Rounders

In the restless streets of New York, the world of high‑stakes poker glitters like a secret promise beneath the city’s neon haze. Mike McDermott knows that allure all too well; he once lived by the feel of cards, the rush of reading an opponent’s eyes, and the bittersweet taste of a perfect hand. Yet after a crushing loss, he swears off the tables, turning his focus to law school and a future that feels steadier than the shuffle of a deck.

The pull of the past, however, is hard to ignore. Worm, a lifelong friend with a talent for cards of his own, reappears, tangled in a debt that threatens to drag both men back into the underground game they thought they’d escaped. The money is owed to a shadowy figure known only as Teddy “KGB”, a Russian presence whose reputation alone casts a chill over the smoky backrooms where the stakes are as dangerous as the hands dealt. This looming threat creates a tension that ripples through every conversation, making the choice between loyalty and self‑preservation feel like a gamble in itself.

Caught between the disciplined world of textbooks and the chaotic rhythm of the poker underworld, Mike finds his resolve tested by more than just cards. His girlfriend Jo, a fellow law student, represents the life he’s striving toward—ordered, ambitious, and grounded in a different kind of strategy. At the same time, Knish, a mentor from his gambling days, offers a pragmatic lifeline, reminding Mike that the line between survival and surrender is sometimes drawn in the margins of a bet.

The film settles into a moody, atmospheric tone, where the clink of chips and the murmur of whispered wagers echo the internal conflict of a man torn between two identities. As the city’s lights flicker and the stakes grow ever higher, Mike must navigate a delicate balance, weighing the promise of a stable future against the magnetic pull of a world that still calls his name.

Last Updated: August 10, 2025 at 13:02