“ | It hurts, doesn't it? You can't believe what fell. All your dreams... dashed. Hopes down the fu--ing drain. Your fate is sitting right beside you. That ace could not have helped you. I bet it all. | „ |
~ Teddy KGB taunting Mike McDermott |
Teddy KGB is the main antagonist of the 1998 drama film Rounders. He is a Russian mobster who runs an underground poker game.
He was portrayed by John Malkovich, who also portrayed Cyrus Grissom in Con Air, Mitch Leary in In the Line of Fire, Tom Ripley in Ripley's Game, Pascal Sauvage in Johnny English, Quentin Turnbull in Jonah Hex, Humma Kavula in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Teddy Deserve in Knockaround Guys, Galbatorix in Eragon, Dave in The Penguins of Madagascar, and Vicomte Sébastien de Valmont in Dangerous Liaisons.
Biography[]
Teddy is challenged to a game of Texas Hold'Em by New York law student Mike McDermott, who bets and loses all $30,000 of his bankroll in a single hand.
Several months later, Mike is approached by his childhood friend Lester "Worm" Murphy, who owes a debt to a pimp who works for KGB. Circumstances lead to Mike and Worm being relieved of their built up bankroll by state troopers who catch Worm base-dealing.
After one of his professors loans him $10,000, Mike challenges KGB to another game of Texas Hold 'Em with a winner-takes-all stakes. KGB accepts, but Mike beats him after discovering his "tell" of twisting off the tops of Oreos when he has a good hand. KGB offers to "let it ride," but Mike refuses as he has enough to pay off his debt. As Mike begins to leave, however, KGB taunts him that he is paying off the debt with money that he lost in their previous game. Mike then decides to keep playing in order to get all of his money back, and he and KGB play well into the night.
During one hand, Mike senses that KGB has better cards and folds. Mike then baits KGB into playing on tilts, and defeats him with a nut straight, KGB throws a tantrum, but stops his goons from killing Mike, acknowledging that he lost fair and square. He then allows Mike to leave with his winnings.