In 1998, John Dahl directed a film starring Matt Damon and Edward Norton called Rounders. The story line follows a talented young poker player, Mike McDermott (Damon), in the days after his best friend, Lester Murphy (Norton) aka “the Worm,” is released from prison. After watching this movie for the 100th time, it struck me how analogous it is to the past year’s fate of Sam Presti and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
After losing his $15,000 bankroll in one sitting against Teddy KGB (John Malkovich), a Russian mobster who runs an illegal gambling establishment, Mike decides to put away his cards and focus on law school.