21 Quotes

[Micky deals a deck of cards out to the team of kid card players]

Micky Rosa: What's the count?

Jill Taylor: Plus 9.

Micky Rosa: No.

Fisher: Plus 11.

Micky Rosa: No.

Kianna: Dude, I lost count 20 cards ago.

Micky Rosa: Don't call me dude.

Choi: [Micky points to Choi] Uh, plus 9?

Micky Rosa: You're just following Jill. People, please. We had a total of 76 cards that came out of the deck. Twenty-three were high cards with the value of minus one. Seventeen were neutral with no value at all, and the rest were low cards with the value of plus one. How could you lose the count?

Ben Campbell: [Ben speaks from the doorway] Plus 13. The count. It's plus 13.

Micky Rosa: [Micky smiles at Ben] Yes.

[Ben plays Blackjack his final time in disguise]

Ben Campbell: [Ben talks to the dealer] Winner, winner, chicken dinner! There it is. Thank you. God, I love this town. I love this game. And, Jim, I might even love you.

[Ben asks Micky why he's being asked to join the team of card players]

Ben Campbell: So, why are you telling me?

Micky Rosa: Well, let's just say a spot opened up on our roster.

Ben Campbell: How?

Micky Rosa: Jimmy got a job at Google.

Ben Campbell: Jim... Jimmy got a job at Google?

Micky Rosa: Yeah, it's catchy, I know.

Ben Campbell: Well, if you're making so much money at this, then why did he take it?

Micky Rosa: Ben, I said Google, not Sizzler.

[Cole Williams tells Ben the history him and Micky have in Las Vegas]

Cole Williams: Tell me, uh... how's uh... Good old professor Rosa doing, huh? Oh, yeah. Me and Micky, we go way back. I spent years, chased him all over this town. I gave him beat downs left and right, only to find him at the tables a week later. He was very persistent. And then, one September night, when I was in Barstow at my father's funeral, my casino was taken for seven figures. Can you imagine that? The most ever taken by a single counter in one night. 'Course I was, naturally, unceremoniously fired. Funny thing, though. I never saw Micky Rosa after that. Never.

[Ben tells Jill he can lead this team of card players]

Jill Taylor: What are you doing?

Ben Campbell: Well, we're printing money here. What, you think just 'cause Micky left we're gonna stop? No, I can do this. I can lead this team. You know, I'm not the same guy I was back in Boston.

Jill Taylor: Exactly.

Ben Campbell: Yeah, exactly. You know, isn't this exactly who you wanted me to be when you first came into the store to buy a tie?

[Micky see's Choi stealing from the casino room after arriving in Las Vegas]

Micky Rosa: Hey! You steal 'The Bible', you go to Hell. That's the way it works.

Choi: Like I'm not going already.

[Jill tells Ben at his place of work that he should join the team]

Jill Taylor: Ben, you should feel the thrill of winning more money than you can possibly imagine. I think you should come to Vegas. 'Cause I'm guessing that you could probably use a break from this place.

Ben Campbell: I can't. I'm sorry. I just can't.

Jill Taylor: Okay, if you change your mind, you know where we meet.

Ben Campbell: Okay.

Jill Taylor: You're welcome any time. You know, I think the best thing about Vegas is you can become anyone you want.

[Jill sits on Ben's lap at a dance club, as they both pretend to be their fake identities]

Jill Taylor: What line of work you in, mister?

Ben Campbell: I count things.

Jill Taylor: [Jill chuckles] My name's Sierra.

Ben Campbell: Hi, Sierra. I'm Salvadore Sanchez.

Jill Taylor: [Jill whispers in Ben's ear] Would you like a private dance, Salvadore?

Ben Campbell: Well, that all depends how much it's gonna run me, Sierra.

Jill Taylor: 20 a song, 30-song minimum.

Ben Campbell: Sounds expensive.

[Ben and Jill kiss for the first time]

[Ben sits down to play the table limit in the casino]

Ben Campbell: [Ben asks the gambler beside him about the female dealer] How's she doing?

Philosophical Gambler: Oh, that doesn't matter, man. The way I see it, yesterday's history, tomorrow's a mystery. It's all what you do in the moment, baby.

[Jill wakes up Ben by opening the curtains to his hotel room]

Jill Taylor: [Ben opens his eyes] Nice undies.

[Jill wakes up Ben on the plane after landing back in Boston]

Ben Campbell: I seem to keep waking up to you.

Jill Taylor: Don't get used to it.

[Micky gets on Fisher's back after Fisher gets jealous of Ben's winnings]

Fisher: Beginner's luck.

Micky Rosa: Hey, Fisher. Win like a man, lose like a man.

Fisher: Micky, I didn't play into a cold deck three times.

Micky Rosa: You know what's worse than a loser? Someone who won't admit he played it wrong.

[Micky talks to Ben privately about being the next big player on his team]

Micky Rosa: Fisher and Jimmy have always been the big players. I want you to take Jimmy's place.

Ben Campbell: I've never done this.

Micky Rosa: I know that and I understand. But I don't trust the girls, and Choi is, well, Choi.

[Cole Williams confronts Micky for the first time again]

Ben Campbell: [narrating, when we see Micky tied up in the basement of the casino] I had a 1590 on my SAT. I got a 44 on my MCATs. And I have a 4.0 GPA from MIT. I thought I had my life mapped out. But then I remembered what my Nonlinear Equations professor once told me, always account for variable change.

Cole Williams: [Cole Williams walks out of the shadows] Hello, Micky.

Micky Rosa: Look, I got money in Boston. A hundred grand. I'll give it to you. If you just let me walk away. I'll walk away.

Cole Williams: I don't want your money, Micky. I don't need it. But I know someone who might be interested. He's good with numbers, too. He works for the IRS.

[last lines]

Ben Campbell: [narrating, Ben see's all of his friends gambling in Vegas] I let down my good friends. But as it turns out, they weren't too bad at simple math either.

Ben Campbell: [narrating, Jill and Ben make out in the school library] I scored the prettiest girl in school.

Ben Campbell: [narrating, Cole lays on a beach with a cocktail in his hand] I got beaten down by an old-school Vegas thug who was having trouble accepting his retirement. But I worked out a deal with him that got him a nice pension.

Ben Campbell: [narrating, Ben introduces his mother to Jill] And I lied to my mother. But I confessed the lie. And, well, she still loved me.

Ben Campbell: [narrating, Ben walks into school to get his scholarship] So my senior year of college, I joined this team. And I learned this new skill. I went to Vegas 17 times to use it. I made hundreds of thousands of dollars counting cards.

Ben Campbell: [Ben sits across from the professor] And then I had it all stolen from me. Twice. How's that for a life experience, professor? Did I dazzle you? Did I jump off the page?

[Micky yells at Ben for losing $200,000]

Ben Campbell: Hey, I let you down, all right. I get it.

Micky Rosa: Excuse me? You let me down? I don't care! Let me make one thing clear to you, I am not your father! You are not my friend. This is a business. You were only good to me as the money you make, and, right now it's not worth a hell of a whole lot!

[Ben talks to Miles about the cost of having to go to school being expensive]

Ben Campbell: You know, tuition fees and living expenses alone cost over $300,000. $300,000.

Miles Connoly: It's outrageous. It's astronomically high. I get it.

Ben Campbell: You know, I just thought there was more to life than just money.

Miles Connoly: Well, look at the bright side, I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance.

[Cole Williams punches a card gambler in the dark basement of the casino]

Cole Williams: You think you can beat the system.

Cole Williams: [Cole holds up his fist] This is the system, beating you back!

Cole Williams: [Cole punches the Gambler's chest] You wanna count cards, you do it in Atlantic City. Get him up.

Terry: [Terry lifts up the kid] Come on, kid.

Cole Williams: Count to five. Count to five!

Gambler: [the gambler stammers] What... What?

Cole Williams: Count to five so I know you don't have brain damage, you can go home.

Terry: [Terry growls into the gambler's ear] Start with one.

Gambler: One, two, three, four, five.

Cole Williams: Good. Now, stop counting!

[Ben arrives to the Las Vegas casino for the first time, as Ben trips on a set of stairs when looking at two attractive women walk towards him]

Choi: Hey, Ben. Basic strategy says you should hit that.

[Ben talks to himself in the mirror when he quotes his favorite winning line]

Ben Campbell: Oh, there it is! Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

Choi: [Ben takes off his glasses and stops his little dance as Choi laughs behind him with his phone up] No, please, keep going. This video's priceless.

[Ben is quizzed on knowing the count's exact word to each card number]

Fisher: Plus 16.

Ben Campbell: Sweet.

Fisher: Use it in a sentence.

Ben Campbell: [Ben nervously responds] Man, that sugar's sweet.

[the rest of the team laughs]

[Micky realizes he's set up by Ben when he finds the chocolate cent in the bag]

Cole Williams: [in a flashback] I never saw Micky Rosa after that.

Cole Williams: [Cole stops his punch in front of Ben's face] But I think I wanna see him now. And I want you to make that happen.

Ben Campbell: I don't work for Micky anymore.

Cole Williams: [Cole laughs] Come on, kid. Your picture's all over the database, your Vegas gig is done. But I will give you one night. And I can guarantee you won't be bothered. You'll make a killing, and you'll keep it all. Hmm? Listen. My name's Cole. Cole Williams. You just bring me Micky Rosa, kid. I'll take care of the rest.

Micky Rosa: [in the present] Son... Of... A... Bitch.

[Cole Williams checks Ben's pocket and finds his real ID]

Cole Williams: Oh! You understand all this. You go to MIT.

Terry: Smart boy.

Cole Williams: [Cole laughs] My name is Cole Williams. And if I ever see you in this town again, I will break your cheek bone with a small hammer, and then I will kill you.

[Micky reminds the team that playing cards is a moneymaking business]

Micky Rosa: All right, guys, let's get something clear. This is not summer camp and I'm not your counselor. This is real, world-class moneymaking business. Kianna, slots are for losers. Fisher, peelers are stealers. Choi?

Choi: Hmm?

Micky Rosa: You made five grand last night, so would you stop stealing nine-cent pens and everything you can get yours hands on from the maid's cart. It's embarrassing.

[Micky tells Ben he's ready for a trial run]

Micky Rosa: I think he's gonna be ready for our little trial run tomorrow.

Ben Campbell: There's a trial run?

Micky Rosa: Mmm.

Ben Campbell: Where?

Micky Rosa: You'll find out.

Kianna: [Kianna holds her hands up and wiggles her fingers at Ben, whispering] Dun, dun, dun.

[Micky begins to teach his class about nonlinear equations]

Micky Rosa: Now, who can explain Newton's method and to use it?

Miles Connoly: Uh, you can use it to solve nonlinear equations.

Micky Rosa: That's impressive. That's really good. I mean, I'm very impressed by that, especially since my class is called Nonlinear Equations.

Micky Rosa: All right, now somebody tell me something I already don't know. Anyone? Bueller. Anyone? Bueller.

[Ben speaks to his teacher Micky for the first time in class]

Micky Rosa: We're gonna call this, um, the game show host problem. All right? Ben, suppose you're on a game show. And you are given a chance to choose from three different doors, all right? Now, behind one of the doors is a new car. Behind the other two, goats. Which door would you choose, Ben?

Ben Campbell: Door number one?

Micky Rosa: Door number one. Ben chooses door number one. All right, now, the game show host, who, by the way, knows what's behind all the other doors, decides to open another door. Let's say he chooses door number three. Behind which sits a goat, now... Ben, game show host comes to you. He says, 'Ben, do you want to stay with door number one or go with door number two?' Now, is it in your interest to switch your choice?

Ben Campbell: Yeah.

Micky Rosa: Well, wait. Remember the host knows where the car is, so how do you know he's not playing a trick on you? Trying to use reverse psychology to get you to pick a goat?

Ben Campbell: Well, I wouldn't really care. I mean, my answer's based on statistics. Based on variable change.

Micky Rosa: Variable change? But he just asked you a simple question.

Ben Campbell: Yeah, which changed everything.

Micky Rosa: Enlighten us.

Ben Campbell: Well, when I was originally asked to choose a door, I had a 33.3% chance of choosing right. But after he opens one of the doors and then re-offers me the choice, it's now 66.7% if I choose to switch. So, yeah, I'll take door number two, and thank you for that extra 33.3%.

Micky Rosa: [Micky smiles] Exactly! People, remember, if you don't know which door to open, always account for variable change. Now, see, most people wouldn't take the switch out of paranoia, fear, emotions. But Mr. Campbell, he kept his emotions aside and let simple math get his ass into a brand new car! Which is better than that goat you've been driving around campus.

[Ben insults Micky for the first time]

Micky Rosa: You had very clear instructions, and you didn't follow them. You didn't do your job. You weren't counting, you were gambling!

Ben Campbell: Well, why aren't you out there, then, Micky? Hm? I mean, we take all the risks. Seems to me like you don't do shit.

Micky Rosa: This isn't about me, you arrogant little infant.

[first lines]

Ben Campbell: [narrating] 'Winner, winner, chicken dinner.' Those words had been dancing around my head all night. I mean, it's Vegas lore, that phrase. Just ask any of the old-time pit bosses, they'll know. It was a Chinese dealer at Binion's who was first credited with the line. He would shout it every time he dealt blackjack. That was over 40 years ago, and the words still catch. 'Winner, winner, chicken dinner.' Yeah, try it. I had heard it at least 14 times that night. I couldn't lose. First of all, what I was doing wasn't illegal. There were certain institutions and people that frowned upon it, but it's legal. And not everyone can do it. Just those with gifted minds. I have a gifted mind. That's what got me into all this mess. I was counting cards and I was up over $640,000.

Ben Campbell: [we see the images of Ben winning at a game table] We used hand signals, too. Folded arms, the table's hot. A touch to the eye, we need to talk. And a hand running through perfect flowing hair meant only one thing. Get out. Now. 'Winner, winner, chicken dinner.'

[Ben talks to Professor Gilpin about getting the Robinson Scholarship]

Bob Phillips: The Robinson Scholarship is comprehensive, as you know. It's a free ride. And free rides don't come easy.

Ben Campbell: Absolutely.

Bob Phillips: We have 76 applicants, this year. Only one of them will get the Scholarship. And most of whom have resumes just as impressive as you.

Ben Campbell: Right. Uh, Professor Phillips? Some kids grow up wanting to play for the Red Sox. You know, some grow up wanting to be, I don't know, a fireman. I grew up... Well, really, I just wanted to come here to Harvard Med. And now that I've gotten accepted, it seems to only come down to the money. Which I don't really have. So, what I'm trying to say is that I really, really need this scholarship.

Bob Phillips: Did you rehearse that?

Ben Campbell: Yeah. Like, 14 times in front of the mirror.

Bob Phillips: Unfortunately, desire doesn't figure into this much. The Robinson is going to go to someone who... Dazzles. Somebody who just jumps off the page.

[Ben learns who the Robinson Scholarship went to the previous year]

Bob Phillips: Ben, last year, the Robinson went to Hyum Jae Wook, a Korean immigrant who has only one leg.

Ben Campbell: Well, I have both my legs.

Bob Phillips: Well, have you considered cutting one of them off?

Bob Phillips: [Ben remains quiet] That was a joke.

[Ben shows up to his new assistant job where his best friend Miles works]

Warren: Congratulations! How does $8 an hour sound?

Ben Campbell: Eight dollars? Wow! Wow. That's great, Warren. Thank you. Thank you.

Miles Connoly: [Ben's best friend asks him] You slept with him, didn't you?

Ben Campbell: Yes, I did. Yes, I did.

Miles Connoly: Yes, you did! I'll sleep with him, too, and I'll get $8 an hour.

[Ben talks to Miles about giving up so much to go to Harvard Med]

Ben Campbell: You know, ever since I was 16, I crushed exams. I took on extracurricular. I showed up early. I even sat at the front of the class and stayed late. Man, I gave up everything. You know, I gave up fun. I gave up sex.

Miles Connoly: I don't think you gave up sex.

Ben Campbell: Okay, maybe not sex.

Miles Connoly: Yeah, you didn't give up sex.

Ben Campbell: All right, all right. I didn't give up sex.

[Ben sits with his best friends Miles and Cam at a bar]

Miles Connoly: Look, guys, we don't date, we don't travel, we don't have any money. The only thing that we do have is the 2.09 Competition. If we can't even win that, what's the point?

[when a group of men and hot women cheer together at the next table]

Cam: We suck.

[Ben see's Jill waving at basketball practice and thinks she's waving at him]

Miles Connoly: [Ben and Miles see she's waving at the guy behind her] Oh, man. That's brutal. You know, you should just ask her out, man. It's not like she's a rocket scientist or anything. Oh, wait, she is.

Ben Campbell: Well, why don't you ask her?

Miles Connoly: Because I'm already dating someone.

Cam: Yeah, your right hand doesn't count, Miles.

Miles Connoly: [Miles points his fingers to Cam] It does the way I use it. It does the way I use it.

[Ben continues to stare at Jill during basketball practice]

Miles Connoly: [Miles goes up to Ben] You know, you say you want a life experience, right? Well, I'd say getting down with that would definitely qualify.

[Ben is nervous when Micky introduces himself after turning in his paper]

Ben Campbell: Is there a problem with my paper?

Micky Rosa: Well, you found a more efficient method for finding true zero than Isaac Newton and that, my friend, is not so much a problem as it is a major ass-kicking. Although Newton has been dead for over 250 years, so it wasn't exactly a fair fight.

[Micky quickly teaches Ben the rules of how to play Blackjack]

Micky Rosa: It's really simple, actually. You play against the dealer. Um, you're given two cards. Face cards are worth 10 points. The closest to 21 wins. If you go over, you lose. If the dealer goes over, they lose.

Fisher: It's the most popular card game in the world.

Jill Taylor: It's a game of memory. Cards drawn are the past, ones to come are the future.

Micky Rosa: And the best part, it's beatable.

[Micky asks Ben to join him and the team of student card players]

Micky Rosa: Ben, let the car drive by itself. Listen, you not only have a gifted mind, but you're also composed. You don't give in to your emotion. You think logically. Ben, you were born for this. You'll have more fun than you've ever had your entire life. It's perfect.

[Ben does quick math at his job on two outfits for a man and his wife]

Husband: What's this gonna run us?

Ben Campbell: Oh, well, uh, let's see, the belt's $49.95, minus 15%. The jacket's $589,99. The pants, $285,99, minus 10% on both. Unfortunately, the shirt's not on sale, but I can knock off 5% from the $69,99. The shoes were just marked down from $155, so you're looking at $1,042.68.

Ben Campbell: [the couple stare at Ben's adding abilities as he replies] I'm really good with numbers.

Husband: Yeah.

Wife: I guess so.

[Ben see's Jill at his place of work shopping for a tie]

Jill Taylor: [Jill holds one up to Ben] This one's nice.

Ben Campbell: Yeah. Oh, yeah. This one has actually been treated with our patented Nano-Tex fabric protection, you know, to repel all liquids and stains.

Jill Taylor: Well, that's really functional.

Ben Campbell: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, it's pretty functional.

Jill Taylor: [Jill wraps the tie around Ben's neck] Face me. Stay still.

Jill Taylor: [Jill whispers to Ben] Despite being tempted by the Nano-Tex repellant, I'm actually not here for a tie, Ben. I came to see you.

[Jill tells Ben a little history as to how she learned to play Blackjack]

Jill Taylor: Every night after dinner, my father and I would play. I knew basic strategy before I was, like, nine years old. If I won, he'd take me out for ice cream.

Ben Campbell: And what if he won?

Jill Taylor: [Jill smiles] He'd still take me out for ice cream.

Ben Campbell: [Ben chuckles] Oh, yeah. Sure, yeah, he's your dad.

[Ben talks about how he learns to count cards]

Ben Campbell: [narrating] Plus 16. Sweet 16. Every card had a value. A high card, minus one. A low card, plus one. The rest, zero. I was studying all day, every day. But it wasn't physics, chemistry and engineering. I was back to simple math, used in ways I could never have imagined. The team had a system. And to go unnoticed, we created a whole new language. Words were numbers, and numbers were words.

[Micky and the team of student card players teach Ben the positions of each team member]

Choi: So, our team is divided into two kinds of players, spotters and big players, right? So if you think that this table is the casino floor, then, um...

Choi: [Choi uses the salt and pepper shakers on their dinner table] Then salt and pepper shakers are your spotters. All right, spotters are just sitting at the various Blackjack tables and they're betting the table minimum. They never fluctuate their bet.

Micky Rosa: That's right. Spotters never raise the bet or play any kind of progressive system. That's how we stay under the radar and that's why we never get caught.

Choi: Exactly. Okay, they're just sitting at the table, betting the table min, and they're keeping the count waiting for one of these decks to get hot.

Kianna: Right. And then when one of the decks gets hot the spotter at the table signals in the big player. This... mustard. Give me the mustard, honey. Please.

Fisher: [Fisher positions the mustard on the table] Well, I'm always the mustard, so... When I get the signal for the hot deck, I stumble over like some drunk rich kid, or some zoned out dot-com millionaire, and I throw down big money.

[the team tests Ben to see if he knows the signals to counting cards]

Kianna: Okay, what's this?

Ben Campbell: [Kianna holds her hands behind her back] Uh, the deck's hot.

Ben Campbell: [Choi scratches the corner of his eye] We need to talk.

Ben Campbell: [Fisher rubs his hand over his forehead] The deck's cooling.

Ben Campbell: [Jill combs her hair behind her ear] And get out. Get out now.

[Ben plays cards in a casino room when he's suddenly dragged to another room with a bag over his head]

Micky Rosa: [Micky disguises his voice, talking to Ben through the bag] What's the count?

Ben Campbell: Please, don't hurt me.

Micky Rosa: [Micky again] I said, what's the count?

Ben Campbell: I haven't done anything.

Micky Rosa: [Micky yelling] What's the count!

Ben Campbell: [Ben hesitates before saying] Plus 18.

Ben Campbell: [the bag is taken off Ben's head when he see's the team standing around him] Oh, you've gotta be kidding me.

Micky Rosa: Congratulations, Ben. Sorry, we had to make sure you'd keep the count under pressure. Welcome to the team.

Kianna: Aww. We didn't mean it.

Choi: It's okay, Campbell, I cried inside that bag.

[Ben agrees to join Micky's card team]

Micky Rosa: Look, I've been teaching more than 14 years, I've never had a student as impressive as you. Your brain is like a goddamn Pentium chip. You're gonna do great. You know how I know that? 'Cause you remind me of myself 25 years ago. You in?

Ben Campbell: Yeah. Yeah, I'm in.

[Micky tells Ben about the pressure of counting cards]

Micky Rosa: There's one more thing, Ben, and this is important. We're counting cards, we're not gambling. We're following a specific set of rules and playing a system.

Ben Campbell: Right.

Micky Rosa: Now, I've seen how crazy it can get at those tables, and sometimes, people lose control. They give in to their emotions. You will not.

[Fisher forces Ben to carry the $250,000 before going through the scanners at the airport]

Ben Campbell: Why do I have to do it?

Fisher: 'Cause you're the donkey boy. You really suck at not asking questions.

Ben Campbell: [Fisher leaves the bathroom stall] What's a donkey boy?

[Ben carries $250,000 taped to his legs before going through the scanners]

Choi: [Choi whispers to Ben] Act casual, think casual, be casual.

[Micky gives Jill her fake ID for the Vegas casinos]

Jill Taylor: Uh, I don't like my name.

Micky Rosa: Why not?

Jill Taylor: 'Sierra Sommers.' Do I look like a Sierra?

Micky Rosa: Well, you have a lot of clever outfits. You'll figure it out.

Kianna: Just pretend you don't speak English. Then you don't have to change your hair.

[Micky talks to the team one last time before they play the Vegas casinos]

Micky Rosa: At all times, you don't know each other. Let me say that again, you do not... know each other... ever. Oh, and what's our motto?

Jill Taylor: Don't get caught counting.

Fisher: Don't get caught counting.

Kianna: Don't get caught counting.

Micky Rosa: Thank you very much.

[Ben asks Micky why he doesn't play cards with them in on the floor]

Ben Campbell: How come you don't play?

Micky Rosa: Oh, I did. I played for a long time and I was the best. But I'm retired now. Take my advice, Ben, it's always best to go out when you're on top. Welcome to Vegas!

[Jill congratulates Ben after his first successful night one the casino floor]

Jill Taylor: You were good.

Ben Campbell: Really?

Jill Taylor: Yeah. Came in quick off the count. You acted the part. You weren't afraid to play big. And you got out when you were supposed to. Mmm... and you made more money than Fisher.

[Ben describes to Jill how it felt counting cards for the first time]

Ben Campbell: I was um, pretty nervous, actually. You know, but after a while, it felt kind of easy.

Jill Taylor: [Jill chuckles] Not for everyone.

Ben Campbell: Yeah, it's just simple math.

Jill Taylor: Good. We can do some serious damage with you.

[Miles, Cam, and Ben check out the girls at the bar]

Cam: She is an 8.

Miles Connoly: No way. She's a 7.649.

Cam: I was rounding up.

Miles Connoly: Hey, I thought we agreed we weren't going to round up anymore.

[Ben talks to Jill at the bar when he see's his friends Miles and Cam staring at Jill]

Ben Campbell: [Ben walks over to his friends] Guys, I'm serious. What are you doing? You're staring.

Cam: Yeah, we know.

Ben Campbell: Yeah, well, can you not. I think it's gonna freak her out a bit, don't you think?

Miles Connoly: [Miles keeps staring over at Jill] Yeah, I uh... I got a feeling we're a little more freaked out than she is right now.

[Miles and Cam both ask Ben how he met Jill]

Miles Connoly: Did you like take some self-help seminar or something?

Ben Campbell: [Ben chuckles] What?

Cam: Jedi mind trick, huh?

Miles Connoly: [Cam begins doing the Jedi mind trick] Jedi mind trick. Like that Luke.

Cam: [Ben walks off as his friends continue the Jedi mind trick to each other] You will drink beer.

[Ben talks about how much money he's making counting cards]

Ben Campbell: [narrating] My world was flashing by at a million miles a minute. I had saved over $100,000. Only $200,000 to go.

Ben Campbell: [narrating, as Ben lays his head on Jill's shoulder in the plane] But there was still one thing I couldn't get off my mind.

[Ben talks about how me could be anyone counting cards]

Ben Campbell: [narrating] The moment we left campus, the concept of vectors and formulas, were replaced with counting, shuffle tracking. Knowing when to hit and knowing when to color out. I was becoming a pro on all levels. I made more money in one trip to Vegas than I would have in 5 years, 9 months, 12 days and 6 hours at J. Press Menswear. In Boston, I was just Ben Campbell. But in Vegas, I could be anyone I wanted.

Ben Campbell: [Ben talks to himself in the mirror] You know what I'm gonna do? Huh? You know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna throw a half-mill down on one hand. Come on, hit me!

Ben Campbell: [narrating] One night, I'd be the high-rolling heir to a pharmaceutical fortune.

Ben Campbell: [Ben talks to himself in the mirror] Leon, could you make sure there's some champagne, maybe some strawberries waiting in there for me. I may not be alone.

Ben Campbell: [narrating] The next, I'd be the hottest video game designer on the west coast.

[Ben talks about how counting cards never felt like it would end]

Ben Campbell: [narrating] In Boston, we had a secret. In Vegas, we had a life. Micky said I was gonna have more fun than I could possibly imagine. And he was right. It was too good to be true. And it felt like it was never going to end.

[as Cole Williams stares at him from the next table]

[Cole Williams and Stemple watch Ben on the cameras]

Stemple: Okay. So is he counting or is he just getting lucky?

Cole Williams: He's not running a progressive system. He doubled on 10 when the deck was heavy, but he didn't on 11 when it got lighter.

Stemple: How can you tell if it's heavy or light?

Cole Williams: I'm counting.

Stemple: [Stemple makes a frown] You... Tell me something, Cole, if you can count that well, why are you still consulting for us?

Cole Williams: I've been asking myself the same thing. Let's just say I like being on your side of the hustle.

[Ben and Micky walk pass Fisher back on campus]

Ben Campbell: Hey, Fisher.

Micky Rosa: [Fisher keeps walking without saying anything] Uh. He's mad at me and jealous of you. But don't worry. Greatness evokes that reaction sometimes.

[Miles and Cam try to talk to Ben after he's been lying about where he's been]

Miles Connoly: I know when you're lying, I'm your best friend. At least I thought I was.

Cam: Are you on drugs, Ben? Because there's a group that meets at Sampson Hall on Saturdays.

Ben Campbell: No, no. Cam, I'm not on drugs, okay?

Cam: I'll go to the meeting if you need me to.

[Ben looks over the lights of Las Vegas from his hotel balcony]

Ben Campbell: [narrating] I think the worst part of it was not being able to tell anyone. But for the first time in my life, the world made itself easy for me. And I liked it.

[Ben and his team go shopping on the Las Vegas strip]

Ben Campbell: [narrating] Nothing cost too much. Nothing was out of reach. I guess you could say the casino host of fate gave Ben Campbell a major upgrade. Dorm rooms turned into high-roller suites. Bicycles became stretch limos. And college bars that were always filled with frat dudes were upgraded to, well, something more interesting.

[as Ben and his team dance on the roof of the Palms hotel]

[Cole and Stemple watch the cameras to see Ben and Kianna at the card table]

Cole Williams: Terry, rewind the tape, I want to see if she signals him to come to the table.

Stemple: We don't use 'tape' anymore, old school. It's digital now.

Cole Williams: Never mind. Terry, rewind it.

Cole Williams: [the video rewinds] Okay, okay. She's playing the table minimum. Now, in a second, she's gonna do something. She's gonna raise her hand, scratch her head... there it is! That's the signal. See? She gave him the signal. He comes to the table. I'm telling you, they're working together.

Stemple: Nice.

Cole Williams: Show me a computer that can do that.

[Fisher against the rules sits at Ben's Blackjack table]

Fisher: [Fisher drunkenly talks to Ben] You look exactly like that guy in Rain Man.

Ben Campbell: Oh, yeah? Well, people say I look like Tom Cruise all the time.

Fisher: Oh, yeah? No. The other one, the... What's his... The retard! I just love that scene in Vegas when um, the retard wins at Blackjack. You look just like that. What I could never understand, though, is how someone so retarded, could win so much.

Fisher: [Fisher looks to the dealer] Hey, Jeffrey, his brother from another mother, how does that retard win so much?

[Micky tells Fisher he's off the team]

Micky Rosa: You're off the team.

Fisher: No. I was drunk, I was...

Micky Rosa: I don't care what you were.

Fisher: [Fisher shrugs his shoulders] I'm not leaving.

Micky Rosa: Yes, you are.

Fisher: What are you gonna do about it, huh?

Micky Rosa: [Fisher stands in Micky's face] You've been a big man for a long time, but you just acted like a child. So I want you to pick up the ticket and go home, because if you don't, you know exactly what I'm capable of doing, don't you?

[Fisher quietly walks off]

[Ben comes up with an idea to cash out their chips that are hot]

Micky Rosa: [Ben and Micky watch the strippers cash out their chips for them] I love a parade, don't you? You know, there's a word I don't throw around that often, 'genius'.

[Ben continues to play at a table that's cold]

Ben Campbell: [to the dealer] I guess you play big or you don't play at all. Right?

[Ben pushes all of his chips in on one hand]

[Jill questions Ben why he's still in Las Vegas]

Jill Taylor: How much do you have saved back in Boston?

Ben Campbell: I've got $315 grand, all right?

Jill Taylor: Okay. Then why are you still here?

Ben Campbell: Because I wanna still be here. I like being here. So does everybody else.

[Ben asks Jill is she's still part of counting cards with the team]

Ben Campbell: So come on, Jill. Are you in?

Jill Taylor: You are the big player, Ben.

Ben Campbell: [Ben smiles] Yes, I am.

[Cole and Terry confront Ben escorting him off the casino floor]

Terry: Let's take a walk, huh?

Cole Williams: [Cole with a smile on his face] Come on, kid. See if we can't get you that chicken dinner.

[Cole Williams explains to Ben what Biometrics is while punching him in the basement of the casino]

Cole Williams: Biometrics. It's sort of like a fingerprint of your face.

Cole Williams: [Cole punches Ben across the face] See, when the player sits down at the table, the software, it read this, uh...

Terry: Biometric profile.

Cole Williams: Biometric profile of your face, cross-references it with a database of counters. Software will probably put you and me out of business, but it still can't do this.

[Cole punches Ben in his ribs]

[Micky teaches his class as Ben and him talk about their counting cards business in a metaphor]

Ben Campbell: [Ben from the back of the class, beat up looking from Cole Williams] Isn't is true Cauchy stole from his students?

Micky Rosa: Yes, I heard that. What's your theory on that?

Ben Campbell: They say he used his students for their brilliance, then discredited them and stole their equations, stole their hard work.

Micky Rosa: Well, that wouldn't be the first time a teacher was accused of that. I think what he's referring to is Vladimir Stupnitsky, yes? He was a student of Cauchy's who accused Cauchy of stealing his four-volume text on this analysis and publishing it under a pseudonym. Of course, nobody knows what really went on down there. They never did prove it, and without the proof, it's a little like it never happened. And, you know, it's a real shame, because if Stupnitsky had just realized that he shouldn't have crossed Cauchy, this was the dispute, if he'd been able to get beyond some of the personal mistakes that were made, I have no doubt Cauchy would've worked with him again, and they could have done great things together. But, as history shows us, some students never learn.

Micky Rosa: [Micky comments on Ben's bruised eye] You should get that eye looked at.

[Ben apologizes to Jill after he loses everything]

Ben Campbell: I've just lost everything! Look, please... I don't want to lose you, too.

Jill Taylor: Ben, you were dragged away in Vegas. I haven't heard from you. I had no idea where you were.

Ben Campbell: [Ben looks into Jill's eyes] I know. You know, I'm so sorry that I hurt you. I'm sorry. In Vegas, I don't know what happened. That wasn't me. Look, you know me. You know what I'm like. You know me. I just... I need you to trust me.

[Ben apologizes to Miles for hurting his feelings and not telling him the truth]

Ben Campbell: I can't believe how I treated you, Miles. You know, you're my best friend, and I, really let you down. I really let you down. I'm sorry. And I'm happy for you, you know? Winning the 2.09. That's great.

Miles Connoly: Jill Taylor. Really?

Ben Campbell: [Ben laughs] Yeah.

Miles Connoly: So, let me get this straight. Money, girls, high-roller suites, clubs, Vegas. Yeah, I think I probably would have blown off the 2.09 Competition, too.

[Ben apologizes to Micky to get back in the game with him]

Micky Rosa: All right, look, Ben. I'm not gonna lie to you. You're good, you're very, very good. But you did exactly what I told you not to. You got emotional and then you got stupid. Now you tell me why in the world I'd ever get back in business with you.

Ben Campbell: Look, I know I should never have disrespected you, all right? I know that. With this facial recognition software, our window of opportunity is closing on us. Now, I need this, Micky. I really, really, need this.

Micky Rosa: Well, the take would have to be really, really good to get me even vaguely interested.

[Ben tells Micky the two of them should be the big players and count cards together]

Ben Campbell: I was thinking maybe you should be the other big player. You know, two big players playing big?

Micky Rosa: [Micky scoffs] Hey, slow down, I haven't played in a long time, Ben. But Fisher's out. No one else on the team can be the big player, can they? And if we do well, if we do really well, then you get your grades back, go to Harvard Med, and I might even get that sabbatical.

Ben Campbell: Well, amazing things can be done from the inside, right?

Micky Rosa: [Micky shakes Ben's hand] Hmm. Just went back to the head of the class.

[Micky plays Blackjack his final time in disguise]

Micky Rosa: [Micky responds in his southern accent] Is this your first time, darlin'?

Kianna: [Kianna at the table nervously plays] I've been winning and losing for hours.

Micky Rosa: Well, that's all right. I've been winning and losing for years.

[Cole Williams stops Ben from taking his last winnings]

Ben Campbell: I need this money. You have no idea what I went through to get this...

Cole Williams: I know, kid, but you're gonna figure out how to get everything you want in this life, 'cause you're smart. So, you're gonna leave the bag.

Jill Taylor: [Cole reveals the gun at his side] Ben, give him the bag. Give him the bag, it doesn't matter. Give him the bag.

Cole Williams: [Ben throws the bag to Cole, as Cole smiles] I knew you were smart.