Sydney is a veteran gambler in his sixties who still spends his time at the casinos. When he meets John, a loser with no money at all, he sees him as a son and tries to help him. He takes care of him and teaches him all the tricks of his work. He also helps him to make a relationship with Clementine, a young girl who works at the casino as a waitress. John doesn't seem to be bothered by the fact that Clementine is also a hooker, but soon something happens that turns their lives upside down.

When Jimmy (Samuel L. Jackson) and Sydney (Philip Baker Hall) have their confrontation, Jimmy mentions that he knows Sydney's friends Floyd Gondolli and Jimmy Gator. In Paul Thomas Anderson's next movie, Boogie Nights (1997), Philip Baker Hall plays Floyd Gondolli. In Anderson's followup to Boogie Nights, Magnolia (1999), Philip Baker Hall plays Jimmy Gator.

Sydney:
This is a very fucked-up situation.

Crew or equipment visible: Camera operator's shadow visible on the ground during the first scene where Sydney meets John (full-frame version only).

Music by Jon Brion and Michael Penn
Performed by Aimee Mann and Michael Penn