlie?
My ma used to tell me, uh, "Show me who your friends are,
-I'll show you who you are." -Is there an issue here?
It's just, next time I ask you who someone is, find out.
Find out who the fuck they are!
I got it. It's all good.
Come, let's go back.
-How did you do? -Ah, good.
How are you doing?
No, no, no, no. No.
I said stay, not hit.
-Give it back! Now. -You said hit.
You didn't listen to me! I said stay!
I'm gonna need you to relax.
No, no, no, no, no! You don't listen to me!
-She didn't listen to me! -Calm down. Please calm down.
-What's seems to be the problem? -I said--
sir, I don't want any trouble here.
I just want my money back.
What happened?
He hit when he should've stayed.
-I didn't hit! -Calm down, sir.
-Yes, you hit. -I said stay!
- Calm down, sir. - Sir! I said stay.
How much did he lose?
All of it.
We're gonna get you home safe.
- Here you go. Take the money! - Take the money.
Get up!
Let's go. Let's go!
Good night.
Let's go. Come on!
Let's go.
You look beautiful in that dress,
but why aren't you wearing your uniform?
Hey, you're lucky I put my hair up.
In situations like this,
when all eyes are on you,
you have to come out as a good guy.
What happened?
He lost.
-Everything? -All of it.
Good. Fuck him. I can't stand that fuckin' guy.
Give me just one more.
But in the dark, away from any eyes...
One more hand and I will go home.
No more hands. No more hands!
Sometimes you gotta be the bad guy.
Hey, buddy, what's your name?
Patrick.
Listen, I'm gonna ask you this one time.
And I want a straight answer.
Did you hit or did you stay?
All right. You're welcome back here any time,
if you bring money.
You hear me?
If you bring any more of this bullshit,
we'll be sayin' a different kind of goodbye out here. Got it?
Go.
Hey. You all right?
I'm fine.
Give me my marker.
We have another problem.
What? Of course we do.
Give me my marker.
Give me my marker!
Give me my marker.
Charlie! Very good!
Please, tell this person to give me my marker.
Why would I do that?
Felix promised me a marker.
Well, Felix isn't here.
Charlie, I have treated you very well.
I have been very nice guy!
Felix promised me a marker.
So, please give me my marker.
I don't know what Felix promised you,
but all you're gonna get is the fuck outta here.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!
Whoa, whoa, whoa! Whoa, what's goin' on?
What's goin' on?
Shhh. Please, please.
-What happened? -Your friend was just leavin'.
-Victor... -I have just started.
Victor, please, please.
Out of respect for me. I've always been good to you.
Please. Okay? He's my best friend.
Please leave for me, okay?
-Talk to your partner. -I will.
Before he makes a very big mistake.
No, I know. I know.
I got it. Please. I got it! I got it. Please.
Hey! C'mon. C'mon. C'mon.
Please.
-What the fuck was that? -What the fuck is that?
Okay, listen.
-Okay, he's not my friend. Okay? -Yeah?
But you don't wanna know who these people are. Trust me.
-He's Russian mob, you mean. -Charlie--yes.
-So, they're Russian mob. -Do you pay protection?
I do pay protection. But listen.
It was not easy getting this fuckin' place off the ground, Charlie.
Everything's fine. I'll take care of it.
Okay? I'm sorry.
Do me a favor, don't introduce me
to any more of your friends.
Okay. I got it.
Sorry about that.
Okay? Sorry about that.
I was ready to let the whole thing go.
But it was too late.
The word on the street was Victor's dad Dimitri
was 10 times worse than him.
As soon as word made it to daddy's ears,
Dimitri decided to grace
-our fine establishment... -Dimitri!
...with his presence.
- How are you, sir? - Good.
Your table is ready, right over here.
I-I got your money on the table already.
Thank you. Your partner is here?
Victor, how are you? Yeah, uh, Charlie?
-Yup. -Yeah, he's here.
Go get him.
-You want me to get him here? -Now.
Okay. Okay.
That's Dimitri.
He wants to see you.
The games begin.
Uh, Dimitri, this is my partner, Charlie.
Mr. Kovalev, it's an honor to meet you.
Please, call me Dimitri.
My son tells me you have a very good operation going on here.
Making a lot of money.
Well, this is an opportunity for you to make more.
Oh. Is that what this is?
Now, you see Georgia is not Brooklyn, Mr. Cons.
Georgia is my city.
You cannot open a bakery without paying me my protection.
Sounds a lot like Brooklyn!
And you and your friend... you're tourists.
But you have good vodka.
Nostrovia!
Mm!
Listen. This place may not be Brooklyn,
but where I'm from, guys like you
and your son are a dime a dozen.
I know how good my vodka is
'cause I know how good my business is.
And that's exactly what this is.
-My business. -Charlie.
Well, our business.
We've been paying for your protection,
and we'll continue to pay for your protection.
But, uh, I ever see your son in this place again,
he's the one that's gonna need protection!
And I'm not talkin' Barry White boy over here!
- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! - Easy, easy. Sit down.
Sit down.
Mr. Dimitri, I apologize.
Sometimes Charlie gets a little hot headed.
Doesn't mean what he's saying. It's fine.
I think now we go for double.
- Double? Yeah, no problem! - You pay double now.
- We'll pay double. - This is good.
I will forgive you this time, Charlie.
You're new here.
I give you time to adjust to our customs.
You know, it's different from Brooklyn.
If you ever disrespect me again,
Charlie, what you will pay
will not be not with money.
Double.
The fuck are you doing?
-What? The fuckin' money? -Are you fucking crazy?
Can't let these guys push you around. That's it!
Charlie, you don't know who the fuck you're dealing with.
They'll fucking burn the casino down!
I don't care!
After I spent time in the joint,
I got no fucks to give!
Listen. You're the only thing that matters to me.
You, my mom, and this casino!
Charlie, Charlie...
You can't let 'em push you around.
You gotta show 'em strength.
I don't care if they fuckin' kill me, Felix.
I honestly don't.
Need a fuckin' drink.
With the Russians on our asses,
we took a big hit every month
that needed to be replaced.
So, these old dogs went back to their old tricks.
We opened the books.
While the casino was pullin' its weight,
me and Felix were pullin' in ridiculous numbers
on everything from football to cricket.
Oooooh!
You watch enough games of anything,
and you start to see the sway of the momentum.
You can almost fool yourself into believing
there's a pattern to everything.
And that's a dangerous place to be.
-What the fuck am I looking at? -One, US two.
Uh, it's cricket.
It's one of the most popular games in the world.
Do you know how many people are in India?
-Cricket? -Cricket, man.
I'm tellin' you, don't sleep on cricket.
That's all we got goin' here?
Yeah. I think there's gonna be a huge upset. You do?
All right. I'm in.
What do you think?
I don't know.
Okay.
All right. I'm gonna go give this to Joey.
All right, buddy.
Whoa! Did you see that?
- What, what, what, what? - Did you see that?
Whoa. Did you see this?
Come here, come here! C'mere, c'mere, c'mere, c'mere!
What, what, what, what, what, what?
- Did you see... - Did we win, did we win?
Uh, well, I haven't-- the game's not over,
but we're on the way.
-Then why the fucking tell--? -Yeah, did you see that?
Did you see that catch?
Charlie, shut the fuck up!
It was like taking money from a baby.
Hey, can I walk you home?
I'm not going home.
Well, where are you goin'?
To a game.
Okay, well, can I walk you to the game?
No.
Why not?
Because I'm not walking there.
Well, good. I've got some money for you.
Okay, great.
Are you sure this is the place?
Yeah. You're coming?
Let's go.
Cynthia ran these underground poker games
every week with lots of cash and very little trouble.
There was a rumor that she was a vampire,
because nobody ever saw her during the day.
Some say she was a gypsy.
I don't know what she was,
but I do know she was a pro.
You bring date tonight?
He's just a friend, Cynthia.
-Friend? -Mm-hmm.
No play?
Hey, you playing?
Uh, no. I don't play.
He no play.
Charlie, got my money?
Yeah.
Raise.
Six hundred.
The betting, the stakes,
the whole energy of the room put me in a trance.
I am all in.
How much was it?
Four hundred.
I'm all in.
Sonia was a natural.
One more kill.
You're incredible.
You have no idea.
Been a long time since I've done that.
What's the expression?
Like riding a bicycle, right?
I didn't mean the sex.
I meant being on the other side of the table.
What'd you think of it?
It's dangerous.
I meant the sex.
That too.
I need to go to bed.
Alone.
Okay, I get it.
Goodnight.
Is everything, all right, okay?
Yeah, I'm good.-
Take it, it's yours.
Let me get another drink, please.
-Hey. -Hey, Charlie.
This is my friend Mila.
Hi. Nice to meet you, Charlie.
Mila was just leaving.
Mila.
Who the hell is that?
Just a girl. You know.
No, I don't know.
Don't worry about it. I got it.
That usually means I got somethin' to worry about.
Where you goin'?
What'd I tell you, Victor?
Huh?
Charlie. How you doin'?
What'd I tell you and your father?
You can't come in my casino anymore!
You tell me not to go inside!
I'm not inside.
Well, what's she doin' in there?
Just a little side business. Little. Very little.
Tiny actually.
You know what's this?
Felix will tell you.
Goodnight, Charlie.
Goodnight.
I love you too, Charlie!
Are you outta your fuckin' mind?
Take it easy! What happened?
What's goin' on with you, Felix?
And don't you fuckin' tell me,
"Don't worry about it!"
Charlie, calm the fuck down, okay?
Listen. Some people want more than
fuckin' drinks and company, all right?
Are you selling drugs with Victor in our casino?
It's not drugs! Calm down!
Are you selling drugs with Victor in our casino?
It's a yes or no question.
First of all, it's my fucking casino.
And second of all, fuck you
and that fucking high horse you came riding on!
What's going on with you, Felix?
I'm fucking perfect!
You called me here. Remember?
You called me here!
Partners. Those were your words.
Now we got Russian mobsters bustin' my balls.
We're not pimps! We're not drug dealers!
We're not cheats.
This casino can handle anything.
But not if we're not on the same page.
You know what? Fuck you!
I'm sick and tired of you fuckin' tellin' me
that I'm always fuckin' wrong!
Look at how much fuckin' money you're making!
Look at this fuckin' suit!
-Fuck you! Fuck you! -It's not about money.
Charlie...
Here you go.
Thank you.
Hey. If you wanna be big in this city,
there will always be someone who will remind you
just how small you really are.
I asked for your advice once,
you don't have to keep givin' it.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- Yeah? - Hello.
- What do you want? - I have Felix.
-What happened, Char-- -Where's Felix?
Charlie? Charlie!
Where is he?
It's time for you to stop talking and listen.
My father is a very traditional man.
A very simple man.
A very demanding man.
But has no vision.
I, on the other hand,
have nothing but vision.
I'll be taking my father's place very soon.
All his operation,
all his power.
I'm going to say carefully,
that I don't stutter.
The casino is mine.
And so are you!
You're crazy.
Oleg?
Felix, no!
No, no, no.
Get him out!
He's alive, he's alive.
C'mon, Felix.
You okay?
I'm gonna kill these motherfuckers.
We're not fuckin' killers, Charlie.
Felix! Hah!
Gonna get you to the hospital.
No, no hospital.
C'mon, you can barely stand.
Think we should just fuckin' go.
Look what they did to my fuckin' face.
No, no, we're not quittin'.
Okay.
Let's get you home.
What happened?
-I can't right now. -Charlie!
Hey. If you enjoy breathing,
I would probably take the deal.
Make nice with the Russians, show them that you're reasonable
until you can figure out a way to show them that you're not.
Felix is gonna be away for a while.
I'd like you to help me run the casino until he returns.
If that sounds like fun.
It sounds terrible.
If Victor and his people are gonna be walkin' all over us,
I need someone who can hold their own.
Okay.
But one condition.
I'm wearing my hair down.
Deal.
It didn't take long for them to move in.
I had to do somethin' to get my head straight.
There was only one thing that I could think of.
I had to go see that vampire.
Be right back.
Where is my shot? Aah!
-To casino! -To casino.
Ah.
Listen, I'm gonna take off early, all right?
Everything okay?
Yeah, I just need a little time to myself.
Okay. See you tomorrow?
See you tomorrow.
But none of these assholes.
I needed a win. Badly.
This was the only way I could get it.
Hey, Cynthia.
Hmm. Hello, Charlie.
Hmm. No Sonia tonight?
No Sonia.
Hmm.
You play?
I play.
Here.
Give him his chip.
Thank you.
There is one rule here, hmm?
You play, you stay. No refund.
You lose or you win, there is not second place.
I never lose.
Hmm.
I trust you!
Not on your life.
-Good luck! -Thank you.
The push, the pull. The highs, the lows.
The sound of the chips. I was back.
All right, let's see what you got.
The American is here.
Looks like that's mine.
Lady Love.
800.
I'm all in.
King of Hearts.
Huh? What are the chances?
Good. Leave us.
Do you know who I am?
I knew exactly who he was.
Peter Gasu was one of the most successful
casino owners in Georgia.
If you dug a little deeper, though,
he was as dirty as they came.
But his casinos were so clean they squeaked.
I'm a big fan.
I'm going to take that as a yes.
Well, I also know who you are,
so we can skip the introductions.
Are you gonna kill me?
Kill you?
Oh, maybe you just think you know who I am then?
No.
No one is dying today.
Then what do you want?
Illegal gambling establishments
have no place in my city.
If there is any bet to be made, big or small,
it must be under my roof.
What if they like my roof better than they like your roof?
Oh.
The poker game you attended earlier,
the people that ran it,
they also made jokes.
I don't like jokes.
Noted.
I'll give you two weeks to get your affairs in order
and leave my city.
And if I don't?
Then I'll tell you a joke.
But you won't like the punch line.
Say what you will about his methods,
but this man sure knew how to run a casino.
Yeah.
Hey.
Hey. Feeling better?
Uh, do you know Peter Gasu?
Who doesn't?
Well, we're officially on his radar.
If we weren't fucked before, we are now.
Hey. Gasu is a businessman, he's not a gangster.
I'm not sure he knows that.
Woo-hooo! Yeah!
Felix!
There he is! There he is.
Aw, how you feelin'?
Better than I look. I'm coming down.
You gotta lock your door!
Unless you want another visit from the Russians.
Ready to get back to work?
Yeah, I need a few more days.
We don't have a few days, we have two weeks.
-Why, what's goin' on? -Where'd you bring me?
I got Russian mobsters on one ball
and Peter Gasu on the other.
Who the fuck is Peter Gasu?
Amazing!
The only person in Georgia you don't know.
Charlie, calm the fuck down. Have a fuckin' drink!
You're gonna have a fuckin' heart attack!
Calm down, lemme get dressed!
I'm gonna have a heart attack,
if you keep tellin' me to calm down!
Charlie! Calm down, we got this!
I'll be right back.
You need to get laid, Charlie!
I don't need to get laid.
- Hey. - We got a problem.
Of course we do. Where is he?
Your office.
-The office now? -Yeah.
Dimitri.
Make yourself comfortable.
You came alone? I'm insulted.
I like you, Charlie. Very much.
You have spirit.
It will be a challenge to break, and I love challenges.
Now, explain please.
What's this?
Oh, that. That's, uh, none of your business.
Well, that's what we have to discuss.
-Business? -Oh, you want your chair back?
I'm good.
Felix?
Felix.
I was told Victor paid you a visit.
Tsk-tsk-tsk.
Yeah.
Showed me some of that Russian love.
I apologize for my son's behavior.
He takes his aggression after his mother,
God rest her so--
Wait. You two know each other?
I didn't recognize you with your clothes on.
Go to Hell, Dimitri.
What do you want, Dimitri?
The more I hang out with you, the more I miss Victor.
Talkin' about Victor.
Now you see,
Victor wants to take over my business.
My own son wants to see me rotting in a grave,
so he can dance all over it.
We got more in common than I thought.
What I'm about to tell you does not leave this room.
The only way it will is on dead lips.
Understood?
You can nod with your head.
-Do you understand? -We understand.
Okay.
My men...
are shifting their loyalties over to Victor.
As a result, other organizations will begin doing the same.
I cannot show weakness.
I must show them that
this is my city!
And I will do whatever it takes
to make sure it stays that way.
Capisce?
How are you gonna do that?
I cannot trust my men to carry out what I am planning.
I need you to kill Victor.
Uh, listen, Dimitri.
It seems like you're dealing with a lot,
but we're not the guys for the job.
But I'm gonna take over the casino.
We're not killers, Dimitri.
But you have to understand.
With Victor gone,
I will cement my presence amongst my sons,
among my people, among my rivals.
You both will work for me.
Just, you know.
With all due respect, Dimitri, we gotta talk about this.
Enough talk!
You have three days.
Dimitri. Dimitri!
The fuck are we gonna do now?
Just relax.
Don't worry!
This is not fuckin' time to fuckin' play games, Charlie.
The fuck are we gonna do?!
I don't know.
We'll, uh, get a drink
and think about it.
I'm gonna call Joey.
Sonia!
I'll be right back.
Hey.
When were you gonna tell me?
I wasn't.
You think that's a important detail to leave out?!
What's the difference?
What else haven't you told me?
Come on, Charlie.
You're being dramatic.
Oh. I'm being dramatic?!
-Yeah. -You've been friends
with the Russian mob this whole time,
the Russian mob that's tryin' to take my casino,
the Russian mob that's tryin' to kill me!
-And I'm being dramatic. -Hey!
I'm not friends with them!
They're the ones who assured I needed a cane
for the rest of my life in order to walk two steps!
So yeah, you're being dramatic!
I put you in charge.
I trusted you.
Does this really change things?
It changes everything!
So, now what?
I don't know, uh, Felix is back, so.
Oh.
So you don't need me anymore.
Okay.
Do you wanna know why I didn't tell you?
It's because I didn't trust you.
That's why.
Goodbye, Charlie.
You think maybe you're a little too hard on her?
I gotta be hard on someone.
Yeah, but...
if she really knows these people like she says she does,
then she can probably be an asset. You know?
Help us deal with these people, you know?
Explain to us what we need to do.
Maybe you go get her.
-Go. -Fuck.
-Sonia. -Fuck off.
- Sonia. - What?!
Listen. I'm lost.
I don't know-- I don't know what I'm doing.
Please. I need your help.
Always need my help.
Yeah.
You want my advice?
I say, get them in a room together
and have them turn on each other.
What happened?
We need to plan a party.
What are we celebrating?
New Russian partners.
We got new Russian partners? Wow.
Get to the office, all right?
For the most part, nothin' changed at the casino.
Our clientele came to us for hospitality.
They felt important here.
Like they were somebodies.
So, they kept comin' back.
But Victor brought in his own clientele.
Mostly scumbags who came here to feel the same thing.
Place was gonna be crawlin' with those cockroaches soon.
It was only a matter of time.
- Hello? - We need to talk.
We sure do.
A not so little birdie has brought to my attention
that you're in bed with Dimitri and his son.
They're not partners.
What are they then?
They're bullies.
I figured you could appreciate the difference.
You've got two days, Charlie.
Two days to get your affairs in order and leave my city.
You can relay that message to Dimitri as well.
And please, don't try anything stupid.
I've got all of the authorities in my pocket.
I wouldn't dream of insulting your intelligence, Peter.
Good.
What? What's goin' on, what's goin' on?
Everything, Felix. Everything's goin' on.
Victor's running amok outta this fuckin' place.
-We lost two regulars already. -Doesn't matter anyway.
This place is gonna be ashes in two days.
Is there anything we can do, you think?
We can drink!
Nobody wants us here.
Maybe move back to Brooklyn, get a regular job?
What do you think?
Rather lock myself in the office
and go down with the ship.
Yeah, you're right.
Victor wants a word.
-Now? -Yep.
"Sabotage." That's a good word!
-We'll be right there. -All right.
Let's go see what he wants.
Gentlemen!
Do you want to drink something?
Maybe something from the menu?
Nah, we're good.
Do you know who Peter Gasu is?
Yeah, a casino owner. Of course.
A wolf! In a sheep's clothing.
Well, what does this have to do with us?
I just want you invite him to a party.
Uh, well, I don't think that's a good idea.
-Yeah. -Peter Gasu's a public figure.
Somethin' happens to him, people are gonna notice.
It'll take the cops all of three minutes
to figure it out and come knockin' on your door.
Hey.
I just want to talk with him.
Right.
Get it done.
Everybody wanted a piece of us.
And it wasn't because of our dazzling personalities
and prime real estate.
They coulda just put a bullet in our head
and taken the fuckin' casino.
But the sports booking was bringin' in
more than $50,000 a week, steady.
The phones in New York were ringin' off the hook,
not to mention LA and Miami.
Killin' us would turn too many heads
and risk dryin' up the well for good.
-They're late. -They'll show.
What? We just tell him? That's it?
That's it.
-And then what? -Then, hopefully,
they'll go at each other's throats,
with all their family bullshit.
And we'll get a second to breathe.
Then what do we do?
Then we deal with the Georgian.
What's the plan with that?
I'm workin' on it.
So, no plan. Nice.
-Here we go. -I thought it was a party?
Ha! Why the long faces?
Awww, you don't have to say goodbye to the casino, guys.
Just say hello to the new boss.
I will take a good care of her.
Let's party!
Well, we're still waitin' for one more.
Yeah?
For new beginnings!
- Nostrovia! - Nostrovia.
Surprise! Now it's a party.
What's this?
It's an intervention.
Don't be scared.
I've had two of 'em.
Please.
So, I thought, since
we're all gonna be spendin' a lot more time together,
you two could bury the hatchet.
You know, patch things up?
There's nothing to patch up.
Really?
Victor, maybe you wanna start?
This party is over.
Okay. I'll start. Dimitri.
Victor doesn't only want my business.
He wants your business too.
He's fucking with us.
Yes, but is this true?
Maybe.
I have some ideas, to expand.
And these ideas, do they involve me?
You live in past, Father.
Old school in the New World.
My ideas is for the future.
You can join them.
With me.
But not as boss.
Bravo.
Truth finally.
Incredible.
This is good, guys.
This is--this is growth.
Uh, Dimitri, maybe you wanna share your ideas with Victor.
You made your point, Charlie.
This changes nothing.
My son and I will settle down our business in private.
But still, we are taking your casino.
What ideas you talking about?
You were right, Vitka.
He is fucking with us.
Victor, uh, your dad doesn't want you runnin' the business.
It's not only that.
He doesn't want you breathing.
Holy shit.
I want the truth.
-Now. -They don't belong to our world.
Did you give the order?
Papa, did you give the order?
What the fuck?
Papa. Papa!
Papa.
Well, he's dead.
Take him to the car.
What have you think is gonna happen?
I don't know.
Exchange of words, maybe a hug.
Not an exchange bullets?
No. I didn't. But you--
were both pushin' us!
We're just tryin' to buy some time.
Time is something you cannot buy, Charlie.
Yeah.
Ah!
Let's go.
Victor, where are you taking us?
Don't talk.
Look, we're just gonna go back to New York. Please.
You want to go home?
Yeah.
I'll take you home.
My mother...
hated my father.
She would tell me stories about him
when I was a child that I never believed.
So, I thought: she just saying things to hurt him.
To turn me against him!
Papachka!
Papa!
As I got older,
I found out that the stories were all true.
You...
work for me now.
You need more time?
There is plenty of room out here...
for two more holes!
And you can have all the time in the world.
To the car, nyet?
I couldn't see straight.
I was missin' something.
I needed help, a different perspective.
It's open.
Victor killed his father.
-What? -Fuck it!
He deserved it, after what he did to you.
What would you do if you were me?
I would stay small.
Excuse me! Mr. Gasu?
-Uh, hi. -Come to say goodbye?
Actually, I wanted to invite you to a farewell party.
I don't like parties.
The Russians'll be there.
Okay. Come to my office.
Take a seat, Charlie.
The Russians wanna sit down.
Discuss terms.
You're their errand boy now?
They didn't give me much of a choice.
You can go tell the Russians
that the casino will burn, no matter who owns it.
They're not gonna like that.
I'm not expecting them to.
Well, the party is still gonna happen.
But I've got a proposition of my own.
I'm late for my meeting.
Just give me two minutes...
and you'll have a better understanding.
We can have a proper goodbye.
You have 60 seconds.
-He's coming. -Nice.
Thanks for comin'.
I think you should just walk away.
Too late.
Why did you listen to me?
Because you make sense.
If it fails, you're both dead men.
If we don't try, we're dead anyway.
Gonna miss you, Charlie.
Let's save the goodbyes, okay?
Unless it's a goodbye kiss.
Here.
- Hello. - Victor.
- You on your way? - Yes.
Good.
I've got good news for you.
- I will be there soon. - All right.
We'll see you soon.
Did you call him?
-Yeah. -Is he coming?
-Yeah. -Okay, good.
What did Sonia want?
She wanted to talk me out of it.
Smart girl.
Yeah.
Sometimes the smartest choices
are the ones that get you killed.
That makes no sense.
Well, what's smart? Givin' up?
It's not about giving up.
It's about breathing for a few more years.
And then what? Just let them win?
It's not about winning or losing.
It's about survival.
All right. Then go survive.
Go ahead.
No one's stoppin' you.
You can go.
Not that smart.
Neither am I.
There's somethin' I didn't tell you
about my conversation with Peter Gasu.
I don't like the sound of that, Charlie.
Ah. You're early.
Gentlemen!
I'm excited to hear your offer.
All right.
-Ahhh! -Well...
we want to offer you the casino.
And sell it to you, under two conditions.
Two conditions? I'm shocked.
One, you keep me and Felix
on the payroll but off the books.
Off the books?
Yeah. As if we never existed.
We don't want any part of your side hustles.
Just casino work. All right?
Off the books.
I have better idea.
What about...
I just fucking take the casino...
put you both...
in the hole next to my father
and you could be off the books permanently.
Well, that would just be stupid, Victor.
Y'know?
I mean, why would you do that? We got all this money
flowin' in from Los Angeles,
Miami, New York, Vegas...
and that would all dry up. It's just bad business.
I'll keep you around.
You make me laugh.
Funny guy, this guy.
Ah?
So, what's the second thing?
Like you asked, Peter Gasu is comin' here.
Tomorrow night.
Are you serious?
Yeah.
You should've started with that.
I wanted to surprise you.
Listen, I don't want any blood in Felix's casino, Victor.
This is my casino. Remember?
Yeah, yeah.
I'll see you tomorrow night.
See you tomorrow, boss!
Boss!
Come on.
So, what do you think?
I didn't have to use this, so...
that's good.
But I wanted to.
So, what didn't you tell me about the Gasu thing?
Sonia was right.
I shoulda just walked away.
But I needed to see her one more time.
If anyone knows how to handle these Slavic fucks, it's her.
Sonia.
Sonia?
Sonia! Sonia!
It's all right.
Sonia.
Made you some tea.
Thanks.
Careful, it's hot.
You okay?
I think the answer to that is obvious, no?
I don't--I don't wanna pry.
I'm in pain all the time.
If I don't take pills, the pain comes back.
I get it.
It's all right.
Look...
I wasn't trying to do anything, okay?
It was an accident.
I get it.
I'll let you get some sleep, okay?
Can you stay?
Sure.
This was it, game day.
I didn't like the odds, but I've been wrong before.
I was hoping that this was one of those times.
I'm gonna miss this place.
Yeah. Me too.
Uh, maybe someday you'll get your own office, buddy.
Yeah.
Actually, that makes it all worth it, right?
Fuck it.
We did what we can, right?
Here.
I'm gonna get dressed.
Be ready in 20 minutes.
Yes?
Get the car ready.
So weird when it's empty, huh?
You ready for this?
-No. You? -Nope.
Victor.
An empty casino, it's a bad sign.
Yeah, well, we couldn't have clients here,
in case you decide to show Peter
the same courtesy you showed your father.
Charlie, I'm hurt.
You think that little of me?
You're a dangerous man, Victor.
A real man. A strong man.
Yeah, c'mon. Sit down, relax.
Don't tell me "relax."
Some things are universal.
How 'bout a drink, all right?
I got a special bottle. From my own personal stash.
-Yeah? -The best!
It--it's in the...
Yeah. We'll get it.
We'll be right back, all right?
Come on, c'mon.
- Come on. - Okay.
We need to get him to that office.
How much time do we have?
Uh, 10 minutes.
Stay here.
Hey!
Where are you going?
Uh, get you the...
-special bottle. -The vodka.
You go...
you stay.
All right. Okay.
I'm thirsty. Go.
See you later.
We have much to discuss. Come on.
What time is he coming?
Uh, he should be here any minute now, actually.
He's late on purpose.
He's sending the message.
Uh...
You look tense, Charlie.
I'm just wondering where Felix is with that booze?
I could really use a drink right now.
I left him at the casino with Victor.
And his guys. All right, I'll call you.
I'll call you. Okay, I'm waiting outside.
Okay, bye.
You trust him?
Who, Felix?
With my life.
Good.
Very good.
Trust is very important.
Yeah.
You trust me?
Is that a trick question?
Answer it and find out.
Sure, I trust you.
You're smart. You're a visionary.
I was going to shoot you tonight.
You and your partner. Felix.
Well, your use of the past tense
is reassuring.
Trust is very important.
You didn't trust me?
No.
What about now?
You're still alive. So yes!
Glad you came to that decision
before you started drinking.
You trust Peter?
Is this another trick question?
No tricks.
You say yes,
I put the gun away.
You say no,
Peter will join my father tonight.
Yes, I trust Peter.
He's a money guy.
That's all he cares about.
You guys are gonna make a lot of money together.
-Okie dokie! Yeah! -Okay.
-I'm thirsty. -Yeah, you know what?
I got an incredible bottle in my office.
I can get that for you, all right?
-The best. -The best.
Go, go.
I'll be right back. Wait here, look.
So, what didn't you tell me about the Gasu thing?
-I made us a deal. -What kind of deal?
The first thing you gotta do
is get the money out of the safe.
You have 60 seconds.
Dimitri's dead.
- Victor killed him. - How do you know?
I was at the party.
And that's why he wants to throw a party for you.
Why are you telling me this?
You're as good as dead.
If I don't kill you, Victor will.
I'm out of time and out of options.
Victor's a lunatic gangster,
and you're a smart, I hope, businessman.
That's why I wanna make you a business proposal.
You have 30 more seconds.
We'll bring you all of our clients.
Every single one of 'em.
And these aren't tourists.
We're talkin' big money.
Repeat numbers.
What's in it for you?
Jobs.
You hire us, strictly legit.
And we work for you, doin' what we do best.
We're not gangsters, Peter.
We're gamblers.
You're proposing quite the gamble.
Yeah, well, what have I got to lose?
Charlie, Charlie! Come here!
Get in the car! Get in here, get in here!
-Did you get the money? -Yeah, I got the money!
Get in, get in, get in!
We did it, bro. We fucking got it.
-We did it. -Let's get outta here.
Get outta here.
We can start another fan fund!
It took us less than six months
to triple Peter's business.
We eventually became partners.
Felix always knew what people needed,
even before they did.
He became the head of hospitality.
Growin' up, I idolized
the biggest casino owners in Vegas.
Guys who made big moves
and had Vegas at their fingertips.
I woulda never imagined
that I'd be standin' in my own casino one day.
I definitely never thought I'd be workin'
with people I cared so much about.
What are the odds?
For a guy that doesn't believe in luck...
I was pretty fuckin' lucky.