Mickey Rosa | 21 (2008)
Lesson: Cheaters will eventually get caught.
If you’re thinking about cheating in cards, on your taxes, on your wife — don’t. You’ll be living on borrowed time. Mickey Rosa (Kevin Spacey), a professor from MIT, was a talented card counter who eventually recruited a team to carry out his methods to achieve financial success. And it was glorious … until he got caught. Then it wasn’t.
(Fun fact: 21 was based on a true story but changed the names to hide the identity of those involved as well as embellished a few, probably all, of the stories. However, it’s been noted that Rosa was a hybrid of three people: Bill Kaplan, JP Massar, and John Chang — members of the MIT Blackjack Team in the 1980s.)
Mike McDermott | Rounders (1998)
Lesson: Be prepared to lose it all.
In the film, Mike McDermott (Matt Damon) lost his entire $30K pot to a Russian mobster. Unsurprisingly, he was unhappy. However, when you gamble on anything — a card hand or holding out more money from your job — you have to be willing to lose it all. Without a plan B, you can do what McDermott did — ask a rich friend to let you borrow lots and lots of loot.
Clark Griswold | Vegas Vacation (1997)
Lesson: There’s always an alternative.
In the worst of the Vacation movies, the Griswolds head to Sin City for more shenanigans. Hilarity does not ensue, but when Clark and Uncle Eddy head to “the other” casinos to play games that Clark is more familiar with, it’s a reminder that A) yes, you can find games like War in casinos; and B) you’re never as stuck as you think you are.
If you hate your job, find another one. It won’t be easy, but you’re not being held captive there. If your relationship blows, work on it or find another one. Again, nobody is holding a gun to your skull. There’s always a way out. You just need to have your eyes open to see it.
