Croupier

Croupier (1998)

- Now it had become the still center

of that spinning wheel of misfortune.

The world turned round him,

leaving him miraculously untouched.

The croupier had reached his goal.

He no longer heard the sound of the ball.

To begin with, he was Jack Manfred.

- Now, then. - I want a job, Giles.

I see. Well...

Let me tell you a little bit about our operation.

We like personality authors.

People the public recognizes.

Celebrity's what sells books.

You can always find somebody to do the writing.

What we need is the face... then the concept.

Right now I'm looking for a soccer novel.

Something where a tycoon buys a lousy team

and takes it to the top.

Seven-figure transfer fees.

Corruption all down the line.

Violence on and off the pitch.

Steroids.

You got any concepts?

It could be a thug story.

I'll tell you what, why don't you think about it?

Hmm? Couple of pages.

With plenty of sex, of course.

Fiona!

Interesting, Giles.

I will think about it.

- Let me give you three words of advice, Jack.

Don't give up.

Stick with it.

Who persists, wins, that's my motto.

Write, write, write.

- And Jack had three words for Giles.

Go fuck yourself.

Jack knew something was wrong.

He'd forgotten Giles' advice. Giles said three words.

Nobody around, leave a message after the beep.

Jacko.

If you're there, pick up, would ya.

I want to talk to you, it's important.

Jacko, I've got some news for you.

Come on, Jacko.

Yeah, Dad, it's me.

- How's it going? - Good, yeah.

- Found a job yet? - No.

- Well I've got something for you, in London I mean.

I've been chatting with some friends. Now...

Do you know the Golden Lion Casino?

They're looking for a dealer.

- Yeah, that's not what I wanna do, Dad.

- Now, I know you don't like taking my advice...

No, it's not that.

- Listen, I've set this up for you.

Now you call the Golden Lion, and you ask to speak

to Mr. Reynolds. That's the manager.

Now I don't know him personally, but I have spoken to his boss.

Now, don't say no, Jacko.

Give yourself a break.

- All right, Dad. Yeah, I'll think about it.

- Reynolds at the Golden Lion.

- Yeah. All right, Dad. Yes. I'll call him.

- You do that. That's my boy.

- So how are you doing, Dad?

Great.

Yeah, just started a new company.

Solid financing.

It's good.

Jacko, you know I love you, don't you?

Yeah. I know that.

- Don't let yourself down.

I won't.

I'll keep in touch.

Goodbye, Dad.

- It was unbelievable. I was in the room.

500.

Uh-huh. Blackjack.

See you then, bye.

- Sorry to have kept you. What'll you have?

- Nope. Jack knew it still wasn't quite right.

- I wanna fuck the whole world over!

Ha!

- He had just one word for Giles.

- David Reynolds. I'm the manager.

Sit down, John. - Jack.

- You've been recommended by the management here.

They know your father.

He's a bit of a reputation, hasn't he?

Has he?

- In any case, I understand you've had some

previous experience in South Africa.

You'll find the rules here just a little bit different.

Before we start, you haven't got a police record, have you?

No.

- What school did you go to? - I was at Bedales.

- Oh. I don't think I know that one.

Private, I suppose.

There's three types of casino in the UK.

High volume, small action, and middle of the road.

That's us. Okay, Charlie.

- Do you have a salon prive?

- We tried. Wasn't enough business.

Punters like company. - Welcome back, Jack...

...to the house of addiction.

Thanks, Charlie.

Right. Let's see you handle the chips.

- I have to assume the serial numbers

on the bowl and wheel correspond.

- We check every two days. - Why not every day?

Procedure here.

Right, sort the chips.

Go.

Good.

All right, now pay me out $1,800 in 25s.

Very good. Okay, let's have a look at your blackjack.

Fourteen.

Too many.

Nineteen, Sixteen.

Too many.

Thirteen.

Eighteen, Fourteen.

Nineteen.

Twenty.

- What's the count? - Minus nine.

- I make it minus eight. - Minus nine.

- What makes you so sure? - It's the rule.

Always stand by your first count.

The odds are you're right.

- Good call. - You want me to check?

- I said, good call.

- It had taken him 45 minutes,

but Jack now had Mr. Reynolds' number.

The man couldn't count.

- Right, just let me run through a few things.

As a dealer, you never gamble.

Not anywhere. And we'll need your picture.

- What for? - For the database.

It can be accessed by every casino in the country.

We have the same system for punters.

- I don't gamble. - Ever?

- I don't gamble, Mr. Reynolds.

Huh.

Next point.

Friendships between croupiers inside

or outside the casino are discouraged.

Relationships with females working here...

are expressly forbidden. - We had the same rule

in Sun City, but it was impossible to check.

- Well this isn't South Africa.

We'd know, because someone would report it.

Believe me, someone always does.

- Does know, or does report? What would happen

if I knew something like that and didn't report it?

We'd know.

There are no secrets in this casino.

And you'd be punished. - How?

- First offense, verbal warning. Second offense, written warning.

That one's filed and sometimes copied to the gaming board.

My discretion.

Third offense, you'd be sacked on the spot.

You'd never work in a casino in this country again.

And there's another rule.

You're forbidden to talk to or recognize a punter

outside the casino. If you see someone who's gambled here,

even if it's just casually on the street,

you must ignore him or her.

Not married, are you?

Girlfriend?

- Yeah. - She's not in the...

she's not in the gaming business, is she?

No.

Good.

This is our Crow's nest.

I'm showing you it now, but you'll never see it again.

Very impressive.

- We have tapes here that go back six months.

Here, let me show you something.

See that?

Six weeks ago.

Dealer missed it. Guy up here missed it.

I watch these tapes after hours.

Nothing gets by me.

Lady's in jail now.

It's easier to take ten million pounds from a bank,

than to take one penny from this casino.

Right. Well, as soon as you get your license, you can start.

Fine.

So...

Are you planning to make a career in casino work?

And end up like you?

L- I just want a job.

- You're not the usual type we get in here, Jack.

Mr. Reynolds was right, it was true.

Excuse me.

- Jack was up above the world.

A writer looking down on his subject.

A detached...