2008-08-19 - 12:40 a.m.
TUNICA, MS - An overwhelming majority of players seated at table 5 [4-8 limit hold 'em] in Tunica’s Gold Strike poker room were apparently entertained by an unidentified player who spoke only in quotes from the movie Rounders, casino sources reported Tuesday.
"There was this guy sitting in the one seat", Gold Strike dealer Mason Brennan recounted, "and every five minutes, no fail, he would spit out at least one quote from Rounders. That wasn’t the weird thing, I mean it was annoying, but not unusual. The weird thing was the other people at the table. They were laughing and nodding like they’ve never heard this shit before.”
Other dealers and floor managers reported hearing the unidentified man issue such well-worn, context cued quotes such as "I’m sorry John, I don’t remember” [when a player would ask him about a mucked hand], and "Women are the rake of life” [anytime a woman was mentioned in passing conversation]. As the night progressed, the man began affecting a vaguely Russian accent in an apparent attempt to mimic John Malkovich’s character.
"When I left the table at 9, it was pretty tame”, recalled Brennan. "Just your standard, cheesy-ass Matt Damon-spoken poker aphorisms. But by the time I got rotated back, say around 11, he’s doing this horrible Russian accent, like 'Eet izz bheg joke eeneway. I am jahust paheeying you wiv your ohn mohnee from last thime I steek it in you’."
