Crack of Doom story
Company man Mason Bridges keeps returning to a high-stakes poker game because he is determined to beat his rich client, Sam Klinker. When Mason discovers that his wife has lost all their savings, he steals a portion of Klinker's money from the office to keep playing, intending to return it later. During a crucial hand, Mason thinks he has four queens and bets aggressively, to Klinker's surprise. At the last moment Mason realizes that he had read his cards wrong, but Klinker folds and Mason wins the pot. Directed by: James Neilson. Story by: Don Marquis, Robert C. Dennis.
9 total · 6 major · 3 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| in for a penny in for a pound | major | After gambling away half of a sum of money he was holding for a client, Mason decided that he might as well gamble the rest in an effort to get back to even and replace the missing money. |
| lesson in humility | major | The episode follows Mason as he tells the story of how he came to give up gambling after a harrowing night of no limit poker. |
| problem gambling | major | Mason lost thousands of dollars at the poker table. |
| taking a high-stakes wager vs. walking away | major | Mason could have been content with losing a cool $4000 at the poker table, but he tried to make it back by secretly putting his own client's money on the line. |
| the game of poker | major | Mason and Sam spent an evening playing no limit poker. |
| theft | major | Mason purloined some of his client's money to use at the poker table. |
| attitude of superiority | minor | Mason commented on Sam's "vanity" regarding poker, and Mason had an attitude of superiority himself. |
| bluffing | minor | Sam considered that Mason might be bluffing that he had four queens as they played out a crucial hand at the poker table. |
| husband and wife | minor | Mason fretted over having to tell his wife, Jessie, that he's gambled away half their savings, only to find that he'd lost the whole kit and caboodle in a bad investment. |