Fold Equity - Recap

It is the 2009 Poker World Championships and the runners have played hard to get to this coveted spot. As the players that have made it in the championships are introduced, Mr. Tostevin, who has been coaching young poker player Jake Hartman, exits with Jake and he is appreciative of his help. Tostevin says it was not a big deal. As Tostevin walks off he is stopped by two men. The men argue and Tostevin is shot and killed. Jake runs for his life. The players are waiting for Jake to enter as his name is called, but he is missing. Lightman enters and he tells that all the players there are prime suspects. One of the poker players, Mason Brock laughs and says that he is surprised that they let Lightman back in Vegas.

Hugh Ellis tells that all the Poker players need to do exactly what Lightman says or they are out of the competition. Lightman has Foster and Reynolds with him and they enter the casino. Lightman starts eying the tables and machines. Foster tells Reynolds that Ellis has Lightman banned from Vegas because of taking money from “Valuable Customers” and that Ellis’s girlfriend was involved. Lightman’s game is Roulette because of the unpredictability of the game. Foster tells Reynolds to watch Lightman and not let him gamble. Lightman passes the Roulette table and tells that he is going to place a bet. Ellis stops him and tells that he is not there to “hash up old habits” and that he is to work. Reynolds leaves to play Craps but Lightman stops him. He hands him a wad of money and tells him to put it all on “double zero”. He tells to keep it quiet from Foster.

Lightman talks to Jake’s wife Massie and asks why she did not want to call the police. Massie didn’t want to because Ellis told her not to avoid the publicity. Lightman is annoyed that Ellis is only looking at Jake as a commodity and not a person. Foster takes Lightman aside and tells him not to make this about Ellis and focus on Jake. Lightman tells her to stop smothering Ellis. Lightman continues to question Massie and believes that Jake would not want to leave his wife and unborn baby and that he loves the publicity that he gets from playing Poker.

Lightman questions the best four liars in the world, the Poker Champions, and Brock tells that he misses the old days when the talent was better. Reynolds interrupts and tells Lightman that he won. But he did not put it on “double zero”, Reynolds tells that he put it on 14 because he wasn’t feeling “double zero”. Lightman tells that he needs to put it all on double zero and gives the wad of money back to him. Reynolds is confused and exits. Lightman returns to the poker table and questions Brock. He tries to stir things up by telling the other poker players that a farm boy from Illinois is beating everyone who has been playing for years and that it is really kind of funny.

Torres and Loker are stuck in the Lightman Group and they have plans on how they are going to spend their time without Lightman there. But their plans are ruined when Foster sends files for the video camera surveillance for the casino. They have their work cut out for them. Meanwhile back in the Vegas, Lightman questions Poppy, another championship contender. She’s cocky that he cannot read her Poker Face. However, when she tells that Jake came and talked to her and after she made him “happy” for a half an hour, Jake was better. But this is only half true and Lightman picks it up. They get a call and it is a disguised voice saying that they have Jake Hartman and that $2 million is the price.

Reynolds and Foster visit Massie and tell her that Jake was kidnapped. She is unsure to who would do this. Ellis is willing to pay and at the sound of this, Amadeo Valdez shows rage. Lightman asks why he showed such an emotion. He tries to leave but Lightman tells his friends to go loose some money. Foster enters and Vos makes a comment about the way she looks. Poppy tells that she is too good for anyone. Lightman tells her to be nice and she says, “Nice is not fun”. Back at the office in the Lightman Group Torres picks up that Poppy wants something more from Lightman. Loker is in good spirits and Torres tells that he is not going to have sex with the girl that he has a date with. They bet Torres’s office for a week and Loker’s Ant Farm. Back in Vegas, Lightman is thinking of letting Valdez go and Foster points out that the ransom call doesn’t seem like the one speaking on the other line is not a native speaker of English. Lightman points out that he is not getting anything from Valdez. Foster hints that Lightman has taken an interest in Poppy. Foster calls her the female equivalent of Roulette. He tells Valdez that he is free to go and the ransom callers give the drop off location.

Reynolds and Lightman are in a limousine outside the casino and Reynolds tells everyone to remain calm and keep their eyes open. Reynolds gives Lightman a bigger wad of money and says that he is a big winner again. Reynolds claims that he put it on “double zero” but Lightman catches that lie and it turns out that he really put it all on 23. Lightman tells that he wants it on double zero and for Reynolds to do it again. Lightman wants to ignore the fact that Reynold is “lucky” and want it on “double zero”. Valdez’s men that Lightman told to loose some money walk out and grab the ransom money. Reynolds stops them. Lightman was certain that Valdez was not involved.

They enter Valdez’s room and he is sitting there with noise cancelling headphones and music blaring loud. Valdez is meticulous. He has footage of the other players and has been studying them and planning his strategy while in his room. Valdez sent a text message to have his buddies pick up the ransom money. Lightman wants to know who is in the other room. It belongs to Brock. In Brock’s room, Lightman tells that his favorite poker phrase is “on tilt”. He offers Brock a drink and insists that he drink it even though Brock tells he is not a drinker. It is water. Valdez had him fooled that he was having wild parties and all the while was studying the other players. Valdez feels Brock is a threat and wanted him “on tilt” before the game. Loker is talking with Foster and shares the video footage of Brock taking Valdez’s phone and texting Valdez’s friends to pick up the ransom and puts it back. Lightman is with Foster, Reynolds, and Brock and they are talking and they tell Brock that he is guilty. Brock paid a drunken tourist to make the ransom call. He is taken away by Reynolds. Foster wants to know if Lightman is alright. Foster spots Poppy in the corner and points her out. She warns him to be careful. Poppy flirts with Lightman.

In the next scene, Lightman receives a note under his door and Poppy is naked in Lightman’s bed. Poppy drives Lightman to the location that was written on a pierce of paper. They find an abandoned car and a smell is permeating through. They pop the trunk and it is the body of the Poker coach, Tostevin. Ellis arrives on scene and Lightman sees him react to the body of Tostevin. Jake went to another role now, Murder suspect. Poppy tells that Tostevin gave her one tip. TOTT “Ta-Tas on the table.” Back at the Lightman Group, Loker examines the video he did of his date and can prove that she is into him. With the lip lick, he is certain that she likes him. But Torres tells that women will do that just to get someone to change the subject. Loker admits his defeat and gives over his Ant Farm.

Lightman is with the remaining three poker players and he finds out that Vos and Poppy have a thing together. Vos is still trying to get with Foster and Lightman tells that Poppy is the killer. But this is a trick and almost to the doors, Poppy cracks and said that she wrote the note and that she saw the body of Tostevin before. They find Jake hiding in a hotel room and Jake tells that he wants the poker championship done with. But his fingers are twitching and Lightman picks up that he is lying. Lightman tells when he lies he scratches his forehead. Back in the room, Foster is looking at the poker player’s rooms and tells Lightman that she knows of the betting him and Reynolds have been doing. Reynolds tells Foster that she needs to embrace Vegas. Foster sees on the surveillance that Poppy is entering Vos’s room.

Poppy tells that the plan was that it was 1st and 2nd place for them in the Championships. She tells that Vos killed Tostevin and Vos tells that he had some associates from Moscow handle it. She tells him that she is going to the cops and Vos grabs her by the neck. But Lightman, Foster and Reynolds are there. Vos runs out and Reynolds follows. He chases Vos to the pool and tackles him. Vos fights to get away but Reynolds has him. Meanwhile Ellis is getting ready for the Championships. Lightman meets with him and tells that he wants the amount doubled if he could get Jake back to the table. Lightman tells that Tostevin was coaching Jake but Ellis already knew this by the look on his face. He tells that Ellis brought Jake to Vegas to promote the Championship.

Loker is examining the video of the girl again and Torres tells that she lied and just wanted the Ant Farm. The girl does like Loker. She points that she is looking right into Lokers eyes. Loker tries to ignore that it is true and Torres gets close to Loker and looks in his eyes. Loker admits that the girl touched his knee, demonstrating on Torres. The two pause and then Torres tells Loker to call the girl. Possible romance coming?

At the start of the championships, Foster is in a hot little number for it and admits that she “Embraced Vegas”. Jake Hartman enters the poker game but Reynolds tells Foster that she is not watching poker dressed in something so nice and he offers to show her around Vegas. Lightman gets $1 million to gamble with for one night courtesy of Ellis. Foster is walking through the casino and she spots Lightman at, you guessed it, the Roulette table. He bets all the Million on double zero. The ball spins and you hear the ball land somewhere, but where did it land?


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