All language subtitles for Big_Shot_Confessions_Of_A_Campus_Bookie

[Narrating]
My name's Benny Silman...

and this is probably
the worst day of my young life.

You know, there's nothing
like the taste of your own blood...

to start you thinking
about the beginning--

things you maybe
could have done differently.

Me? I grew up like
any other kid did in New York.

I learned how to break dance
when it was cool.

I played stickball.

I even sold lemonade
on street corners.

You name it.
I had dreams--

Ideas of what I wanted
to do with my life.

You could say
I had a future.

But by the time
I was a senior in college...

the FBI was calling me
a criminal mastermind.

Strangely enough, all of this
could have been avoided...

if I had just listened
to my mother.

This is a very bad idea.

Ma, what do you-- Why--

I just don't understand
why you have to go to school...

so far from home.

Because I'm--
How many times I gotta tell you?

Take these.

It's just something
I gotta do, Ma.

It's just--
I gotta get outta here.

Ma, it's like--
Just something different.

Did you wanna pack
the menorah?

Yeah, I'm not gonna forget
the mini-menorah.

I'm-- Look.

There it is.

So, you're all set.

Don't cry, Mommy.

Shh.

[ Sniffles ]

You're my whole world,
honey.

Look at that. I'm gonna
miss that face so much.

I'm gonna miss this face.

I still don't understand
what is so special...

about this Arizona State.
What? What?

#All right, dig it #

My moms couldn't understand
why her only son...

would travel all the way across
the country to go to college...

but what I couldn't
really explain to her...

was that for a kid like me
from New York...

going to Arizona State
was like...

stepping into
a Coppertone commercial.

See what I'm talking about?

I mean, it had everything
that New York didn't:

the sun, the fun, the hotties.

Remember that feeling
after a long winter...

when you could finally wear your
shorts outside for the first time?

Well, that was A.S.U.

Every single day was
like the first day of spring.

# Cold cooling at a bar #

#And I'm looking
for some action #

# But like MickJagger said,
I can't get no satisfaction #

#The girls are all around #

# But none of them
wanna get with me #

# My threads are fresh,
and I'm looking def #

#Yo, wassup with L-O-C? #

#The girls was all jockin' #

#At the other end of the bar #

# Having a drink
with some no-name chump #

#When they know
that I'm the star #

# So I got up and strolled over #

#To the other side
of the cantina #

# I asked the guy,
''Why you so fly?'' #

# He said,
''Funky Cold Medina'' #

Yo, who are you?

Why? Who are you?

I'm T-Bone.

You from New York?

Yeah,
I'm Benny from Brooklyn.

Yo, I'm from Staten Island.

Yo, get the hell outta here!

How you doin'? Roommates, buddy!
How you doin'?

- Yo, that flight was like--
- Oh--

Both: Long!

Yo, man, you gotta
check this out.

All right.

This is--
I'm so-- Yo, fellas!

So that's, like,
T-Bone like the meat?

Yeah, it's like a nice
filet mignon, you know?

Adam from Manhattan, I'd like you
to meet Benny from Brooklyn.

What is this?

They put all us New Yorkers
in one dorm?

I guess so.

This is the Mook from Massapequa.

Mook, Benny from Brooklyn.

What's up, Benny?
Yo, Brooklyn?

Yeah.

You coming out with us tonight?

We're gonna light it up.

We're gonna go to A.S.U.'s
own private amusement park.

Benny: Besides the sun,
the fun, and the hotties...

one of the biggest perks
of going to A.S.U....

was the fact that it was
#1 8 in gas...

and two six-packs
away from Las Vegas, Nevada.

Dean Martin:
# How lucky can one guy be? #

# I kissed her,
and she kissed me #

# Like the fella once said #

#Ain't that
a kick in the head #

#The room was
completely black... #

Yes, boys, I think
we may have arrived.

Mook: Yeah!

Come on, Benny-boy.

#Ain't that a hole in the boat #

Good evening.
Welcome to the Riviera.

Thank you, my friend.

Keep the change, big fella.

# ...And keep grinnin' #

# If this is just the beginnin' #

# If this is just the beginnin' #

# My life is gonna be #

# Bee-yoo-ti-ful #

# I've sunshine enough to spread #

# It's just like the fella said #

#Tell me quick #

#Ain't love a kick #

# In the head #

Benny: For me,
Vegas was love at first sight.

There was something about
all the lights, money, and action...

that just got under my skin.

# Like the fella once said #

#Ain't that a kick in the head #

# Like the sailor said, quote #

#Ain't that a hole in the boat #

# My head keeps spinnin' #

# I go to sleep and keep grinnin' #

# If this is just the beginnin' #

# My life is gonna be #

# Bee-yoo-ti-ful #

# She's tellin' me we'll be wed #

# She's picked out a king-size bed #

# I couldn't feel any better
or I'd be sick #

#Tell me quick #

#Ain't love a kick #

# Oh, ain't love a kick? #

#Tell me quick #

#Ain't love a kick #

# In the head #

Benny: As for school, after spending
all night at a blackjack table...

putting in some class time
didn't sound so bad.

- [Snoring]
- Professor: 2 minus X...

times Y to the first power...

minus 1 plus Y...

times negative1 over 2
minus X squared equals...

2 minus X plus Y...

over 2 minus X squared--

Yes.

Mr. Silman...

do you know the answer?

Mr. Silman?

2 plus 2Y over 2
minus X squared.

Correct.

Yes...

2 plus 2Y over 2
minus X squared.

So what? What?
Don't be so sensitive.

Jesus Christ.

Wait a minute.
A pecker like you from Brooklyn...

is a Cowboys fan?

- I like Dallas!
- Maybe when you were 1 2, Benny--

Dude, they got
the bangingest cheerleaders.

You, my friend, you are a scab.

Oh, I'm a scab? Come on!

He's right, Benny.
You're a punk.

I'm a punk? I'm a scab,
and I'm a punk.

You're a punk, and your Cowgirls are
gonna get slapped around tomorrow.

My ass, they're gonna get slapped.

Aikman's gonna throw for,
like, 400.

- 400?
- Dallas is giving 1 3.

Smith-- He's out.
He's got a knee injury.

That backfield's
gonna be mighty thin.

Still think they're gonna do it?

This is Troy.

You know the guy.
Every campus has one.

If you wanted anything,
he was your man...

but his bread and butter
was makin' book.

Why don't you slap some dollars down
on your donkeyboys now, huh?

Hey, man. Put your money
where your mouth is.

Fine. Fine.
That ain't nothin'.

You know, I'll put, like,
uh, #200 on the Cowboys.

200 it is.

You don't got #200
to blow, Benny.

You ain't gotta worry
about me.

My boys are gonna pull it out.
Watch. Watch.

They pulled it out,
all right, Benny.

They pulled it out,
and they played with it...

for four quarters
is what they did!

That's two large
you owe Troy now.

What are you gonna do now,
big shot?

Two. Two bucks. Two bucks.
Keg's in the room.

One, two. Two bucks. Two.

All right. Keg's in the back.

Two bucks. Two bucks.
That's it. Keg's in the back.

Two bucks.

What are you giving me
here, man?

Get in there, man.

Yo, hey, what's up, Hedake?

What's up, man?

Now, right around this time...

is when I met
Stevin ''Headake'' Smith...

the leading scorer
for the A.S.U. Sun Devils...

and one hell of a ballplayer.

That was a sweet game last week.

- Who are you?
- Benny Silman. It's a pleasure.

What's up, Benny?
This is my boy Brady.

What's shakin', Benny?

- This your party, man?
- Yeah.

What's up with the ''C.M.A.''?

''Cover my ass.''

[Giggling]

[Sniffs]

I love the smell
of baby powder.

Hey, whoa! Whoa! Whoa!
Wait! Wait! Wait!

You're not leaving yet, are you?

- Apparently.
- Now, hold up.

Hey, yo, the keg's
in the back, fellas.

Ain't no charge, all right?

I'm gonna talk to you later.

Yeah, you take care
of business, man.

All right. Hey, um...

we were in the same
calculus class last semester.

Yes, we were.
You don't remember me?

Rarely were we in the same
calculus class last semester.

Yeah, well.
[Chuckles]

Numbers always kind of
came easy for me.

Is that right?

You know, we got economics
together. You know that?

I got Mitchell, too.

I've never seen you
in my economics class.

Yeah, well, you know,
I really only show up...

for, like, the midterms
and the finals.

Well, that's all
that's important, right?

Yeah.

So what's your name?

- Callie.
- I'm Benny.

This is Marissa.

Marissa, is it?

- We have to--
- Wait! Wait!

No, you can't leave already.

What? Your friend gotta leave?

Well, we just got some momentum
going here.

We just started talking.

I got class in the morning.
I'm sorry.

Well, listen, you know,
if you got class tomorrow...

then that's OK, because maybe
we could make it a short night.

Hey, T, where you going?

Benny! Yo, Benny!

I have an econ midterm
tomorrow.

You do?

Yeah, and we're in
the same class, remember?

- Oh, right.
- Benny!

- We do.
- Yeah.

See? Look at me. I forgot.

Study hard, Benny.

- What?
- [Mumbling]

What are you doing?
Are you gonna come out here...

and do this whole, ''I love you, bro''
crap here on the front lawn...

with the plastic ass?

I'd take a bullet for you.

What are you doing?

I'd die for you, man.

Thank you.
Wonderful, and--?

That's all I'm saying.

- Get outta here!
- What, man?

- Get outta here!
- What, man?

[Car Horn Honks]

Damn.

Benny: It was Troy.

He was in the neighborhood...

looking to settle up the 200
I owed him from the Dallas game.

You see, this was my plan.
I had figured...

that if about 200 people
came to my party at #2.00 a pop...

I could pay for the beer,
take care of the DJ...

and cover my debt to Troy.

- Hey, man. What's up?
- You all right?

I was just
in the neighborhood...

and I thought
we could take care...

of that unfinished business
that we had.

Right.

Having a party?

Yeah,just having
a few friends over, you know.

Huh. I didn't know
you were having a party.

Yeah.

Um... I'm about 40 short, man,
I mean, I'm sorry.

But we're rollin' in another keg...

and I should have the rest
by midnight, if that's cool.

Well, all right. Don't worry
about that right now.

Are these--
Are these people your friends?

Well, yeah. The ones that
don't puke in my room.

That's funny.

Can I talk to you
for a second?

Yeah.

- Yeah?
- Yeah.

All right. Come here.

You like this car?

This car's phat, man.

Yeah.

I bet you could throw
a hell of a party...

in the back seat of this, huh?

Oh, yeah.

Hey, baby, can you get out? I need
to talk to Benny for a second.

Benny: Nice car.

Thanks, man.

She's a pretty girl, huh?

Oh, yeah, she's a knockout.

Well, Rebecca and this car...

they have one thing in common...

upkeep.

Upkeep costs money, Benny.

Where do you
make your money?

I got a job... at Rossi's.

Rossi's, right.

Well, let me tell you, selling
underwear in some department store...

isn't gonna get you a car like this
or a girl who looks like that.

- I work in Suits.
- Sure you do.

You work for me, you can
make #1 ,000 a week.

#1 ,000?

That's right.

Doing what?

You know what
a stake horse is, Benny?

No.

Well, it's somebody
that's backing you.

Bankrolling your operation.

In your case, that'd be me.

Now, all you have to do
is you just get...

a few of your friends here together.
You start gambling.

You want me to be a bookie?

That's right. Take the bets...

if they win, you give 'em
some of the bank-- my bank.

Well, what if they lose?

Well, collecting,
that's not so pleasant...

but that's why I'm willing
to pay you up to a grand a week.

Oh, whoa, nah,
'cause first it was a grand.

And now it's ''up to'' a grand.

[Laughing]
All right. All right.

Well, you know, you keep your
#5-an-hour department store job.

I'm offering you a chance
to make some easy money, OK?

Now, at most, you're gonna work
1 0-1 5 hours a week tops.

I mean, the action--
That doesn't really ever start...

until the day before a game.

You get 1 5% of my cut.

So if you book
#1 0,000 in bets...

I clear half that, you get 7 50.

- 7 50?
- That's right.

No offense, but I feel like
the longer I'm talkin' to you...

the more money I'm losin'.

Well, that all depends upon
how hard you wanna work.

All right, well, what if
there aren't any winnings?

Seriously, what if we lose?

Benny, Benny, Benny,
we're the house.

The house never loses.

You want a couple of beers?

I got class.

You do, and it's about
to start right now.

Can we have
a couple of beers, please?

You got that remote?

All right, Benny,
here's the deal.

Ever since the tortoise
first lined up against the hare...

there's been some joker willing
to put a deuce down on one of'em...

and someone just as willing
to book the bet.

Now, what
you're gonna be doing is...

you're gonna be taking bets
on the spread.

I know what the spread is.

No, you think you know,
but you have no idea.

Thank you.

It's pretty easy
to understand, though.

The spread represents
a number of points...

that one team is favored
over another.

For example, the Bills.

They might be 6-point favorites
at home over the Dolphins.

Essentially the Bills
are giving the Dolphins...

an extra 6 points
at the end of the game...

so that if you bet Bills,
they had better win by 7 points.

Otherwise,
I hate to tell you, kid...

the smart money
was on the fish.

Calculating the spread,
you have match-ups to consider...

win/loss records
at home and on the road...

a West Coast team
traveling east...

is gonna have more jet lag...

than an East Coast team
traveling west...

injuries,
the playing schedule...

emotion, motivation--
all these things factor in.

It's tricky.
You gotta do your homework.

But that is what's gonna
put money in your pocket...

and that's
what it's all about, Benny...

putting money
in your pocket.

Benny:
What a rush.

Troy opened my eyes
to a whole new way of life...

a new religion.

And I gotta tell you,
I gotta tell you...

I gotta tell you
I was a believer.

[Telephone Rings]

Men's Suits, this is Benny.
How can I help you?

Hey, Benny,Josh.

Yo, what's up,Joshie?

Hey, put me down
for 50 on Denver.

50 Broncos, cool.

Bottom line, I loved it.

I mean, you know, technically...

what I was doing was illegal...

but, come on, you ever throw
a 1 0-spot into an office pool...

because you had
a little tickle in your tummy...

for your favorite team?

[Telephone Rings]

Men's Suits, this is Benny.
How can I help you?

Benny, it's Billy.

Hey, what's up, Billy?
What you need, bro?

Give me Rams for 1 00.

1 00 Rams.

Besides, I was making bank...

like #2,000 a week.

Yo, that's-- That's more money
than I ever seen...

in my entire life...

and Troy was right.

It seemed like we never lost.

You know, that's what was so crazy.

Like, these kids
were losing money...

and there they were right back
the next week to bet again.

Excuse me, young man...

[Telephone Rings]

I'm sorry,
can you just wait?

Just one second, sir.
I'm sorry.

Men's Suits, this is Benny.
How can I help you?

Yo, B-Man!

What's up, Fat Larry?
What's shakin', bro?

We swingin' last night,
or what, bro?

Yeah. You know, that was
off the hook, bro. It was.

What you think about
my girl Sylvie?

Yo, she was tight.
She was tight.

Yo, you knockin' boots,
or what?

Nah, I ain't tellin' you.

What you need, bro?
What you need?

200 on the Bills, baby.

200 on the Bills.

You got it.

All right...

I'm sorry. I was wondering
if this tie--

[Telephone Rings]

Ah, gosh.

[Ring]

- Uh--
- [Ring]

Eventually,
it became pretty clear...

I was gonna have to
devote more of my time...

to my extracurricular activity.

Hey, Callie!

You remember me, right?

Benny. Benny Silman.

Yeah, how could I forget?

Good, well, how'd you do
on that midterm?

Um, I passed.
How about you?

Oh, I got, like, a 96.

90--
You got a 96 percent?

Yeah.

Unbelievable.

I don't know.
I surprised myself.

Oh, wait, no, I get it.
I get it.

[Mocking] Numbers always
kinda come easy to me, right?

Ooh, wow.
That's, uh, pretty good.

No, seriously,
yeah, that's not bad.

Uh, I think
you kinda missed...

a certain Scarface thing
that I got working.

Well, I'll have to work on that.

Maybe we could
work on it together...

you know, I could coach you.

Or, uh, maybe I could help you
with your homework or something.

Homework?
That sounds so romantic.

Let me ask you something.

How's this workin' for you?

What?

This whole smart-ass attitude.

Offering to do girls' homework...

so they'll go out with you?

Oh, whoa, whoa. Whoa. Whoa.
Hold up, now.

I never actually offered
to do your homework for you.

- And that would be wrong.
- Mm-hmm.

I don't do bad things.

How many dates
you get like this?

Not one, so far.

So you come here a lot?

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

They got a pan-seared
Chilean sea bass.

Ooh, I love sea bass.

- Do you?
- Yeah, how do they prepare it?

They put it in a pan,
and they sear it.

They put it in
the pan and sear it.

With chili juice, yeah.

I'm gonna have to make you
cook that for me sometime.

I can make one, I mean, I'm not
as good as this place, you know?

Plus the bartender's got
the hookup, you know what I mean?

Like I could come here
after a big game with the boys.

- We like to celebrate.
- Big game?

Yeah, oh, you should
know that about me.

I'm into sports.

- Oh.
- I'm a big, big, sports fan.

- What kind of sports?
- Anything and everything--

Baseball, football,
hockey, basketball...

jai alai, figure skating,
whatever.

Hey, Benny,
how are you tonight?

Who is that? Phil?

- Yeah.
- All right.

Good to see you.

So, Benny, big weekend, huh?

You think Montana can pull it out?

Yeah, I don't know.
I don't know. I don't know.

I guess we'll see.
We'll see this weekend.

We'll see this weekend.

We'll see.

We'll see.

- All right, Phil.
- Yeah.

- Good.
- Yeah.

- OK. Good to see you.
- All right. Pleasure.

- OK.
- Good.
- See you, Phil.

- Bye.
- Phil, man, he's a good guy.

Figure skating fan?

No, no, Phil likes
to talk about football.

Yeah, he's like one of them
armchair quarterbacks,

trying to relive his glory days
of high school.

Yeah, right.

Yeah. So tell me,
what's your major?

Well, actually,
I'm a Design major.

Benny, Benny,
uh, excuse me.

Benny Silman? Chuck.

Remember me?
Gary's cousin.

What's up? Oh, Gary.
Yeah. How's Gary?

Well, he's--
He's OK.

Uh, listen,
I've been meaning to call you...

about the Ram game.

Right. Right. Ram game.

Your best bet
is call me tomorrow.

- All right?
- OK.

I'm kinda having dinner
right now.

Know what I'm saying?

Yeah, sorry. Look, I'll give you
a call tomorrow.

All right?
All right. Nice to meet ya.

All right.

Uh, I'm embarrassed.
Damn, I'm sorry.

Don't be sorry.
Just doing business, right?

Nah, it's just, you know,
I got, like, a lot of friends.

I make friends quick.

Just working.

What are you talking about?

Oh, come on, Benny.

You're a bookie.

Benny-man!
What's shakin', Cap'n.

So what's the line
on the Eagles this weekend?

[Laughing] Yeah, what's the line
on the Eagles this weekend?

Ooh, no, no, no, um...

actually, the Rams--
I wanna put money on the Rams.

You should think about
putting money on the Rams.

You really should.

I've heard it's,
like, a good thing.

Are you a Rams fan?
He's not a Rams fan.

- All right.
- What is the line on the Eagles?

You're makin' fun of me.

No, I'm not.

Can we just get the check?

We're gonna get outta here.

I grew up in North Carolina.

Um, we had a horse farm
outside of Charlotte.

- For real?
- Mm-hmm.

A horse farm?

Mm-hmm.

That sounds completely crazy.

I'm a city boy.

I had no idea
horses grew on trees.

Very funny.

A ranch.

We raise quarter horses.

- Nice.
- Uh-huh.

You miss it?

I do.

It's beautiful there,
and I miss my sister.

I miss my dad.

I was supposed to go
to Chapel Hill.

Everybody in my family
went to Chapel Hill.

So, needless to say,
they weren't too thrilled...

when I decided
to go to A.S.U.

I don't know, I just--

I needed to do something
for myself, you know?

[Sighs]

What about you, Benny Silman?

Oh, no, no, Silman's
not my name.

That's just an alias.

I'm a Rockefeller.

- Oh, right.
- That's right.

[Laughs]

All right,
you ready to get to work?

Get to work?

Oh, yeah.
This is a working date.

That's right.

Let's begin.

Who wrote
The Theory of Economic Behavior?

- You gotta be kidding me, right?
- Nope.

Come on, now.
You need help with this.

OK, um...

The Theory of--

...Economic Behavior.

V...V...

- Von...
- Von...

N...

N...

Neumann! Neumann!
Von Neumann!

- That's it!
- Yes!

That's perfect. Very good.

You're a smart cookie.
I'd like to eat you up.

Ooh.

All right. All right.
I'm gonna try a harder one.

I'm gonna try
to stump you now.

Ooh.

Explain economic parity.

Oof.

Hoo.

Um...

supply and demand are... equal?

Close. Awfully close.

Not at all, huh?

Here, let's try another one.

OK.

Who said,
''Homework isn't romantic''?

Me.

Bingo.

Benny:
So Callie and I started dating...

and it was great.

Everything was going my way.

As long as there was sports
on the TV...

people were bettin' like mad...

and I was pulling in
lots of money.

Done.

- All right.
- [Knock On Door]

Come in!

Benny.

Oh, what's up, Troy?

How'd we do this week?

We took a hit on the Islanders...

but the Bulls game was pretty.

We cleared about 4,000.

It's all there.

All right.

Keep up the good work, kid.
I'll see you next week.

''Keep up the good work.''

Problem was I was just
handing it over to somebody else.

Troy was the only one
making money.

So the next year I decided
to try and go out on my own.

I got my own crib.

I got about 30 guys gambling...

with 3 Gs of my own money
as the bank...

and it was
the Dolphins and the Bills...

and everyone bet the Bills.

It was pretty much
if the Bills won the game...

I'd lose everything, and...

I'd be out of business,
like, the first week.

Damn!

Come on, Danny boy!
Come on!

Hey, Benny, how much money'd
you put on this game?

One time!
One time!

Run it!

[All Shouting At Once]

Oh, yeah! Yeah!

Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!

Hut! Hut! Hut! Boo-yah!

Now, if you're keeping track...

of the pivotal moments in my life...

this had to be a big one.

Because as soon as
Dan Marino made that pass...

I was in business for myself.

All right, let me tell you, man...

business started poppin'!

There was so much action...

that I started hiring my own crew
to answer some of the phones.

I mean, it seemed like there was
nothing people wouldn't bet on.

I'm talking baseball,
football, basketball...

hockey, soccer, swimming--
you name it.

Hey, Benny, what's the line
on Nancy Kerrigan?

Uh, dude, she's sucking.

Two-to-one against
Katarina Witt.

Dreams, that's what
I was dealing in...

plain and simple.

I like green.
Green's like my favorite color...

'cause it's the color of the earth,
you know? The grass.

Benny!

Hey, Benny.

- Yo, what's up?
- Hold up, man.

Yo, how you guys doin'?

What's going on?

- It's Stevin ''Headake'' Smith.
- Oh, cool.

- Yo, what's up?
- What's up?

- What's up, Benny?
- How you doin'?

I'm Callie.

Nice to meet you.

How you doin'?
Good to meet you.

Hey, can I talk to you
for a minute?

Yeah. Yeah, talk.

- Excuse us for a minute.
- OK.

So I've been hearing your name
all over the place, bro.

Word on the street says
you got things dialed in.

Yeah. Yeah.
Maybe. You know.

Yo, that's a sweet ride, bro.

Oh, my boy Brady, he got
the deep pockets, man.

He hooks me up now. I'll get
him back when I hit the pros.

A little reciprocity,
you know what I'm saying?

I hear you.

I mean, you think I could dress
like this on an NCAA salary?

True that.
True that.

Oh, but look, bro.

I wanna put 2 hundo
on my Dallas boys this weekend.

That cool?

Are you a Dallas fan?

Oh, born and raised.

Yo, I am the craziest
Dallas fan ever, bro.

That can't go over
too well back in Brooklyn.

Dude, tell me about it, man.

It's--
It's hot on the block.

- For sure. For sure.
- All right? All right. All right.

Two hundo on the boys.
Yo, consider it done.

- All right.
- You know, anytime...

for you, for your boy,
your whole fam...

you know where to come.

Cool. Good lookin', man.

- Thanks.
- Yo, peace.

All right, Headake.

- Bye.
- Cool.

See ya.

All right.

It's crazy. It is.

That kid's gonna be
in the NBA one year.

No joke.

Yeah, you got 1 ,400
on the Bulls givin' 1 5.

All right. That's good.

Benny: So we settled in on
a routine of rakin' in lots of cash.

But diversification
is the key to growth...

so I encouraged my boys to look
for other areas of opportunity.

One of those kids, Nick,
did just that.

- Hey, Benny?
- What?

Hey, this is my older brotherJoe.

Oh, hey. How are you?

How you doin', Benny?

I'm good. This is T-Bone.

How you doin'?

T-Bone...

was Nick's older brother.

He was a sharp gambler--

kinda like a wise guy...

27-year-old stockbroker
and very well connected.

Why don't you have a seat?

Make yourself comfortable.
Where you from? Chicago?

Yeah, I was on my way
to San Fran.

You don't sound like
you're from Chicago.

Yeah, well, I travel a lot.

Checkin' on my little brother.

How's he doin'?
All right?

Staying out of trouble.

So I hear.

Nick tells me you got
quite a little operation...

in the works here.

Just fulfilling a demand.

It makes me feel proud...

to know that there's still...

some enterprising
college pukes in the world.

I see busloads of'em
every day in Chi town...

walking around
with their diplomas...

and their hands out.

You're ahead of the game, Benny.

You gotta keep that attitude.

Nicky says you like
the action, huh?

I play.

Matter of fact...

what do you got the Bulls...

givin' on the spread this weekend?

- We got 1 5.
- 1 5.

1 5? Ouch.

Bet you Riley's got the Rolex...

ridin' on a spread like that.

Why don't you put me down
for two dimes...

- on the Bulls.
- All right. 200?

2,000, Benny.

You can cover?

Yeah.

I can cover that.

Great. What do you got
the Celtics doin'?

- Seven, at home.
- Wow.

Seven, huh?

You might be a little generous
on that one, Benny.

Oh, yeah, you think so?

Well, yeah. Why don't you give me
two on the Celtics?

Two more on the Celtics?

- Yeah.
- You got it.

You good with this?

- Yeah.
- You sure, kid?

I got it.

What about the Spurs?

What are the Spurs doin'?

TheJazz.
TheJazz are giving 1 2.

That'll be a barn burner.

Heh heh heh heh.

Gimme two on theJazz...

just 'cause I like
those purple uniforms.

- Done.
- Great.

You should swing by
my hotel Sunday.

- Sunday.
- We'll settle up.

Nicky, good.
Yeah.

- All right.
- All right, T-Bone.

- Take care.
- All right, guys.

Later, T-Bone.

That's a good touch.

You outta your mind?

Are you outta your mind?

Benny, you just took six grand.

You can't cover #6,000, Benny.

Chill. Chill out, dude.

There ain't no way
he's gonna win 'em all.

Hey, Benny.
Come on in, kid.

Come on, what are you
standin' there for?

Get in here.

Come on.
Don't look so down.

You know what they say:

''You win some,
you lose some.''

Yeah. I lost all three.

You sure did, kid.

That's tough luck.

Have a seat.

Hey, uh,JoeJr., man,
um, listen...

I got like, #2,800 in cash.

I got another 900 in markers.

I can have that to you
by the end of the week.

The rest, I'm just gonna
need a little more time.

I wasn't interested
in breaking the bank, kid.

You told me
that you could cover.

I know.

Drink?

Uh, no, thanks.

You got balls, Benny.

That's commendable...

but I gotta tell ya...

one look at
your little enterprise...

and it's clear you're going
about things all wrong.

[Sighs]

What do you mean?

I mean your system is antiquated.

Your logic is sound...

but you gotta
think outside the box.

You need to be more creative.

Left-brain thinking in a business
dominated by right brainers...

is what's gonna set you apart.

For instance...

spending a lot of time reading
the sports pages, right?

Making calls, checking stats.

You probably even know
a team's flight schedule.

But anybody, anybody
could pick up a paper...

and get that information.

What I'm talkin' about
is knowledge.

''The steam.''

- ''Steam''?
- That's right, kid.

And it's hot.

And you gotta move fast
before the steam vanishes...

'cause if you don't
act on the steam...

you're left with nothin', zilch.

Inside information.

That's what
I'm talkin' about, kid.

Once you got that...

the spread becomes meaningless...

because then
you're calling the shots.

Right? Hmm?

I tell you what.

I take what
you got for now.

Forget about that six grand
you owe me.

What I want you to do is concentrate
on what you can do for me.

If you could bring me something
that we could both use...

then maybe we could
work together.

All right.

Like what?

What are you thinking?

I don't know.

I do know one thing...

that you'll know it
when you see it.

You're dizzy already.

Shut up, you fat bastard.
Look at that.

Waat-aah! Hyah!

Come on, what the--

You just hit me.

You just ruined my perfect--

Waah!

That is all she wrote,
my friend.

You owe me another 20,
Headake.

That's another 20.
Look, you bet me, OK?

I told you I'd kick your ass.

That's right.

Hey, and it was a pleasure doing
business with you, my friend.

Don't go too far.
I need money, too.

Pleasure.

Yo, ''B,'' what up?

Hey, yo, Headake, yo.
What's up, kid?

How you livin'?

- I'm a'ight, man.
- Yeah.

Look, here's that three hundo
from the Falcons game.

Aww, yeah, yeah.

Your boys took
a bird bath, huh?

You ain't lyin'.

How's business, man?

I gotta tell ya...

that was one hell of
a game against S.C.

I made a boatload
off of your skills.

Ah, you made
money off of me?

Oh, yeah.

Oh, yeah.

Everybody makes money
off me but me, man.

Wish I could make
some money off me.

I won't lose no games.

You won't have to.

[Telephone Rings]

- Yeah?
- Benny: Hey, yo,JoeJr.?

Hey, what's up?
This is Benny.

Hey, Benny.

So I was thinking about
what you said the other day...

and I think I got something.

Spill the beans, kid.
What is it?

I got a player.

I got a player
in my pocket.

I thought you might
be interested.

Now you're workin', kid.

I'm interested.
Who is he?

He's on his way to becoming...

the second highest scorer
in A.S.U. history.

You gotta be kiddin' me.

Nope.

You sure you got
this kid in the bag?

All tied up
and ready for delivery.

We're talking about
shavin' points here, Benny.

That could be tricky.
A lot of things to consider.

You gotta find the right game...

and you gotta make sure that your
pony can't spook out of the gate.

He won't, and I got the game.

Trust me.

How much is this
gonna cost me?

40,000.

40 Gs is a lot of money, Benny.

Is he worth it?

We can't lose.

What? What happened?
What happened? What's wrong?

Tell me again why
I decided to take calculus?

'Cause you look so sexy...

with that calculator
in your hand.

Don't be charming, Benny Silman.

That's only gonna get you so far.

- Oh, yeah?
- Yeah.

- Is that right?
- Mm-hmm.

How about we hide
behind the microfiche...

and see how far?

Mmm, what's with you,
Mr. I'm-in-a-good-mood?

- Nothing.
- Nothing?

- Nothing.
- Yeah?

Excuse me. Come on, B.

Baby, I'm gonna be right back.

All right?

- OK.
- OK?

[Callie Sighs]

[Whispering]
Hey, yo. What's up?

What's up?
It's on. It's on.

It's on. So it's like...

20 Gs after you
deliver the game...

against Oregon State.

- 20 Gs?
- Dude.

- 20 Gs? But--
- Dude.

[Whispering]
Damn!

I know. I know.

Wait. After?

Who said anything about after?

How do I know these guys
ain't gonna stiff me?

Man, they ain't
gonna rip you off, man.

Dude, I'm meeting the guy
in Vegas after the game.

I'm gonna get the money,
you know.

You ain't gotta worry
about that--

- Trust me.
- All right.

All right? What's
the match-up look like?

I'll get Upton.

He's their best player.

Mean jumper from about 1 8.

Perfect.

All right, listen...

so the line's gonna be about nine.

All you gotta do
is just make sure...

you don't win by more
than, like, six.

- No problem.
- Yeah?

Nah. I got it under control.

- You can swing that?
- Sure.

- All right. Yo.
- Yes?

You know, keep this
under your hat.

No one needs
to know about this.

I don't wanna get in trouble.

I don't want you
getting in trouble.

You understand?
Just keep it on the D-low.

- All right?
- Oh, yeah.

[Crowd Cheering]

Oh. Bam!

Announcer:
Headake Smith, plus the penalty.

Good shot. Let's go.

You havin' a good time?

- Yes.
- That's good.

Announcer:
Headake. Headake Smith!

Oh!

Benny: Things couldn't have
worked out any better.

Headake had the best game
of his college career...

and they won the game by six.

Of course, Callie had
no idea I'd won the game...

even before it had started.

The next morning I caught
an early flight to Vegas...

to seeJoeJr.
and collect my money.

P.A.: Final boarding call
for Flight 1 1 7...

service to Burbank now boarding.

Benny, come on. Get in.

Benny!

This is Dominic and Joseph.

Fellas, this is Benny.

Who are they?

These are my partners.

Partners?

How come you never
said nothin'...

about no partners, man?

Supposed to be between us.

Come on, relax, Benny.

This is Dominic and Joseph.
These are family friends.

What kind of family?

Joseph: Relax, kid.
My father and I...

are in the trucking business.

On the side,
we like to play the action.

We're the ones who
fronted you the 40 Gs.

I gotta tell you somethin', kid.

You and your little pony
did a good job.

Almost too good.

I came this close
to havin' an aneurysm.

When your boy banked that
last three off the glass--

Ma-lonk! Whew.

You weren't lyin', Benny.

When you said you had that kid
all wrapped up nice and neat...

you had him wrapped up
nice and neat.

What do you say,
we go collect our monies?

Benny: Me and the rest
of the goombah parade...

made pit stops at every sportsbook
in Vegas, collecting bets.

Imagine...

getting tomorrow's
newspaper today.

That's what I gave them...

and they loved me for it.

Say, kid, you better
stay in the car.

Why?

Why? Because if some
eye-in-the-sky catches you...

and some big brain
puts two and two together...

you're toast.

- On word?
- Word.

The eye-in-the-sky?

- Eye-in-the-sky.
- Got it.

Got it?

The eye-in-the-sky!

Is this great stuff, or what?

Benny:JoeJr. explained to me...

that each bet was kept
under 1 0 grand...

so we wouldn't
draw a flag...

at any one casino.

# Up to no good... #

# Shot #

# Shot #

# Shot #

# Up to no good #

# Shot #

# Shot #

# Shot #

# Up to no good #

If there's one thing
I learned, kid...

when you're on a roll...

chase your bets.

JoeJr.:
What do you think, Benny?

You think we could do it again?

Shouldn't be a problem.

Ha ha! Headake, my man!

Unh! What up, dawg?

What up, kid?

Yo, you almost made me
keel over at that game.

- Did you see that?
- Did I--

Career-high 39 points?
Ten three-pointers?

Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.

Whoo-hoo!

Whoo-hoo!

Yo, I gotta tell you, B-man,
I had it right there...

in the palm of my hand
and everything.

When I popped a ''J,'' you know,
with, like, 1 2 seconds left...

a little off-center,
you know what I'm sayin'?

And it dinged off the rim...

and the crowd was
just, like, ''Aw.''

Yo, it was perfect, dawg.

You did good.

Yes, I did.

Gimme the loot.
Gimme the loot.

Whoo-hoo!

Aah!

Aw.

Ha ha ha. Damn!

Right? Right?

- Huh?
- 20,000.

And they want to do it again.

When?

It's up to us.

All right, now, tomorrow
against Oregon looks good.

How you feel?

Damn.

Can I help you?

You know who I am?

Benny:
Shawn ''Big Red'' Pepello...

local drug dealer and
self-made gangsta wannabe.

You know why I'm here, don't you?

Did you want to place a bet?

Nah. I'm in.

In what?

Don't make me
waste my time...

beatin' the crap
out of you, kid.

I know you got a player
on the basketball team...

in your pocket.

Him.

Hey, man, I don't know
what you're talkin' about.

Later, B. I got practice.

I know you're shavin' points...

and I know you got
a good thing goin'.

And I'm in.

If you don't mind my asking...

how did you get
this information?

Oh, I got friends.

When's the next game?

Tomorrow. Oregon.

Good.

How much is in there?

20,000.

Now, here's the deal.

I'm gonna go ahead
and keep this for now...

just to make sure you do what
you're supposed to tomorrow.

Then I'll give it back,
plus another twenty.

Is that OKwith you?

Sure, man.

Good.

And you. You're gonna watch
the game with me tomorrow.

You understand?

This way I can keep
my eye on both of you...

at the same time.

- Baby.
- Mm-hmm?

I gotta go.

- No.
- No, I gotta go.

Callie, baby, I gotta go.

No, no, no, no, no.

- Mmm. Mmm.
- Baby...

I gotta go. I gotta--
No. I gotta go.

Why do you have
to go to Vegas?

You were just there.

Yeah, well, you know,
it's just for the day...

and I'm gonna
be back tonight.

What's goin' on?

Oh, you know,
the guys screwed up.

The guys screwed up...

and they took too much action
on that Celtics game...

and, like, I just gotta--

I just gotta lay it off for 'em.

I'm just layin' some of it off.
That's all.

You know, it's just work.

It's just--
It's just work.

It's just work.

I want no work.

Sweetheart, I can't.

I want no T-Bone, no Mook.

Sweetheart--

Just you and me.

I want to. Mmm,
I want to so bad, but--

- [Horn Honks]
- Ah, I gotta go.

- Oh, baby.
- I gotta go, Callie.

I'm so sorry. I love you.
I'm gonna call you.

I'm gonna call you, all right?

You're a sharp guy, right?

You know all about gambling.

Yeah, I guess. Why?

'Cause I'm offering you
a sure thing here.

Baby, why do you gotta do that?

Why you gotta do that for?

You know I gotta leave.

You know I gotta go.

Oh, God. You know, listen.

Mm-hmm?

I'm gonna be back
by 9:00, all right?

We're gonna go to dinner
at Diego's, all right?

I promise.

Benny:
Oh, man, I was in deep...

and there was no way I could
tell Callie what was goin' on.

She would have freaked.

I had 600 pounds of sin
waiting for me in that car...

just droolin' for another win.

And it was all on Headake.

If he didn't deliver...

there was no doubt I was gonna be
comin' back from Vegas...

wearin' a toe tag.

Announcer: Headake at the top
of the key waiting for a pick.

Now he's gonna pull up,
and he gets it.

Headake Smith.

The Ducks have been giving
A.S.U. the perimeter...

for most of the second half...

and the Sun Devils--

Benny:
It wasn't lookin' good.

A.S.U. was givin' twelve
to the Ducks...

and Headake couldn't quite
get it under control.

They were up 1 5
for most of the game...

and I was startin' to sweat.

Your boy better shave us
at least ten there, big shot.

He'll do it.

Oh, he better.

Headake, please, man.

Benny: If Headake
didn't get on track quick...

this was gonna be a train wreck.

Come on. Come on!

Benny:
We were still up by twelve.

Headake needed to trim two more.

Headake, please, bud.

Benny: Two before the buzzer.

We just needed two.

- [Buzzer]
- Yeah!

Yeah! Yeah! Ha ha ha ha.

This guy is a gold mine.

Whew!

Yo, Headake was amazing.

Headake had mastered
the art of giving 98%.

Watch this.

No, don't watch the shooter.

Watch Headake.

Look at his foot position.

He steps back six inches...

just before the player
fires the ball.

Just enough to take him
out of reach.

It was a perfect 98%.

It was the perfect crime.

No clues. No victims.

Everybody collected again.

JoeJr. and his crew,
they doubled their bets...

and Big Red, man--
all of a sudden, I'm--

I'm his best friend.

And to show
his appreciation...

he threw me one hell of a party.

[Ring]

[Ring]

Hello?

Benny:
Hi, sweetie.

Hey, baby.
Where are you?

Uh, listen.
I'm still in Vegas.

I missed the last flight.

Benny--

I know.

I'm sorry.

What's that music?

Uh, nothin'.
It's just some music.

Yo, listen, um,
I'm gonna stay here tonight.

I'm gonna catch
the next flight home tomorrow...

and we'll go to dinner
tomorrow, OK?

Yeah, OK.

Callie: I love you.

Uh, Callie, I-- What?

Love you.

I can't hear you.

Callie: I love you.

Yeah, you know what?
I can't hear you, baby.

You know,
I'll just-- I'll just--

I'll just see you
tomorrow, all right?

All right.

Hi.
[Giggles]

Whoo. Ha!

#Yeah, baby, yeah #

Oh.

# Hey, baby, hey, baby #

#Yeah, baby, yeah, baby #

# Hey, baby, hey, baby #

#Yeah, baby, yeah, baby #

# Hey, baby, hey, baby #

#Yeah, baby, yeah, baby #

# Hey, baby, hey, baby #

#Yeah, baby, yeah, baby... #

# Interruptin' #

# Dr. Locomotion has some
very important instructions for you #

# One, two, three, four #

# Clap your hands,
stomp your feet #

# Shake that thang,
move to the beat #

# Clap your hands,
stomp your feet #

# Shake that thang,
move to the beat #

# Clap your hands,
stomp your feet #

# Shake that thang,
move to the beat #

# Clap your hands,
stomp your feet #

# Shake that thang... #

Benny: I don't know.

I guess you could say
I kinda got...

sucked into the lifestyle.

All the perks.

And, boy, there were perks.

#Yeah, baby, yeah, baby... #

Look at you, kid, huh?

Another hole in one.

To say we're happy...

is an understatement.

Congratulations, Benny.

Now, you are keeping this
between us...

and your little pony, right?

Benny: The Mangiameles
had no idea about Big Red...

and Big Red had no idea
about the Mangiameles.

I was playing the middle...

and that's exactly
how I wanted to keep it.

Yeah.

Dominic:
That's good. Very good.

'Cause we wouldn't want
too many hands...

in the cookie jar.

You know what I'm saying.

Yeah.

So, when do we want
to do it again?

We need to find
a good game.

Benny, you don't stop...

when you get her down
to her panties, do you?

You go for the pink, right?

Find another game...

and let's keep this hump going.

- A'ight.
- That's right.

You know,Joseph,
with the panties and the pink--

Sorry.

Benny:
All told, including the side bets...

some of the guys
were making for me...

Headake and I
had cleared #1 00,000.

Ooh.

[Knock On Door]

Yo!

Yo, get the door.

What? Oh, hey.

Hey, my man. Headake.
How you doin'?

Hey, nice game last night.

B-Man around?

Oh, yeah.
Benny's in the bathroom.

Hey, Benny! Benny.

You got company.

- Hey.
- Headake: Yo.

When'd you get back
in town, man?

- Aw, like, an hour ago.
- True.

Uh, you wash your hands?

- Fo' schizzle.
- A'ight.

You got something for me?
Baby, wassup?

All right, here's--
that's um, 20K...

that Big Red owes you.

There's another 20 in there
for last night.

Aw, ho ho, damn!

How sweet it is.

How sweet it is.

So, uh, yo, when we gonna
do it again, man?

'Cause you know I need
one of these for the other pocket.

Yeah, I know you do.

I know you know I do.

You know that I know that--

You know that I know
that you know--

Prime time!
Prime-- What?

[Cash Register Ringing]

Benny:
I had a steady girlfriend...

and believe it or not...

I was still doin' good in school.

Plus, I was makin' money
hand over fist.

For a 21 -year-old college kid...

I had it all.

Boys.
[Chuckles]

For all your hard work...

and thanks to a year-end
promotional sale at Hedwick's...

allowing zero down and zero payments
for the first 2 years--

incidentally,
by which time most of us...

with the exception of, possibly,
Mook, will have graduated...

[Guys Laugh]

and disappeared
from this sandbox--

I have managed
to secure for us...

the ultimate in home furnishings.

OK? Now, from
the bottom of my heart...

and the depths
of my pockets...

behold.

Aah! Ha ha!
Oh, my God!

What?

Boom boom.
Boom boom.

Boom boom.
Boom boom.

What are you doing?
[Gasps]

- Aah. Aah!
- Mook!

-Just a fish, baby.
- Mook!

Hey, no toys in the tub.

All right.

Let's get out.
Let's go watch a movie.

We'll be back.

So, have you thought about
what you're gonna do...

after graduation?

Why?

It's called
making a plan, Benny.

A'ight...

how's about...

I buy us a ranch
down in Mexico?

I'm sorry. No, a farm.

Oh.

And you can raise horses...

and I'll be your stable boy.

Oh, very funny.

Why not?

Let's play a game.

I love games.

All right, let's pretend that...

I'm not one of
your gambling clients...

and I'm not one of the crew...

and I'm the only person
in your life...

who doesn't buy your crap.

That doesn't sound
like a very fun game.

Let's just try it, OK?

So, seriously,
what are you gonna do?

We're bein' serious now?

Don't be nervous
about being serious.

How 'bout you seriously
slide out of this bathing suit?

How 'bout we wait
till we see who wins?

OK. A bet.

I was thinkin' about maybe...

- staying here for a while.
- Tempe?

Yeah.

What about New York?

There's just nothin'
for me there.

Well, what are you gonna do here?

What do you mean?

I mean, you're 21 years old.

You're gonna
be a college graduate.

You're gonna have to get a job.

I have a job.

Come on.

What?

You just--
You can't let the gambling...

and the partying
and the hustling...

keep you from living your life.

You're a bookie.

That's not real.

All right.

You're right. I'm gonna talk
to my advisor on Monday.

I'm gonna see
what's out there.

Did I win?

Maybe.

[Telephone Rings]

Hello?

Is Benny Silman there?

This is his mother calling.

Just a second.
It's your mom.

My mom?

Hey, Ma?
Yeah. Hold on.

- Mom: Oh, Benny.
- Hey.

What is the bubbling sound?

Benny:
I'm just boiling some water.

Oh. Good, good.
So you're cooking?

Yeah. I'm makin' spaghetti.

But I hope that's not all
you're eating.

I'm eatin' good.
I promise.

- Huh?
- [Movie Playing Loud]

What is that racket?

No, no, nothin'.

Yo, Benny, grab me a beer...

while you're in there,
grab me a beer?

- [Girl Shrieks]
- No, that's just the TV.

Please turn that down.

Benny, you sound hungry.

I'm gonna send you
sponge cake...

and some chicken soup.

No, no, no.
Don't send chicken--

You don't send chicken soup.

You can't send chicken soup
through the mail.

We already got
chicken soup here.

Chicken soup from Arizona?

Don't be silly.
It's no problem.

[Sighs]

So, Benny, you haven't
called me in a while.

Yeah, well, you know...

I been swamped
with everything, Ma.

You know, college stuff.

Yeah, so you're just too busy
to pick up a phone.

How long does that take?

Ma, I'm sorry.

You meet a girl yet?

Yeah, I met a girl.

Is she nice?

Yeah, she's a nice girl.

Is she treating you right?

Yeah, she's treating me right, Ma.

Uh, look-- Ooh!

- Listen, I gotta--
- What's the matter?

I gotta go.
Ma, I gotta go.

[Loudly, Straining]
I gotta go!

I gotta go.
I gotta go.

- Mom: I love you.
- I'll call you back later.

- I love you.
- I love you, too.

Would you-- Mmm.

[Callie Giggles]

[Crowd Cheering]

Benny: Oh, yeah. Whoo!

I'm the King!

[Laughing]
Yeah!

Benny:
A.S.U. lost the game...

but we still beat the spread...

and everybody cashed in again.

I was startin' to think...

there was nothin'
I could do wrong.

Midas touch. Goldfinger.
That was me.

I was livin' large
and lovin' every minute...

and I couldn't get enough.

The problem was,
neither could anybody else.

How you feelin', kid?

Bulletproof.

That's 'cause you are,
Benny, my boy.

You're the man now.

Looking good, got
a little money in your pocket...

livin' a life
people only dream about.

We got this thing
dialed in, don't we?

Hell, yeah.

Airtight.

Word is bond!

So, when you wanna
do it again?

I don't know, man.
I mean...

it's almost the end of the season.

There aren't really
any good games left.

You know what I'm sayin'?

I think we can find one.

No, I don't think so, Big Red.

I think we should just chill.

Yo.

Whoa, man.
Yo. Yo. Ow.

What you worried about?

You're bulletproof, remember?

Nothing can touch you.

Big Red.
Big Red, man.

Hey, I'm just kiddin', man.

Look at us.

We're on the top of the world.

I was staring down
the barrel of a gun...

at the top of the world...

and it was a long way down.

[Snoring]

Girl:
What's the matter?

Benny: I promised Callie
I'd take her to Diego's for dinner.

- I couldn't be late.
- Where are you going?

But I still have a lot to do.

My flight from Vegas
was delayed...

so I wasn't able to get back
to Phoenix until 4:30 P.M.

JoeJr. and the Mangiameles
were happy again.

Big Red was a fat cat.

Headake got another 20 grand...

and after I collected
all the side bets...

I was lookin' at
another 1 00,000 bucks.

I was king of the long green.

- Absolutely rollin' in it,
- [Telephone Rings]

but I was startin' to get itchy.

Uh, yeah?

Hey, hey, Big Shot.

Yo,JoeJr., what's up?

Listen, we need to talk about
runnin' our pony again.

Uh,JoeJr., listen.
Can I call you back?

All right, kid. But don't
keep me waitin', all right?

- Right back.
- All right. Cool.

Benny: See what I mean?

Everybody had dollar signs
in their eyes.

That's all they were lookin' at--

Money, money, money.

They couldn't see
what I was seein'.

Our luck was runnin' thin...

but I couldn't worry about it.

It was almost 5:00,
and I still had to...

swing by my econ. policy class...

pick up my dry cleaning,
gas up the car...

and meet Headake
before I picked up Callie.

Benny, what up?

Brady: What's up, Benny?

[Rap Music Playing]

What the hell's
he doin' here?

- Oh, it's Brady, man.
- What is this?

Oh, it's dope, ain't it?

Check it out.
Check it out.

[Cranks Up Volume]

I got me 1 27 speakers
up in this bitch.

What?

1 27 speakers!

What? Yo, are you crazy?

Man, yo, make that lower.
Make it lower!

Relax, Benny.
You're runnin' on edge.

Don't tell me to relax.
Don't tell me to relax.

Don't tell me to relax.

Yo, make that lower, bro.

Hey, yo, I told you, man...

be cool with that cash.

And you go out
and you buy yourself...

a brand new Who-ride
Pimp Truck?

- Headake: Come on, man.
- [Engine Revving]

What are you, crazy?
What are you thinkin', man?

I only put 5,000 down...

and the rig
was in my boy's name.

Yo, Headake, man, what do you
think people are gonna say...

when they see this?

Man, who cares what people say?

A fan hooked me up.

Happens all the time.
It ain't a big deal, man.

You're missin' the whole point
of the whole story.

No, I ain't missin' nothin'...

except maybe a baseline jumper...

when you need me to miss.

And I don't see you
complainin' about...

all the green you got
in your pocket because of it.

Yo, shut up.

You got my jack, or what?

I'm gonna give it
to you tomorrow.

No, no, no, no, man.

It's cool. You can give it
to me right now.

Brady knows what's goin' on.

What?

He knows.

Benny, Benny, relax.
It's cool, man.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Chill. Chill.

You got a problem,
Benny?

- Big man now?
- Relax.

Benny, we gotta talk
about some things, man.

Benny.

- Benny!
- Wake up, man.

We gotta talk
about some stuff.

I got you, Silman.

I got your ass.

[Telephone Rings]

Benny:
Things were startin' to heat up.

It was gettin' outta control...

- and I could feel it.
- [Ring]

Big Red was blowin' up my pager...

wantin' to do another game...

JoeJr. was waitin' on a callback...

Headake was out of control.

I was tryin' to stay
one step ahead.

Just one step...

but I was slippin'.

I hadn't slept
in two days even.

And it was gettin' late.
I needed 1 0 minutes.

Just 1 0 minutes.
That's all I needed.

And I'd be ahead of
the ball again.

Ten minutes.

- [Telephones Ring]
- [Pager Beeps]

[Snoring]

Yo, Benny, what the hell
are you doin' right now?

Oh... What time is it?

Oh, no! No.

Big Red is on the phone right now...

actin' all crazy, sayin'
he wants to talk to you, man.

- Damn!
- What? What's--

What are you doin', man?
You all right?

Just, um, nothin'.
Just, uh, you know...

tell him I'm not here.

You want me to lie to him?
Big Red?

Just do me a favor, all right?

I can't talk right now.

Just tell him I must've left,
or somethin'.

[Into Phone] Yo, Red,
I can't find him up in here.

Callie.

Callie, come on.
It's me, Benny.

Yo, it's me. Callie.

Damn.

Come on.

I know you're in there.
Come on, Callie.

Callie, come on.
I'm sorry.

Please let me in.

Let me in.

Sweetheart, what do you want?
I'm sorry, all right?

I--I--I got caught up
at work.

There was a screwup
with the Atlanta game...

[Coughs]

and Mook thought that--

I don't want to hear it.
I don't want to hear it.

I don't want to sit here
and wait anymore.

I don't wanna sit here
and play second string...

to a bunch of gamblers, OK?

I don't want to sit here...

and watch you
waste your time.

You've got so many things
you could do, Benny.

So many things you can offer.

When are you gonna realize that?

First of all...

you're not second string
to me, all right?

I love you very much.

Oh, don't cry.

Don't cry.
Listen, right here, right now...

I promise everything's
gonna change.

I'm gonna turn over
a whole new leaf for you.

Benny, you said that before.

I must've said it many times...

but I'm mad serious
this time, you know...

'cause I ain't tryin' to lose you.

I don't want to lose you.
I love you.

And we could still go out.

Just you and me,
we'll go out.

Dinner and-and dancin'
and, you know?

Let me make it up
to you, all right?

It'll be perfect.

Just go upstairs
and get dressed.

[Softly]
Benny... I am dressed.

Baby, I'm gonna go get us
some drinks, all right?

I'll be right back.

Yo.

Hey, yo, let me get a drink.

Benny!

Benny.

What a surprise.

Headake.

Hey, baby, do you mind
if I talk a little business?

I'll meet you
on the dance floor.

You know,
there was no need for you...

to get all up in my boy's grill
today, man. Wasn't necessary.

Oh, no. You know what?
This is not the time to talk about this.

Well, when is it time, brother?
'Cause we need to get into--

Later.
We'll talk about it later.

No, no, no.
There is no later, Benny.

There's only here and now.

The Washington game's
coming up this weekend.

I say we ring the bell.

Would you shut up, man?

- Shut up?
- Keep it down, man.

I ain't got to do nothin'!

Now I need
to do this thing...

and you got to do
your part, right?

- Man: Headake.
- What are you, drunk?

What's up, man?

Whassup, dawg?

Whassup, big man?
How you doin'?

I can't talk to you right now.

Oh, you can't talk to me now?

Now, see, that don't fly, man!

'Cause I know you ain't got
nothin' more important goin'...

than what we got right now.

What?
We gonna to do it again?

- Yeah, we're gonna do it again.
- We can't!

The hell we can't.

There are no good games left.

None! There's no
good games left.

It's out of control, bro.

You're out of control, man.

Don't you see that?

- I'm in control.
- It's too dangerous!

Screw that, man!

It's time to cash in.

What do you think this is?

What do you think
we're doing here, bro?

Reason with yourself.
This is all wrong.

All wrong!

I'll tell you what's wrong, Benny--

I ain't tryin' to get in trouble.

You know how much money
a top male basketball player...

generates for his school annually?

You know what?
I don't even care.

Oh, you don't care?

I don't. No,
I don't want to hear it.

#7 00,000!

That's a 7 with 5 zeros
behind it, man!

You believe that?

You know how much
money was bet...

on college basketball
alone last year, man?

#50 million.

That's a 5 with 7 zeros
behind it, man.

Man, are you with me so far?
'Cause here comes the kicker.

Do you know how much money...

a guy like me
makes off of all of that?

Zero.

No number in front of it.

No number behind it.

Just zero. You got it?

Yo, Callie!
Yo, Callie!

Whoa, whoa, where you think
you're goin', man?

We ain't finished yet.

I'm gonna do this thing.

One more game.

Are you in or out?

Benny: This is the thing
you got to understand.

I could have
walked away right then.

And believe me,
every cell in my body...

was screaming to do just that.

Just walk away. Leave.

But money,
especially easy money...

has a strange way
of drowning out the voices.

Benny:
This was it. The last push.

A.S.U. vs. Washington.

The Sun Devils were
giving 1 1 to Washington.

Not the kind of dog
you want to wag.

Big Red managed
to work a deal...

with some Cuban guys
he was in business with...

to fund his roll of the dice.

JoeJr. and the Mangiameles
bet the farm.

As for me,
I let it ride, too.

I had JoeJr.
bet all the money...

he and the Mangiameles
were paying me.

From what I heard...

Vegas looked like
an A.S.U. Homecoming parade.

Word got out, and I mean
everybody and their mother...

made the trek to Sin City...

to lay down their milk money.

I even heard about 1 5 guys...

who packed in the back of
a U-Haul truck and made the trip.

There was so much action
on this one nothing game...

that the spread went from
1 1 all the way down to four.

Me? I was a nervous wreck.

I wanted to stay as far away
from Vegas as I could.

T-Bone and I decided to watch
the game at the arena.

I don't know why. I thought
maybe I'd bring us some luck.

I had no idea our luck had
run out long before tip-off.

Give me
the Gaming Control Board.

[Referee's Whistle Blows]

TVAnnouncer: That's a big shot
for the Huskies there.

Not a good start
for Arizona State.

Come on in, Zans!
Go for it!

This is the sportsbook manager
from the Mirage.

We've moved the line
over 40 times...

on this
Arizona State-Washington game.

Well, the problem is,
it's a meaningless game...

and we've taken
an avalanche of betting on it.

TVAnnouncer:
But Headake and the Sun Devils...

just can't seem
to get it going.

OK. OK.

Man, it's about time.

Come on now, Headake.

[Crowd Groans]

Get off your heels!
Come on, boys!

You got this one
dialed in, bro.

They better win this game.

Coach: Come on now.
Set up, Headake.

After this game, man...

I'm gonna take my girlfriend
on a nice vacation, bro.

You should.

[Crowd Groans]

Hell, well, we're--
Hey, coach.

- What?
- Take it.

Hello?

What?

[Buzzer]

What the hell
is going on out there?

Huh?

Somebody want
to tell me?

I just got a call from
the Athletic Director...

who said the Pac-1 0
was asking him...

if he knew anything
about a fix on this game.

And from the way you clowns
have been playing...

I'd say the whole
goddamn team is in on it!

Headake, you want to tell me
where you've been the first half?

Having some trouble
with my ankle, coach.

I can't push off right.

You're out.

Yeah. Sutton,
you're in for Headake.

Cheerleaders:
Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!

OK.

It ain't no thing.

Twenty minutes.

Yo, check out--

Yo, check out Headake.

- He's limping.
- What?

He's limping.

What is he doing
like that, man?

Snap.

TVAnnouncer:
And Headake Smith...

who hobbled out
of the locker room...

will sit as the Sun Devils
begin the second half.

[Whistle Blows]

TVAnnouncer: This looks like
a totally different Sun Devil team.

They've really started to run away
from the Huskies in the second half.

And all this with Headake Smith
not on the floor.

[Pager Beeps]

Whew.

Do you believe this?

TV: ...and that puts
A.S.U. on a 1 2-0 run.

TV:
After that sluggish start...

the Sun Devils play inspired
second-half basketball.

The clock right there makes it
22 unanswered points.

Yeah, I know.

You know, do me a favor.
Don't talk.

[Pager Beeps]

TV: This one will go down...

as the big blowout victory
for Arizona State.

[Buzzer]

Go find me that punk,
right now.

Bring him to me.
Are we clear?

Yo, you all right, Benny?
It's me.

Ben?

You're in some trouble, huh?

You could say that.

I got me a buddy...

down-down in San Diego...

that's got a vacation place
you can use.

San Diego?

Come on. Come on.

Come on. Callie!

Callie!

Callie! Yo, pick up
if you're there!

Callie! Callie! Callie, come on!
Callie, come on!

Damn!

Going somewhere, big shot?

You little punk.

You think you can
double-cross me...

and just disappear like that?

Set him up!

I can explain everything!

How stupid do you think I am?

I never meant
to double-cross you, Red!

Shut up!

How much did you make today?

I didn't make anything!

Don't lie to me.

Unh! Ow!

Get him up!

Yo, man, I'm telling you,
Red, man...

I lost everything I had!

You and your friend...

cost me #1 million
of somebody else's money.

I lost everything I had!
I swear, man!

[Gun Cocks]

Aah!

Man: Benny!

- Who are you?
- Who the hell are you?

Better put that thing down, man.

Put yours down.
He owes me money.

I'm not going anywhere
till I get it.

Well, he owes me money!

I don't care
who owes you money!

Put your gun down!

I ain't doin' nothin'!

Better put it down,
or I'm gonna waste ya.

- Put it down!
- You put it down!

Headake, get off me!

Benny: This was it.
The grand finale.

If I was giving odds on
my own life at this point...

me seeing tomorrow would've
been a long shot.

Somehow...

I managed to talk
Brady and Big Red down...

by promising them
a nice chunk...

of Headake's NBA
signing bonus...

he was sure to get.

I decided,
with all that was going on...

plus the fact that
I screwed up with Callie...

I'd come down to San Diego...

and clear my head
a little bit...

until the dust settled.

The Feds investigated the game...

but since we won...

and by more
than the Vegas line...

everybody assumed that
the rumors were just that...

rumors.

I thought
I got away with it.

Thing is...

the only guy...

who sees all
the difference of angles...

is the big man...

upstairs.

That's because...

he's got
that bird's-eye view.

Down here...

you never know what's gonna
come around the corner.

Brady?

- No. Wrong guy.
- Hey, hey, hey.

Agent Simms.
Agent Vasquez. FBI.

We'd like to have
a word with you.

Why do you have
37 computers...

sitting in your
living room, Brady?

So I'm a computer whiz.
What's the big deal?

The big deal is those computers
were bought with stolen cards.

Oh, come on.

Sixty counts of fraud, Brady.

Plus, since you bought them
mail order...

that's interstate
trafficking of stolen goods.

Conspiracy to move
stolen property.

You're looking
at 1 0 years, kid.

Ten years?

It's ridiculous.
We're talking about...

friggin' computers,
for Christ's sake...

not human heads.

What if I knew something?

If I had some information.

We're all ears.

This is hot. It's real hot.
I want a deal.

I'm not going to Attica...

for some overpriced
calculators, all right?

That depends
on what you know.

You guys know anything
about college basketball?

Yeah. Yeah,
I knew Benny.

And you knew he was engaged
in illegal bookmaking?

Oh, yeah. I know
he was making book.

He was hanging out
with Headake Smith.

But I didn't know anything
about fixing games.

I don't know
anything about that.

It's important that you
tell us the truth, Adam.

Other people have said
you were involved, son.

What other people?

That's not important.

What is important is that...

if you don't
cooperate with us...

you're probably
gonna go to jail.

[Laughs Nervously]

Come on.

Now would you say
that you and Benny...

are friends?

No.

We weren't really friends.

Get the hell outta here, man,
all right?

Benny never fixed no games.

You know, you guys
have got to be crazy.

Maybe he'd take a--

uh, he'd book a bet
here or there.

Not a big deal.

Other people have named
you as being involved.

[Snickers]

You think you're
gonna get me...

to drop a dime
on my friend like that?

Screw you guys.

Screw you.

I'm not gonna answer
any more questions...

till I get my lawyer.

And you know what?

Even then, I might not
answer diddly.

Yeah, I heard Benny and Headake
were shaving points...

but everybody knew about it.

Even had some guy in Chicago
fronting the money on the games.

All right, Mr. Gagliano...

this plea agreement
states that...

in exchange for
a lighter prison sentence...

you will cooperate with
the United States government...

in its case
against Benny Silman.

You might want to read it.

What's the point?

He made it sound simple.

So it was his idea?

Yeah. There was nothin'
Benny wouldn't do for a buck.

So why did you agree to do it?

I didn't have any option.

I was into him
for over #1 0,000.

He said the only way for me
to erase my debt was to fix games.

The Feds have been building a case
against you for some time.

Do you know a Joe Gagliano?

Yeah, I know him.

He just entered into
a plea agreement...

naming you
as the mastermind...

behind this
point-shaving business.

Mastermind.

A similar agreement
was entered into...

by a Stevin ''Headake'' Smith.

What?

What? No, no, no.

Hold up. Hold up.

He-He-He...

wanted to do it
as much as I did.

Not according
to his statement.

Headake claims you approached
him with the idea...

in order to erase #1 0,000
worth of debts he had incurred.

He nev--

He never owed me nothin',
all right?

He was--
He was right there with me.

He wanted to do it
as much as I did.

I got statements here
from friends of yours...

naming you as
the guy in charge.

I can't believe this.

You know a guy named
Shawn Pepello?

Big Red.

They found him dead
of a heroin overdose...

but you never know
in cases like this.

Word is he was in deep to a group
of people for a lot of money.

You're in some
serious trouble, Benny.

It's not just gonna disappear.

[Sighs]

Oh, my God.
What a surprise.

What are you doing home?

Ma, I think I'm in trouble.

What did you do?

What did you do?

The indictment includes...

Arizona State basketball player...

Stevin ''Headake'' Smith...

and the alleged mastermind
of the operation...

22-year old Benjamin Silman
of New York.

Who's going in front of
the judge today, me or you?

Well, I got the press out there...

they know who's going to be there.

I gotta look good.

What time is it?

Almost 2:00.

[Knock On Door]

S'all right.

[Knock On Door]

[Gargles]

T-Bone:
There she is.

Come on in.

Benny!

Would you mind
if I meet you outside, T?

No. No sweat.

See you, Callie.

I'm so happy you're here.

How you doing?

OK.

You look good.

Yeah, like, for the judge,
you know?

Heard you graduated.

Yeah. Finally.

I actually got offered
an internship...

at one of the top
architectural firms in L.A.

You did?
Congratulations.

Thanks.

You believe this?
It's crazy.

Yeah.

[Sighs]

I got, like, a really good lawyer
though, Callie.

Like, he's one of the best
at this kind of thing.

He says I got a good shot
at walking away...

because Headake had
considered fixing games...

- like, long before he met me.
- Don't.

Don't.

He thinks I can get out of this.

When are you gonna stop?

Brady...

you want to know
what he was involved in?

Callie, he was like--

Benny, you can't just
talk your way out of this one.

I wasn't alone.

Fine.
Maybe you weren't.

Maybe it wasn't even your idea.

It wasn't. That's right.

Well, that doesn't matter.

What do you mean
it doesn't matter?

I'm looking at four years, Callie.

Four years.

Nobody else is looking at that.

They wanted to do it.

They turned on me.
All of them.

Like, they pretended
to be my friends...

and then they dumped me.

And, like, now,
I'm looking at four years.

It's not fair.

You still did
what they said you did.

It doesn't matter
what happens today...

that's not gonna change.

You can...

lie or manipulate
or maneuver...

or do whatever fancy-lawyer
things you want to do...

but that's not gonna change
that you did what you did.

When are you gonna
own up to that, Benny?

[Door Opens]

Yo, Ben. Sorry.

We got to hit it, man.

It's about that time.
Come on.

Benny:
The judge gave me four years.

The indictment
included 61 bets...

totaling a half a million dollars
for the fourth game.

Every one of those bets lost.

The Vegas sportsbooks
were the only winners.

The house never loses.

[Gate Slams Shut]

My name is Benny Silman.

Up until recently...

I was inmate 43 207 008.

I spent three years in prison...

and I still got 5 more years
of probation to go.

The Mangiameles,
they got home detention.

Stevin ''Headake'' Smith
got one year in prison...

and lost his chances
of ever making the NBA.

I got a loving
mother and father...

who had to do harder time
than I did.

You know, for me,
doing the time was tough...

but for them, worrying about...

what was going on
with me in prison...

was mind-boggling.

I can never say that
I'm never gonna gamble again.

All I can do is
take it one day at a time.

And I can tell you
that right now, today...

I'm not gonna gamble.

They say the house never loses.

This might be true.
I'm not really sure.

But if it is true,
I'll tell you one thing...

I definitely wasn't the house.

I had the money.
I had the action.

I had the lifestyle.
I had the players...

and we still lost.

There's no such thing
as a sure thing in life.

And I'm a living example.
Look at me.

What do I have to show
for all this?

A felony. Three years in prison.

Five more years of probation.

A struggle to get a job...

and I can't even vote.

I mean...

it's enough said right there.