Rounders was produced in 1998 as an American drama film about the underground world of high stakes poker. The Director was John Dahl and starred Matt Damion and Edward Norton.
It is about a gifted Poker player who becomes a compulsive gambler and gambles away his tuition money, law degree, girlfriend, and almost his entire life. His biggest dream was of winning the World Series of Poker.
The Main Story
The main story is about Mike Dermott ( Matt Damon ) and Lester Murphy aka Worm ( Edward Norton ) who need a large sum of money to pay for a debt that Worm racked up in Mike’s name. They believe the only way they can do this, is by winning a high stakes poker game.
On their travels, they encounter dangerous individuals in the Poker World’s seedy glamour that consists of exhausted players risking everything they own or can borrow to feed their obsessive behaviour.
Towards the end, Mike wins $60,000 in an underground poker game against dodgy characters. He was unsure whether they would let him walk away with his winnings, but there is honour among thieves, and they agreed he had won it fair and square.
The Ending
Mike settles Worm’s $15,000 debt and various other debts he had. He then drops out of law school and leaves New York for Las Vegas to finally play in the World Series of Poker.
Highlighted are the two contrasting personalities, Mike wants to win by playing a good Poker game whereas Worm wants to hustle, leading them into trouble. Rounders is not about losers. Based on Poker it depicts the talented hero winning after many disastrous losses, yet keeps getting back into the saddle to the point where he no longer has anything to lose, but everything to gain.
