RUNNER RUNNER - A SHORT FILM

By Andrei Michael Herasimchuk, (c) Copyright 2001

FADE IN:

INT. POKER ROOM, RAIL

A typical, casino-style card room bounces with activity.

The tables are crammed with players of all ages and

ethnicities. NOISES and VOICES bounce off the walls in an
offending hum, while the bright lights give everything an
intense, washed out sheen.

JOE, an early 30s male, wanders around the perimeter of the

room, pacing back and forth. He checks a wad of money he has
rolled up in his pocket, then eyes the tables in the poker
room.

JOE (V.O.)
Poker. There’s just something about it.
The blood rushing through your veins. The
needles prickling your fingertips.
Hitting that miracle hand with everything
to lose... Raking in a huge pot.

Joe pauses a moment and watches a particular table where two

PLAYERS both push all their chips into the middle of the
table.

PLAYER ONE tosses over pocket Aces while PLAYER TWO tosses
over pocket 9s. The 9s win with a four of a kind to a full
house, Aces over 9s.

There’s a loud bustle from the spectators watching that

table.

Joe smiles.

JOE (V.O.) (CONT'D)

Just what is it about a game with nothing
but cheesy art on some vinyl cards?

After a moment, he walks up to the POKER ROOM MANAGER who

stands at a podium in front of a large whiteboard with games,
table numbers and names listed on it.

Lots of PEOPLE mill about. The NOISE continues to offend.

JOE (CONT'D)
You in charge here?

(CONTINUED)
 2.
CONTINUED:

MANAGER
Yeah... whatta you need?

JOE
I’d like to play $20-$200 Spread Limit
Hold ‘Em.

The Manager looks Joe up and down. Joe pulls out $5,000 in
cash.

JOE (CONT’D)
I’ll need a few racks.

MANAGER
(Not impressed.)
There’s a seat open 42. I’ll lock it
up... Your name?

JOE
Joe.

MANAGER
(Speaking into a microphone)
Lock seat open on table 42 for Joe.
(To Joe.)
It’s all yours.

Joe walks over to the tables in the back of the room. He can
hardly contain his excitement.

INT. POKER ROOM, FLOOR - CONTINUOUS

Joe walks through the tables on his way to table 42. He

weaves through different tables and watches a few games as he
passes.

JOE (V.O.)
It’s such a simple game. The harder it is
to make a hand, the better that hand is.

Joe walks past one table as the camera passes over his
shoulder to show a TRUCKER lay his cards on the table.

JOE (V.O.) (CONT'D)

The best hand possible is a Straight
Flush. Meaning out of 52 cards, you need
exactly five cards of the same suit and
in numerical order. Long shot odds to
catch at best.

The Trucker HOOTS it up in excitement as he rakes the pot to

the annoyance of the players at his table.

(CONTINUED)
 3.
CONTINUED:

JOE (V.O.) (CONT'D)

You catch this hand, bet the bank and
hope you get some customers. There’s no
possible way you can beat.

Joe walks past a second table. A OLD WOMAN, with far too much
make-up caked on her face, lays her cards down on the table
and rakes the pot.

JOE (V.O.) (CONT'D)

Next best thing is four of a kind. After
which you get full houses, flushes and
straights. But this isn’t a poker lesson,
per se. This is more about what’s at the
heart of the game.

Joe walks into the Gold Room.

INT. POKER ROOM, GOLD ROOM - CONTINUOUS

Joe sits down at table 42, seat number five, directly

opposite the DEALER.

A varied cast of characters sit around the table, all serious

poker players. As each is introduced, their name appears on
screen.

-- Seat one, sits ANGIE, late 50’s, fake hair, large nails
and large 1960s style glasses with thick frames. She’s got
money to burn.

-- Seat two, MANNY, early 60’s, elderly Filipino man with a

mustache and a cigarette tucked behind one ear.

-- Seat three, WILSON, average gambler, sitting at a game

just slightly better than what he’s used to playing.

-- Seat four, ABBEY, late 40’s, a sophisticated poker player.

-- Seat six, on the other side of Joe, TRIPLE X, late 30’s,

wearing a cowboy hat and jet black wrap around sunglasses.

-- Seat seven, ROGER, a regular to the game in the area.

-- Seat eight, DC DAVE, late 40’s, wearing an expensive suit,

sun glasses and eager to dominate the table.

-- Seat nine, JESSIE, late 60’s, a quiet elderly gentlemen.

DEALER
Welcome to the game. You want a hand now
or do you want to wait?

(CONTINUED)
 4.
CONTINUED:

JOE
Deal me in.

A CHIP RUNNER brings Joe a couple of racks of chips and takes

his $5,000 in cash.

JOE (CONT’D)
Ready to play, folks?

They all eye Joe suspiciously. Some grin, eyeing his chips
eagerly. Others continue chatting at the table.

MONTAGE

A BIG BAND SONG queues up and comes playing strong over the
images. The camera circles the table through the montage,
catching every player checking their cards and every reaction
from across the table.

-- Triple X beats Joe for a small pot. Triple X’s Jack high
straight beats Joe’s Ace King.

-- DC Dave wins a big pot in a show down with Manny, catching

a full house on the river card.

-- Chips FLY around the table from player to player.

-- Jessie and Roger discuss a hand they just turned over.

Jessie wins with a Pair of 9s. Roger laughs at losing to such
a weak pair with his pocket 7s.

-- Joe orders a drink from a WAITRESS.

-- Chips FLY around the table from player to player.

-- Angie tosses chips into the pot. Triple X tosses in more.

DC Dave tosses in yet more. DC Dave turns over pocket Aces
and drags the chips towards him.

-- Joe orders another drink. He’s loosening up.

-- Wilson wins a big pot with a flush and shakes off his
nervousness.

-- Chips FLY around the table from player to player.

-- Abbey flirts with the men at the table, then wins a big
pot with an Ace and Queen of Spades. She winks at Joe.

-- Joe orders himself and Abbey another drink.

-- Chips FLY around the table from player to player.

(CONTINUED)
 5.
CONTINUED:

The music comes to a halt.

INT. POKER ROOM, GOLD ROOM - LATER

Joe has lost about $2,000 over the course of the evening so
far. But he still in a decent mood.

The Dealer shuffles the cards and deals the next hand. The
dealer button is on seat 9.

JOE (V.O.)
So here it begins... For those who have
never played poker, I’ll explain how this
hand breaks down. For those in the
know... Well, you’ll see...

Joe looks at his cards and sees he has a Queen of Clubs and a
Queen of Hearts. He eyes the others while wiping the sweat
off his hands onto the felt.

JOE (V.O.) (CONT'D)

So I have pocket Queens... Two queens in
my hand. A great start, but only if I can
get everyone who holds Aces or Kings out
so they don’t catch a pair on the board
to beat me. To do this, I have to
raise... and hope to make as many of
those people fold. But not all... I need
some people to call me if I want to win
some money.

The Dealer motions to Wilson in seat 3, the first to bet

after the blind. He looks at his cards and sees he has a 10
of Hearts and 10 of Diamonds.

DEALER
Seat 3?

Wilson guns his chips to the center of the table.

WILSON
Raise!

DEALER
The bet is now $100.

Abbey in seat 4 folds. Joe is next. He takes a deep breathe,

looks again at his pocket Queens.

(CONTINUED)
 6.
CONTINUED:

JOE (V.O.)
Well... Wilson just raised. That actually
helps me, because I can now re-raise,
making it even harder for people to call
the bet.

Joe grabs his chips and tosses them in.

JOE (CONT'D)
Re-raise.

The others eye him. DC Dave in seat 9 smirks behind his

sunglasses.

DEALER
The bet is now $300 to go.

Triple X pauses in seat 6. He checks his cards again, seeing

he has an Ace of Clubs and 9 of Clubs. He thinks for a long
time, then quietly calls the bet.

JOE (V.O.)
Well... It was a nice theory. Triple X
was supposed to fold.

Roger in seat 7 folds quickly.

DC Dave, in seat 8, stares down Joe from behind his

sunglasses, then glances at his cards again. He sees he has a
King of Diamonds and King of Hearts. He looks back at Joe,
who just smiles.

JOE (CONT'D)
Can’t win if you don’t raise, right?

DC Dave grabs his chips and tosses them to the middle of the
table.

DC DAVE
True enough.

DEALER
Raise. The betting is capped. $400 to
call now.

JOE (V.O.)
This is the part in poker where you might
wish you never learned how to play. You
make a big move with a good hand, and
other people won’t let you take it
without a fight.

(CONTINUED)
 7.
CONTINUED: (2)

Jessie in seat 9 folds quickly. Angie in seat 1 is bit

flustered. She looks at her cards and sees she has an Ace of
Hearts and King of Diamonds.

After a very long moment, she calls quietly.

Manny in seat 2 quickly folds. Everyone else calls the bet in

turn.

DEALER
The pot is right. Five players. The burn
card...

The Dealer discards the top card, grabs the next three cards,
and flops them on the table. The cards are King of Clubs, 10
of Clubs and Jack of Clubs.

Some of the players groan, others hold back their reaction as

best they can.

MANNY
Nice flop... Shit.

Angie is first to bet. She’s not sure what to make of the

hand.

ANGIE
Check.

JOE (V.O.)
So... Here’s the problem. Even though I
didn’t have the benefit of knowing this
information while playing the hand, I do
now, so I’ll elucidate.

Wilson is next. He has three of a kind with his 10s and fires
his chips quickly.

DEALER
The bet is $100.

JOE (V.O.)
See... Wilson has two 10s in his hand.
There’s a ten on the board, which means
he has three 10s. That’s normally a
pretty good hand... Except the only
problem is that if anyone else is holding
an Ace and Queen, they have a straight
already... Or if someone is holding two
cards that are clubs, they have a
flush...
(MORE)

(CONTINUED)
 8.
CONTINUED: (3)
JOE (V.O.) (CONT'D)
Which means Wilson needs one of the next
two cards to pair up, giving him a full
house and beating either a straight or a
flush.

Joe is next. He pauses.

JOE (V.O.) (CONT'D)

Wilson bet strong to find out if his 10s
are any good. Now, the action is on me. I
have a Queen of clubs, which means if an
Ace or 9 of Clubs shows up, I make the
straight flush... Two cards out of a deck
of 52... That would require a miracle, a
small point I forgot in the excitement of
the thinking I had a great hand.

Joe looks at the others. They stare at him waiting for him to
act. Joe calls the bet.

JOE (V.O.) (CONT'D)

Some would claim -- and rightly so given
the odds of me catching the perfect cards
-- this is the point I should have I
folded. But my gut said to play on...

Triple X smirks, and looks back down at his Ace and 9 of

Clubs.

JOE (V.O.) (CONT'D)

Now, Triple X has the flopped the
absolute best flush possible, and the pot
is big. Look at him... He smells a big
payoff, but he’s not sure he likes it
yet. Why? Because there’s two more cards
coming and too many people in the pot who
might, even if remotely, be able to beat
his hand.

After a moment of eyeing the others, Triple X tosses his

chips into the pot.

TRIPLE X
Raise... $200!

DC DAVE
Really? Already there, cowboy?

Triple X just stares at DC Dave, quietly challenging him. DC

Dave smiles back.

JOE (V.O.)
Now here’s the part in poker that’s the
hardest to deal with.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
 9.
CONTINUED: (4)
JOE (V.O.) (CONT'D)
DC Dave has been acting like an arrogant
prick the whole game. It would feel damn
good to take him on a big hand... So what
happens? I get pocket Queens and Dave
gets pocket Kings. Further, there is a
King on the board, giving Dave three of a
kind, and he wants to push everyone’s
buttons. If any pair card comes on the
board, Dave wins big. Unless that pair
card is a ten, because that would give
Wilson a four of a kind... Everything
always feels like a test in this damn
game.

DC DAVE
Hey, Kid. What was that line? Oh yeah...
You can’t win...

DC Dave tosses in more chips.

DEALER
Raise. The bet is now $300.

Angie is next. She thinks she has a good hand, and

reluctantly calls.

JOE (V.O.)
No idea why Angie did this. She has no
idea that she is drawing dead, even
though it should be pretty obvious.
“Drawing Dead” means there’s absolutely
no way possible for her to win against
everyone’s else. If only all of us could
know when we’re drawing dead.

Wilson also calls, eyeing the players across the table

carefully.

The bet is back to Joe. He wipes more sweat off his hands on
the felt of the table, then calls.

JOE (V.O.) (CONT'D)

Am I nervous? Hell yeah! I have no idea
how I let myself get reeled into this
hand...

Triple X smiles back at DC Dave.

TRIPLE X
Let’s do it, sir. Cap it.

DEALER
The bet is capped. $400 to call.

(CONTINUED)
 10.
CONTINUED: (5)

JESSIE
Wow... Nice pot.

JOE (V.O.)
I was afraid of this... But now I’m
committed. No turning back. This is the
part where one closes their eyes and lets
the wind rush through their hair as they
jump off the bridge, feet tied to a
bungie cord, praying that the damn thing
won’t break.

Everyone around the table calls in turn.

ROGER
Yeah... Around $4,000 by now, hunh?

Joe takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

The Dealer discards the top card again, and turns over
another card. It’s the Queen of Diamonds.

Joe’s eyes widen.

JOE (V.O.)
That made it interesting. I now sat there
thinking I had more ways to win... If a
pair came on the board, I would make a
full house... Little did I know that was
worthless against Dave’s better full
house. You see, I put Dave on Ace high
flush, maybe even a draw, with Triple X
on a made straight. I was dead wrong, but
still, it gave me hope.

Angie and Wilson both check. The bet is on Joe. He starts to

reach for chips, then thinks better of it.

JOE (CONT'D)
I check raise to the bluffing raisers.

Triple X laughs. DC Dave smirks.

TRIPLE X
Check raise me? Bluffing? You can’t be
serious... Go for it, Kid. You lose when
you show fear. Right? That’s the way the
world works. I bet.

DEALER
The bet is $200.

(CONTINUED)
 11.
CONTINUED: (6)

DC Dave pauses a moment, then quietly grabs his chips and

tosses them in.

DC DAVE
I call.

JOE (V.O.)
Dave slowed down... Why? Because he knew
Triple X already had a club flush, and
his full house wasn’t there yet. To me, I
actually thought it meant Triple X had
the flush and Dave had the straight...

Angie and Wilson both call the bet reluctantly. It’s back on
Joe again.

JOE (V.O.) (CONT'D)

So, now I make my move. It’s a stupid
move -- looking back on it -- but the
thought of catching a pair on the board,
or an Ace or 9 of clubs fueled my
imagination. I was in the throes of an
adrenaline rush -- the high of a big
gamble. The card was already there, in
the dealer’s hands. But none of us knew
what it was yet... Fate had already been
determined, it was up to me to either
face up to making it big or crash and
burn.

Joe grabs a large stack of his chips and tosses them to the
middle.

JOE (CONT'D)
I raise.

DEALER
The bet is now $400.

Wilson eyes Joe angrily.

WILSON
You’re playing with fire, Kid. You better
watch it.

JOE
Yeah... Well... To hell with it. They’re
only chips, right? Gamble!

Triple X thinks long and hard about Joe’s mistake. He grabs

more chips and guns them into the middle.

(CONTINUED)
 12.
CONTINUED: (7)

TRIPLE X
Make it six.

DEALER
The bet is now $600.

Now DC Dave suddenly doesn’t like his cards as much. He eyes

both Joe and Triple X carefully.

Beat.

DC DAVE
Nice move, Kid. You’re straight’s no good
though. And Triple X better pray his hand
doesn’t get rivered... Especially with
five way action.
(Winking at Triple X.)
I call.

DC Dave tosses in his chips.

ANGIE
Goddammit!

Angie flings her cards ferociously at the Dealer.

ANGIE (CONT’D)
How the hell can those cards lose?

TRIPLE X
(Smirks.)
Bad beat?... Never happened to me before.

ANGIE
Was I talking to you?

Wilson looks around the table.

WILSON
You people are all playing with fire.

Wilson calls the bet anyway.

Joe is having fun now. He tosses in another large stack of

chips.

JOE
The hell with it... Can’t win if you
don’t raise! Pair the board Dealer!

DEALER
The bet is capped at $800.

(CONTINUED)
 13.
CONTINUED: (8)

DC DAVE
(Laughs.)
Yeah... Pair the board for the Kid.

Everyone calls.

ROGER
Big pot... Big pot... What?...

MANNY
Probably around $7,000 or so.

DEALER
The pot is right. Four players. The river
card...

The Dealer discards the top card again and turns over the
next card.

It’s the Queen of Spades.

Joe is STUNNED. He has a four of a kind -- the best possible

hand on the table.

Suddenly, the movie FREEZES on Joe. He speaks over the frozen

image of himself in total shock.

JOE (V.O.)
This is the moment one waits for in
life... A moment of sheer ecstasy... The
high of hitting it big. But it’s also the
moment where it’s impossible to hold back
the first thing that comes to one’s head
when it happens... To not say what people
shouldn’t hear -- because it gives away
too much information.

The movie runs again.

JOE (CONT'D)
Fuck me.

Triple X squeezes his cards angrily. Wilson is first to bet.

WILSON
I guess my full house is no good, hunh? I
check.

JOE
Nope. No good... I bet.

Joe tosses in some chips.

(CONTINUED)
 14.
CONTINUED: (9)

DEALER
The bet is $200.

Triple X SLAMS his fist down on the table.

TRIPLE X
Fucking piece of shit! What the fuck card
is that?!? Goddamn nut flu... I call,
goddammit!

ANGIE
(Jabbing.)
Bad beat, hunh?

DC Dave enjoys Triple X’s outburst.

He waits patiently until Triple X settles down. He looks down

at his big full house, grabs his chips and tosses them
casually into the pot.

DC DAVE
Raise.

DEALER
$400 now.

Everyone around the table eyes DC Dave, who smiles like a

lottery winner.

JOE (V.O.)
And now I have Dave exactly where I want
him... The others? They’re just coming
along for the ride.

Wilson shakes his head.

WILSON
Damn. Pot’s too big... I have to call.

Joe takes a very deep breath. He can hardly contain himself.

He tosses in more chips.

JOE
I raise again.

DEALER
The bet is now $600.

Triple X tosses his card over onto the chips, showing his Ace
and 9 of Clubs to the table. He fumes in his seat.

(CONTINUED)
 15.
CONTINUED: (10)

DC DAVE
Nut flush no good... Alright, Kid. Nice
playing with you. Cap it.

DEALER
The bet is now $800.

Wilson once again calls reluctantly. Joe also calls, smiling

proudly.

DEALER (CONT’D)
Ok... The pot is right. Seat 8, you’re
first.

DC Dave smiles broadly as he turns over his pocket Kings.

DEALER (CONT’D)
Full House. Kings full of Queens.

WILSON
Fucking knew it. Goddammit!

Wilson tosses his cards onto the pot face up.

DEALER
Lower Full House. 10s full of Queens.

Joe pauses. He starts to laugh a bit. Everyone waits for him.

JOE
Well, shit... I was going for a straight
flush... I had no idea the Ace and 9
Clubs were already gone...

DC Dave’s smile FADES suddenly. It dawns on him what Joe

might have.

DC DAVE
No fucking way...

JOE (V.O.)
Oh yes fucking way...

Joe turns over the Queens.

JOE (CONT'D)
The nuts.

DEALER
Four of Kind. Queens.

The table REACTS -- some are stunned, others angry, and the
rest simply amused by the whole incident.

(CONTINUED)
 16.
CONTINUED: (11)

TRIPLE X
All the way... Went all the way to the
fucking river with that hand...

ROGER
Nice hand, Kid. ‘Bout ten grand in that
pot.

DC DAVE
Unreal! You lucky piece of shit!

WILSON
You raised him at the end... What did you
think he had?

DC DAVE
Give me a fucking break... Who the hell
would go all the way needing runner
runner miracle cards like that?

JESSIE
Never seen anything like that before...
Ever.

MANNY
That has to be one for the magazines.

During these exchanges, the Dealer pushes Joe the huge mound
of chips, more than $10,000 worth. Joe stacks them as quickly
as he can, his hands shaking nervously.

JOE
Nice playing with you folks. Gotta run.

WILSON
You leaving? You just got hot. Your rush
is coming on.

JOE
‘Fraid so. Chips! I need some racks!

The Chip Runner comes over and helps Joe stack his chips.

DC DAVE
Sure you don’t want to stick around? You
might get lucky again.

JOE (V.O.)
Poker -- just like life -- requires you
to know when you reached the pinnacle.
Then... Enjoy. It won’t happen again.

(CONTINUED)
 17.
CONTINUED: (12)

DC DAVE
How about it, kid?

JOE
Nah... I just won the best poker hand in
the history of poker hands. I need a
drink.

Joe stacks his racks of chips one on top of the other.

JOE (V.O.)
The thing about poker is... Once that
deck is shuffled, the cards are set. It’s
a done deal. The trick is...

Freeze frame on Joe’s face, a big ear-to-ear smile chiseled

onto his face.

JOE (V.O.) (CONT'D)

The trick is being there when the deck is
set for you.

INT. POKER ROOM, FLOOR

Joe walks away from the table, through the floor full of
tables with his racks of chips.

FADE TO BLACK.