You’ll Always Be a Winner

An aging con man and his bumbling grandson scheme against unsuspecting gamblers one winter in Atlantic City. Based on my book, “Everything is on TV.”

Roger sells card shufflers and poker chips from a rundown motel room on the outskirts of Atlantic City.

Or so he wants you to believe.

Growing old and tired of the con game, and running out of options to keep the rent on his rundown motel room, Roger enlists his young, upbeat grandson to do his dirty work, convincing upstart business managers and unsuspecting gamblers to play along in his game – intriguing his marks with lies about their abilities to make them millions with modest casino bets through promises that he knows the complicated arithmetic of the electronic card shufflers.

“Stick with me,” he tells Trent,” and you’ll always be a winner.”

When Trent spies his latest pawn, Marc, Roger becomes furious when Trent spends too much time with Mark and suspects that he’s falling for one of Marc’s company of beautiful girls.

“Don’t let your heart get in the way of your game,” Roger warns and berates him for not having the smarts to play the con game.

Hurt by his grandfather’s words, Trent vows to Roger that he will come out with a deposit for Marc’s “winnings.”

To counteract another one of his grandson’s failures, Roger employs another one of his famous schemes and a depressed alcoholic that he calls “The Car Insurance Game.”

“I got a junker outside with a $30,000 policy on it. You take care of it, and we’ll split the claim prize,” Roger promises the drunk.

While the man agrees, Roger becomes wary.

“How do I know you’re not going to just run away with my car?” Roger asks and proceeds to request a collateral deposit of $1,000 for the car keys. The drunk complies, and Roger splits with a grand, trading off a false set of keys.

Or so HE thinks.

What ensues is a complicated plot year in the making, as Trent enlists his mark, Marc, to play the part of a ploy against Roger, who ultimately steals Roger’s car and his savings from a motel room, while Trent cozies up to Marc’s girlfriend and gets Marc out of the way by reporting Roger’s car as stolen. Trent takes off with Marc’s deposit for Trent, telling him the “secrets” of the shufflers, his girlfriend, and his freedom as he comes out the ultimate “winner.”

Owner
Csestito
Edison, NJ

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