Billions (2016–…): Season 2, Episode 3 - Optimal Play - full transcript

Previously on Billions...

Rhoades' misconduct is
being investigated.

I have nothing to hide. You'll
receive full cooperation.

With it, without it, I'll
find out what's true.

Know that.

You broke into my computer,

opened my files, and
read my session notes.

You stole the
evidence you needed.

I thought I wanted to
bring you on full time,

but now that I know
I can trust you,

I'm certain I do.



I'm going to war with
Krakow and Guangdong,

and I need boots on the ground.

I want to crush this fuck.

That glass... It's
not a barrier.

It's an asset. It's
what makes you good.

You see things differently.

That's an edge.

The Attorney General's called
me down to Washington.

She's gonna fire me.

Take out an enemy, a
big, hard-to-kill one.

It's tough to fire you then.

I need to know how to beat him.

Will you help me?

You have to be
prepared to do things



that are entirely
outside the bounds

of conventional morality.

♪ Ominous music plays ♪

You know, the first time
I ever went to a game,

I was in your box.

So, you didn't grow
up with football?

Oh, I did, but it was on a
24-inch Trinitron knock-off.

TV's great, but you
really miss out

on being part of
something very special.

Yeah, you do...

which is why I've been thinking

about watching a few
more games in person.

Bobby, I don't know where
you get your intel,

but it's accurate.

So that franchise
is on the block.

It's going to be announced
in the next couple of days.

Well, when I become
an approved bidder,

I hope I can count
on your support.

Well, you can.

But the hoops you have
to crawl through...

They don't give a shit

how many zeros are in
your bank account.

I understand.

Just trying to
figure out where...

Where my seat's gonna be.

They're not gonna be here

'cause my team's not
for sale, Bobby.

Right.

And how are the
children handling it

on the nights you
actually switch?

- Fine.
- Not very well.

Kevin is still on about
that vows thing.

He brought that up again?

Yeah. Not directly,
but, uh, yeah.

Right after we split, uh,
in a moment of anger,

Kevin turned to me
and he said, uh,

"I thought 'vow'
meant 'promise.'"

We started him in
therapy the next week

and started coming here.

Yeah, well, anyway, he
crawled in my bed last night

and asked me to
make vows with him.

Did he have something
specific in mind?

It was a list.

First he asked me to vow...

never to leave him.

And then he wanted me to vow

to get you and me back together.

What did you say?

I said that Mommy and Daddy were
trying to work things out...

and that, while I can't
promise that they will,

I can promise that we will
always love him and Eva,

that we will always
put them first.

And that's my most sacred vow.

He's a really good dad.

Tell him that.

Chuck, you're a really good dad.

You're a really good mom.

Not every couple can do that,

recognize each other in the
midst of anger and uncertainty.

That's intimacy.

Let's see if we can
keep that going.

- What else is on your minds?
- -Money.

The Yale Club is kind of steep.

And we had talked about sharing
a satellite apartment.

I'm fine at my sister's,

but I think it makes sense for
you to get your own place.

Uh-huh.

Really, it's hard not to notice

the shrink sorority
eye-lock thing.

Chuck, this is not a conspiracy.

I don't want to speak for Wendy.

I'll just say it
felt like you had

an emotional response
that you didn't share.

Signing a lease...

is a commitment.

Do you mean financial?
Do you mean...

I had hoped that this separation

wouldn't be permanent
enough that it would entail

references and credit checks

and outlaying security
payments, but it'll be fine.

You know, I guess I'll
just, uh, sell something.

Chuck, you've got to
accept the new reality.

This runs deep,

really fucking deep.

I understand.

And that's intimacy, too.

It's just harder to hear.

- You been on Twitter today?
- Assume I haven't.

Krakow tweeted,
"Looking forward"

to kicking major Axe
Capital ass again

"in Hold 'em tomorrow
night, ♫alphacup."

It's fucking trending
in New York.

Don't respond.

If he wants to pop off online

while using the squatty
potty, let him.

We'll do our talking
at the table.

His team has outlasted ours four
out of the last five years.

He's a good fucking card player...
great, even.

Phil Laak calls Krakow a wizard,

says he can GTO-grind
a man into a nub.

How'd you like to
go work for him?

No, thank you, sir.

Respectfully, delicately,

regretfully...

he's better than you.

I see that.

Head-to-head, he is better.

So, we don't play?

No. We reduce his edge.

Is this, um...

Is this last night's
or this morning's?

What if I don't want to answer?

Well, maybe shower before
heading to the office.

I already did.

Well, I'm thinking maybe
you hit it again.

Heard Tisch will
support your bid.

Seems likely.

I wish I could be in there
negotiating for you.

We handled the M&A work for
the last two team sales.

Well, that's what Chuck
Rhoades will do to a man...

Rob him of his life's work.

He's a Stalinist...

Convict first, then
have the trial.

He hasn't even indicted anyone

at my firm or
subpoenaed documents,

just allowed the leak,
the insinuations,

the idea to fester in the minds

of the public that we're dirty.

As a tactician, I admire it.

As the target of it...

Old days when the
man with the badge

used it for his own purposes,

instead of to benefit
the township?

That man ended up on the
wrong end of a noose...

Yeah.

But not before he got a fuck

of a lot of his own
hanging done first.

Well, then, we better make sure

we burn the gallows down
before he gets to you.

- Is he prepared?
- Yeah.

He's ready to do
whatever he has to.

I look forward to
meeting him, then.

Anything come from the
surveillance yet?

Rhoades is not exploitable
at this moment.

- No openings.
- Find one.

Hall, I hear his
name in my sleep

and underneath every
thought I have.

It's always running.

It's like the fucking
Lord's Prayer.

Find one.

Is there some kind of a
prop bet going on here?

First one to mention
Lawrence Boyd

has to buy everyone
else cotton candy?

There's just nothing
to say, boss.

Really?

Nothing that isn't
speculative at best.

It's crunch time,

and Connerty's pulling
a Scottie Pippen.

What, do you got a
migraine, Bryan?

Come on, Chuck.
That's not fair...

to Pippen.

The man had just suffered
a personal loss.

I don't give a shit.
Lonnie, how about you?

I started a deep dive into
their inversion practices.

They keep so much cash
stashed overseas,

I figured there's got to be
some tax irregularities.

And were there?

So, there's nothing on Boyd and
company churning accounts?

On, uh, advising retirees
against their interests

or subprime mortgages
making a comeback?

How about hookers for
foreign clients?

You're telling me there is
nothing of which to speak?

Not as of yet.

I found something.

Please.

A couple of months ago,

a flight attendant on
the Spartan-Ives jet

made a small trade
ahead of a merger,

turned a $24,000 profit.

She overheard something.

No benefit was exchanged.
There's no crime.

I know that. You know that.

We went to law school.

She didn't.

Work this.

- Work it with her.
- Come on.

How many dots do you figure

between a flight attendant
and Lawrence Boyd?

You'll let me know.

Or maybe you won't.

Is there an implication in that?

Yeah.

There is.

What is the Alpha Cup?

Wall Street charity
poker tournament.

The winner gets
to donate the pot

to the charity of their choice.

It's like $15 million.

Oh.

Why are you asking
about the Alpha Cup?

Because Axe invited me to play

in the firm's other
seat along with him.

Oh, this is fucking bullshit!

Turn the fuck away.

That's my fucking seat.

I'm pretty sure it's
my fucking seat.

I paid for it.

I can award it to
whomever the fuck I want.

Axe, I've been your wingman
for the past three years.

I've been close to the
final table every time.

Yeah, which is another
way of saying

you missed the final table
three years running.

You know one of the things that
I really like about the NFL?

The cheerleaders?

Uh, yeah, yeah, when
I was 12, yeah.

But I'm all grown now, so I
was gonna say the contracts.

No other league gives
fewer guarantees.

You can sign for seven
years, $120 million.

Yet you shit the bed,

they cut you in the spring,

you're back knocking
on doors again.

So you're cutting me loose.

Well, I wouldn't say
it that way, but yes.

For that little...

Hey.

For Taylor?

Everything I measure myself by

has been called into question.

Todd.

This is for you...

by way of an apology

for putting you in
an awkward position.

Do I really look like I need

$5,000 worth of spa treatments?

You look like you
wouldn't give yourself

the gift of peace
of mind, so I did.

So you're my
personal Dalai Lama?

I did spend part of last summer
in the company of Rinpoche.

You know, I could actually
introduce you, if you want.

Why are you here?

I'm playing in the Alpha
Cup tomorrow night.

Ah.

It's that time of year.

It is, and I'd like you
to come, as my coach.

I'll pay you very
well for your time.

No. We've done
this dance before.

You're gonna want
insight into Axe or...

There are lots of villains
at the tournament tomorrow.

Axe is only one.

Look, I want to
perform at my best.

And like you said, it's scary
when you feel the pressure.

I can admit that.

I'm reluctant.

I am offering you a challenge

and a chance to redefine
yourself in the industry...

as independent,

separate from Axe in every way.

All the top funds will
see you as a resource,

not as his accoutrement.

If you thought I were that,

you would never have
come through that door.

I know you're not,

because I'm me,

but we both know we don't
work in a rational business.

You never hear "no," do you?

The word is said in my
vicinity on occasion,

but somehow it never
really lands on me.

It's clear to me
that if there were

any ethically
compromised behavior,

you weren't in the middle of it.

Glad as I am to be
seen, how do you know?

One... I have never come across

a more meticulous
written accounting

of a lawyer's conversations
and interactions than yours.

I... don't know how
you find the time.

Not much of a social life.

And two... you were the
only person in this office

who noticed and removed
a compromised employee.

You sat on the honor
committee at Princeton.

You are not in this to get
caught up in some scandal.

In other words, like
recognizes like.

But someone as...

keenly sensitive as you

must have noticed
the vibrations,

if not the actual sonic
boom, of impropriety.

I have not.

If any of that was
happening, I wasn't privy.

Uh-huh.

Thank you, Ms. Sacker.

I appreciate the offer,
but I can't play.

Is that the right word...
"can't"?

I'd prefer not to.

But you do know how?

What was your screen name?

Why do you assume I had one?

Your age, skill set,

the fact that everyone
here had one...

and that you had a lot
of nights in high school

when all the other
kids were either

stuck on their homework

or hanging out under
the bridge vaping.

ZachCody892.

I was 12 when I started
playing online.

I bet you were one of those
multi-table prodigies.

Sixteen at a time.

But then I quit poker.

Around the time you
went to college?

Black Friday?

I started playing live
for the first time

against classmates, grad
students, professors.

Oh, so you had to adjust
to the different speed,

different informational fields.

Yeah, I... I did fine live,

but then just moved
on to other things.

Moved on?

The whole "my dick is
bigger than yours" thing,

it wasn't for me.

You already knew...

about my entire player history.

That wasn't a guess.

Look...

I need to win this thing.

I put somebody on it
early this morning.

I had a feeling,
pulled your résumé...

saw some game-theory
strengths...

looked into it a
little bit more.

How'd you clock that I knew?

The way you listened
to my answers,

the cant of your head.

You weren't receiving
new information.

Can I convince you...

to try one more time to play?

I'd prefer not to.

That kind of competition
made me sick.

It literally brought on
feelings of malaise.

Okay.

Okay.

So, Michaela, the
following facts

have come to light.

You have no history of
investing in securities,

but on April 8th,

you invested your
entire savings,

$117,000,

in Dassan International
Potash stock...

two days ahead of a merger
that caused shares to rise.

Now, are you some kind
of potash expert?

No.

Just a potash enthusiast?

What?

I'm sorry.

You're actually the
flight attendant

on the corporate jet of the
bank that financed the merger.

You're making it sound
like I did something...

She's making it sound like
I did something wrong.

I thought I was being
smart for a change.

You do know trading
on inside information

is a crime punishable by
fine and imprisonment?

We're talking about jail?

Um, I'm not sure I should
be sitting here alone.

Time to get Sacker out of there.

Well, if you feel that
you've done nothing wrong,

you should be...

I'm sorry to interrupt.

Uh, Ms. Sacker, you are needed in Mr.
Rhoades' office.

It's urgent.

I just wanted to...
buy an apartment.

Believe me, I get it.

Things are stacked
against us in this city.

Can you tell me this
will all be okay?

Michaela, I-I know you didn't
mean to do anything wrong.

My colleague... Ms. Sacker...

She's got a very brass-tacks
way of looking at this stuff.

She doesn't see other factors...

that good people can step wrong.

I think I know how to help you.

But won't she...

No. I'm her superior.

You give me your cooperation,

I will give you my protection.

And like Earl Anthony

bagging the 7-10 split.

You will?

I will.

We have a real opportunity here.

If Boyd still feels
safe anywhere,

it's on his Falcon,
his flying cocoon.

And we need to be there when
he lets down his guard.

Sacker, Connerty's gonna
be the lead on this,

not because I don't
have confidence in you.

Bryan has a particular
set of skills,

skills acquired
over a long career,

skills that make him...

The object of a stewardess's
desperate lust.

Congratulations.

Where are you registered? I
hope you like cake servers.

I'll go get the SEC file.

Hey.

Oh, wow.

My God, the kids are
gonna love that.

Yeah.

Bach, good.

I need names, for a friend.

Yeah. I need a lawyer,
absolute killer,

the one you'd use if you
couldn't be your own.

I already did. Thanks.

Was that about Lawrence Boyd?

Yeah.

Why you going deep for him?

He asked.

A lot of people ask you

to use your influence and
resources every day.

You don't always say yes.

I don't like the idea
of Boyd going down.

It doesn't... Doesn't
sit right with me.

That's a good answer.

I believe it, but it's
not the whole answer.

You never give anyone
your playbook,

no matter how much you're
rooting for them to win.

It's like this...

Rhoades' attack on
Boyd is very public.

It's very loud.

If Rhoades wins,
he gets stronger.

If he loses, he's defanged.

Getting there.

And if we'd just met,

I would believe that that
was the whole thing.

The rest is strategy.

It's tactics.

If Boyd is convicted,
I'll be on the inside.

I'll understand what
works, what doesn't.

He's like a soldier.
We send him up front.

He's a scout.

He brings back intel, or
he becomes cannon fodder,

and that brings a
different kind of intel

about where we can step
and where we can't.

Lawrence Boyd isn't
exactly cannon fodder.

Babe...

everyone in the world,
apart from you, me,

and the kids is cannon fodder.

I'm sorry. I have to
deal with something.

See you upstairs in a minute?

Okay.

You're playing in the Alpha Cup.

It'll do you good... And me.

Consider it a part of those
168 hours you promised.

I can't promise results.

Competition doesn't
bring out my best.

Make a session with Dr. Gus.

Maybe he'll help you with
the competition piece.

Okay.

If Bryan lands this case,
I think Crim is his.

But that case could just
as easily break him.

Lonnie is taking the
surer, steadier route.

I was gonna ask which
way you were leaning,

but you seem almost
equally swayed.

Bryan has always expected it...

and worked for it

and Chuck like nothing else
in the world mattered.

And lately he's...

It feels like if this
goes the other way

and he gets passed over,

his entire purpose is
called into question.

Meanwhile, Lonnie
has been sent away,

called back, and never
let it derail him.

He's dogged.

And none of this
is being colored

by your personal
connection to Bryan?

In the past.

This is an advisory
conversation, not "Loveline."

Then you should think
about yourself

and the ways in which
you could contribute,

given more influence,
more control,

more access to decision making.

You're right.

Rhoades won't make
you head of Crim,

but his successor may.

Whoever gets it
will need a deputy.

That's true.

They say you can't ride two
horses with one behind,

but in today's business
world, it's a smart move,

as long as you're
up-front about it

so no one can accuse you

of being disloyal,
only intelligent.

Still pretty sharp
for an old dog.

Thanks, Dad.

So, you're saying that you
won most of the time,

but it made you sad to
beat your fellow students

in this... college game?

Yes.

But they're losers.

I have to tell you,

I've had 927 hours of therapy.

And that's supposed to make
me sit back on my heels?

Not at all.

It's supposed to give
you useful information

to make this session
more productive,

to save you from
using techniques

that I might have
already parried.

One... this isn't therapy.

Two... I've had more fucking
therapy than you have.

And three... Every
time you walk away

from doing what makes
you feel great,

even though it also
makes you feel sad...

something inside of you dies.

That's true.

Instead...

when you feel emotionally messy,

take yourself to where the
boundaries are clean.

It's effective.

It's why we've
developed sex workers.

Okay.

Thanks for your time.

You sure, Chuck?

Oh, I have to.

The Churchill World War II...
It's a hell of a set.

I mean, don't get me wrong.
I'm very happy to have it.

I'm sure I'll do
very well with it,

but I remember how long
you worked on this.

Well, maybe I can circle back

and grab them before
they're gone.

If somebody comes in,
I have to sell them.

But, you know, a specialty
item like this, at this price,

they'll probably be sold at the
Antiquarian Fair in April,

so, if you do come back,

I'll give it to you at
the carrying cost, okay?

"Dear Monty, never give in,"

never give in,
never, never, never,

in nothing, great or small,

large or petty.

Never give in

except to convictions of
honor and good sense.

And never yield to force.

And never yield to the
apparently overwhelming might

"of the enemy."

From the day I passed the bar,

I have said those
words to myself

the first morning
of every trial.

You can still say the words.

Thank you, Harry.

This is tricky.

There's nowhere to hide
it in plain sight.

So, what do you suggest?

A band on the upper
thigh, I think.

Do it.

Yeah, so...

right leg, left leg?

You got a preference?

Um...

I'm sorry. This is really, uh...

Could you give me a second?

Actually, could you stay?

Yeah.

Sorry. I-I didn't
feel comfortable...

I understand.

Um...

do you know how to do this?

Some parts of the job
are pretty intuitive.

Um, I can take it from here.

How does it look?

Passable.

You ready to go?

Mm-hmm.

How are ya?

♪ Just because you
find yourself ♪

♪ Off the streets again ♪

♪ That don't mean
that I can help you ♪

♪ Or I ain't your friend ♪

♪ Baby, trouble is
your middle name ♪

♪ Your trouble is that
that's your game ♪

♪ Now you're out of
circulation, out of reach ♪

♪ And out of touch ♪

♪ Let me keep you in the loop ♪

♪ Though I can't tell you much ♪

♪ Baby, trouble is
your middle name ♪

♪ The trouble is that
that's your game ♪

Bold move, coming.

I thought, "What would Axe do?"

Maybe it was a little soon.

Well, you know, you've made

every one of these
pricks millions,

and yet they turn away.

When this is over,
you'll remind them.

Fuckin' A.

For now, I'm just taking a lap,

marking the hugs and
snubs in my big book,

then I'm heading out of town...
Jackson Hole.

Good. Clear your head.

We'll talk when you get back.

Hey, great to see you, buddy.

Always piggybacking on my moves.

Maybe when you embrace
someone, it's a move,

but when I do it,

it's an expression of
profound sentiment.

You know my performance
coach, right?

Glad you could pitch in.

He needs all the
help he can get.

I've won three of
those bad boys.

How about you? Zero, right?

'Cause to me it's
just a game, Todd.

You take everything
so seriously.

Mm.

Ladies and gentlemen,
welcome to the Alpha Cup

charity poker tournament.

- Please take your seats.
- Excuse me.

- We're about to begin.
- Time to battle.

Axe.

So, I see you went to go work

for the downtrodden, after all.

I work for myself.

I bet that's what his masseuse

and manicurist tell
themselves, too.

Today we're here to raise
max dollars for charity.

And to see who's the biggest
swinging dick on the street.

I'll bet it's not
gonna be that guy.

Everyone, take your seats.

♪ Ominous music plays ♪

Paul, this is my dear
friend Lawrence Boyd.

Treat him as you would me.

Okay.

Larry,

do what this man advises,

and he will lead you
to the promised land.

Thank you.

So, the issue for me...

Never in threes about
any of this...

till we've all known
each other a long time.

This is why he's the best.

Okay, I'll leave you
two to get down to it.

All humans have stress points.

I'm a man who understands that.

And now it's my pleasure to say,

shuffle up and deal.

♪ Beach Slang's "Atom
Bomb" playing ♪

♪ My heart is set on '77 ♪

♪ Wild nights and porno mouths ♪

♪ I won't die, so I
don't need heaven ♪

♪ I'm too fucked
up to burn out ♪

♪ I'm an atom bomb
tick, tick, ticking ♪

Never gone out before the final
table in this thing ever.

I've never called out the
most powerful company

in the energy sector as
a fraud and been right,

so we're even.

♪ Electric guitar music
playing on headphones ♪

Yeah?

Well, it took you long enough.

Anything to report?

They're about to take off.
It's only Boyd on the flight.

Well, he might
make a phone call.

She might overhear something.

I'll keep you posted.

Okay.

Billionaire city, boys.

Hey, Todd. How you running?

Oh, my stack's a little
bigger than yours,

but what else is fucking new?

Let's say we make this matter.

$500,000.

What do you say, Krakow?

Yeah, let's do it.

Market's closed.
What's so fascinating?

She's almost here,
the Raya girl.

Ah.

A little swing oil?

You know I do.

Give me a, uh,
Michter's Celebration.

It's $800 a glass.

One, please.

He means one bottle.

I'm ahead.

You're not blinking.

What?

You're not blinking.

Well, maybe that'll unnerve him.

Or maybe you'll blink like crazy
when you pick up a big hand.

Take a breath.

Relax your features.

Hundred and fifty.

Call.

One fifty.

Call.

You're drawing?

Against you? Never.

Three hundred.

Seven hundred.

All-in.

Call.

We have two all-ins.

One of these players is
going to go home rich.

The other player is
going to go home rich,

but pissed off.

Gentlemen, flip your
cards up, please.

Ooh, top two pair.

Unfortunately, I've
got these babies.

You went set-mining against me.

I knew if you'd
hit, I'd felt you

because you underestimate
my strength.

It's who you are.

Well-played, Todd.

You trying to jinx me now
that you got four outs left?

Let's see the river.

Yes!

That's what I'm talking about!

- Yeah!
- Ah!

You owe me half a stick.

So good.

We done betting?

The tournament's still going on.

How about...

we double the wager

based on my firm
outlasting yours?

Well, if it was Dollar Bill,
I'd take it in a heartbeat,

but he's over there with
his thumb up his ass.

Who do you have?

Really?

That?

And you want to double it?

All or nothing.

Banked.

So, as soon as Prianca comes
back from the powder room,

we're gonna roll on out of here.

Take care of our boy.

Ah.

I would normally volunteer
to be his bodyguard,

but there's only
so much of me...

to go around.

It's a road bottle.

How do you get up
and go to work?

Ah, a little Lenox first
thing in the morning.

I got a guy...
Patient concierge...

Fixes me up with a
room and an I.V.

Forty-five minutes, and I
rebound like an undergrad.

Yeah, we did that
in nursing school.

I just never thought it...

Hi.

Hi.

Well, have fun.

How could I not?

♪ Rock music playing ♪

And now we're down to heads-up,

mano a mano, winner take all.

And then there were two.

Just you and me, hot stuff.

Let's have a five-minute break.

Yeah, Todd!

Tell me you're not
enjoying this.

I'm not enjoying this.

You're a killer,

and if ever a guy
needed killing...

He's hurting.

I mean inside. Look at him.

You think people were nice
to that guy as a kid?

No, but I really think,
even then, he started it.

♪ Rock music playing ♪

Can I get a Stoli Elit martini
with a twist, please?

Wendy.

Lara.

Hi.

You been here the whole time?

I walked in just before
the cards were dealt.

How are you holding up?

Fine.

You don't have to
be brave with me.

Divorces are hard.

So are marriages.

Yeah, I've heard other
people say that.

Excuse me. I don't want
to miss the main event.

So, Dr. Gus told me a bit
about your conversation.

Therapy is supposed
to be confidential.

It's not therapy.

He seems to think that you don't
get something out of winning.

He wanted me to pull you
from this entire event.

You didn't listen.

Eh, he may not be
very good at his job.

You love winning.

I do?

Yeah.

I keep going back to why you
quit the live game in college.

I didn't like...

I think it's that you didn't
like that it put the two things

that really fucking
matter to you...

Winning and being
thought of as good...

In direct conflict.

Heads up for the Alpha Cup

in two minutes.

I didn't quit.

They kicked me out, and it hurt.

I couldn't compete, so
they eliminated me,

and it filled me with
disdain, almost hate.

Hate is nature's most
perfect energy source.

It's endlessly renewable.

I don't want to lean
into that feeling.

You know the rider in
the bicycle movie who,

just when he has
victory in sight,

takes his hands off the bars

and just holds them
out like this,

taking in the sun, gliding,

letting all the other racers
whiz by him just because?

No, I don't. What
fucking movie is that?

I always want to be that biker.

Yeah, but you're not.

You and I don't get to glide.

We churn, and we don't get to
become friends with people

we play cards with,

but that's the sacrifice we make

for being able to
see what we see.

I know you believe that,

but I choose to take
a different lesson.

It's not a choice.

Now go back down to that table.

And if, when you see Krakow,

you think that maybe he
will become a friend,

then go ahead.

Take your hands off the bars
and let him ride on by.

Do you want to know a secret?

Your boss bet me a
million dollars

that you would outlast me.

So, you fuck up,

it's a million dollar mistake.

Good to know.

How do you think he's gonna feel

remembering that you
cost him a mill

every time he looks at you?

I mean, no pressure.

Don't let me get
under your skin.

You have no clue what
is under my skin,

and I am certain that a million
dollars in either direction,

to Mr. Axlerod or you, is
entirely insignificant.

And in the continuum, 10,000
years of human history,

this card game and
the Alpha Cup...

What does it mean?

By 2090, we'll all be gone,

every last one of us,

unless we've reached
the singularity,

and at that point,
will money matter?

Yeah, I've seen "Cosmos," too.

♪ Low-key dramatic music plays ♪

Action's on you.

I'm aware.

Four hundred thousand.

I'll call.

Not loving the flop.

Seven hundred.

What do they have?

See bet. I'll call.

Well, we know he's
stubborn with a pair,

so either he's way ahead
or he's fucking nowhere.

Check.

One-point-seven million.

I'm lost.

They might be making
a stop-and-go...

or surrendering.

Call.

Check.

What do you think?

I think Taylor's ahead
and has to trust it.

Time.

Can I talk to you for a second?

Excuse me.

I'm not getting a
good read on it.

You have any... That's
not your issue.

Really?

It seems to me that it is

since that's what stands
between me and winning.

No. Your anger is what stands
between you and winning,

your inability to de-personalize
this competition,

and as a result...

My inability?

I didn't pay you to come
here and criticize me.

I just wanted...

You just wanted me to
knock Axe off his game.

And I came here anyway
knowing that because I...

Well, I guess some part
of me wanted that, too,

and I am going to work on that.

Consider it a job well done.

Now, if you'll excuse me,

I have to go back to the table

and put the sword into
Axe's little pet.

Hey, don't worry so
much, all right?

It's gonna be great. We'll
celebrate later tonight.

Will we?

Will we have something
to celebrate?

What?

I was about to tell you that,

in your confusion
about your opponent,

you've become easy to read.

Bullshit.

I've been watching that
thing the entire time.

That's why I came here... So
it wouldn't see me looking.

I know exactly what I'm doing.

This is no place for
the meek, cupcake.

All of it.

You don't have a king.

You'd have reraised preflop.

And you're never
moving in on a queen

here in case I have the king.

I think you're on a gut shot,
four-five or five-six.

I think you're
trying to bully me,

and a bully's devastated
when you stand up to him.

I'm sorry.

Call.

I have ten-high.

God damn it!

Ten-high hero call?!

You skinny fucking freak!

Good for you!

♪ Low-key dramatic music plays ♪

♪ Dramatic music plays ♪

You're a fucking genius.

You gave me the idea.

Now give me your arm.

Mo.

So, I was like, "Who
is this person"

who couldn't be named and
had to sneak onto the plane

"in the middle of the night?"

And then I was like,
"Oh, it's Shayleen."

McKinnon?

Tom McKinnon's wife, major
player at the company.

Thomas McKinnon, Managing
Director, Fixed Income.

That must be a common thing...

Corporate spouse hitchhiking
on a hop back home.

Right, but what isn't common

is that they hopped into the
slumber cabin together.

That's when I knew I had
to get my butt back here.

Got another girl to be on
standby for the return flight.

It's not great quality.

Not usable.

I thought the microphone
might be too far away,

so I took a little...

initiative.

You know, some of the tension...

Yeah? Will you help me?

I'm sure has been
building up, yeah.

I want to show you this
getup I have back here.

Does that help?

Usable quality.

Uh, we, uh... We can
work with this.

Michaela, you did great,
above and beyond.

So, I believe I'm off the hook?

You are. Come on.

It's over, then?

Your part's done,
but the case isn't.

You're not calling me. I get it.

I can't have anything brought
up in court that might look...

You know, I checked, and
my trade wasn't illegal,

but I went ahead and did
it for you, anyway.

Good luck with your case.

Yeah. Hold on. Hey, Lara?

Hey, what?

I'm on with a guy from
Wimmershoff Capital Management.

They were there last night,
and they're all banged up.

You make house calls, right?

Starting at $500 a drip?

Starting at $1,000.

We're in business, Mo.

This is yours.

You won it.

I don't have room
for it on my desk.

Besides, people keep coming
by to drink beer out of it.

Hmm.

Okay.

But your name is on it forever.

I know you don't want
me to have attachments,

things that get in the
way of winning...

but you do.

That woman on the rail...

Krakow's coach... You
kept looking at her.

I thought you were trying
to see if she was cheating,

signaling him somehow.

She wasn't. I know.

Later I realized the whole thing

wasn't about you beating Krakow.

It was about breaking him

and having her watch
him go on tilt.

Breaking him was the
only way to beat him.

Was it?

Mr. McKinnon, I'm sorry
to put you through this.

It's Shayleen.

Turn it off.

Turn it off!

The moaning.

Yeah. I know.

I know.

Would you like a drink, Mr.
McKinnon?

No.

You're strong.

I'd need one.

I want to make
this divorce hurt.

I'll take the kids and
the fucking house.

Hold on to that, Tom.

Be hurt, sure.

Be angry at Shayleen.

She was weak. But
be angrier at Boyd.

He's the responsible party here.

Yeah. We were friends.

Spent long weekends
at his compound.

Lawrence Boyd can be
friend to no man.

He's a venal beast
of the first order.

He needs to demonstrate that
he is the alpha of the pack,

needs to dominate
you in his own mind

by heaving his seed
into your bride.

Jesus fuck.

He didn't use a rubber?

Of course you want to kill him.

I know I would.

Choke him till the
light goes out.

Violation like that stirs
a man to savagery.

You won't do it,
but you want to.

Isn't that right?

Yeah, I want to
fucking kill him.

Yeah, but you can't. The law
dictates that you can't.

And yet that doesn't mean
you have to let him win.

Okay, so, how do I win here?

Disgrace him.

Humble him.

Force him to his knees

and fuck his metaphorical throat
until he swallows your seed.

I'm in.

Boyd's been rigging
Treasury bids.

I'll get you whatever I can.

Whatever it takes, I'm in.

I talked to a friend of mine,
a lawyer for the League.

He back-channeled and
got a yellow light.

NFL thinks it would be
best for all involved

if you didn't bid.

Stated reason?

Public perception,

recent legal aspersion,
9/11 revelations.

Fuck!

But they appreciate
your interest.

Oh, do they?

You know, when they
like my number enough,

they'll like me just fine.

You know what we bid before.

A hundred more than any
team has ever sold for.

I'll bet a hundred over that

and send it right to
the league office.

Done.

These are the books
you asked for.

Oh, great. Thank you.

These mattered to him a lot.

Mr. "H" told me
to tell you that.

Good.

He instructed me to pay cash.

There's no record
of who bought them.

Thank you.

This one's signed to Monty.

General Montgomery?

Yeah, that Monty.

Well, you want them here?
At the house?

No. Put them in storage.

You know what?

Find all the other signed
first editions for sale

in the U.S. and in England...
Fuck it... everywhere.

And buy them all, every
single last one of them.

That'll be expensive.

Well, then it's a good thing
I'm a rich fucking man.

♪ R.E.M.'s "Begin
the Begin" plays ♪

♪ Birdie in the hand ♪

♪ For life's rich demand ♪

♪ The insurgency began ♪

♪ And you missed it ♪

♪ I looked for her ♪

♪ And I found her ♪

♪ Myles Standish-proud ♪

♪ Congratulate me ♪

♪ A philanderer's tie... ♪