In one of my favourite films - Jim Jarmusch's Stranger Than Paradise - one of the actors in a poker game says, "I bet a pound." The film was made in 1984 and is about as American as can be, as is the actor who says the line. I've searched the net in an effort to find out when and why an American might refer to their currency as 'pound', but found nothing. So what gives? Is it a slang term unique to a specific area? A poker term? The line can be heard here at 1:08
As an American and a poker player I've never heard that before. Maybe it was just a joke? He seems to be referring to a five dollar bill... not sure.
I thought I had, but I could be wrong. I'm Australian and here, we're like mongrel British/American hybrids. My mum used to say 'in for a penny in for a pound,' but so did my dad, who was born in America.
On a side note, I kind of want to see this movie now. The guy to the right of the dealer with the huge nose is one of my favorite random 80s character actors.
Sorry, yes, I meant I've never heard an American use the term other than the two sayings--the one you said and the one I said.
Oh, you must. I've heard it described as an absurdist black comedy, but I don't see it like that at all. It's not in the least bit absurd and what humour there is comes from the same place it does in everyday life. And the actor you mention is brilliant in this - he reminds me so much of a young Robert De Niro. Anyway, thanks for all the replies everyone. Don't suppose this little mystery will ever be answered for sure.
Could it have literally been a pound note? Haven't seen the movie (now I'm interested in seeing it too) but reviews talk about a visiting Hungarian cousin - could it be money from her?
I very much doubt that's the answer, @ajaye, as the other poker players never meet the cousin. Even if the money was to have found its way into the pot, it's more likely te guy would have said something like, "What the hell's this?" rather than just accept it being there.
It's certainly an unusual use for an American. As noted, it exists as a fossil term in pat phrases, but outside of that it's not a term we use other than to refer to actual pounds sterling. It's not a generic term used for money here. I wouldn't take it as more than an aberration. The other night I was watching the second episode of Decline and Fall and they made reference to an elevator as an elevator, not a lift. *shrug*
It sounds like: Guy One: "I'll bet a pound" Guy Two: (something) "...five, and five..." Does that suggest that "a pound" is five dollars? And is there any chance that it should have been "...a fin..." but they weren't going to tear up such a beautiful scene for one wrong word? All that dialogue and action and one long scene with no cuts; I assume they'd have to do it all over again to fix that.
I'm pretty sure it's "Your five, and five". Not sure what you mean by '... a fin...', but there's some odd terms and words I can't hear right from the moment they start talking. Guy 1: "I bet a deuce." (?) Guy 2: "And a deuce." (?) Guy 3: Can't make out what he says at all.
"Deuce" is slang for a two dollar bill. "Fin" is slang for a five dollar bill. So if the dialogue had been: Guy One: "I'll bet a fin." Guy Two: "Your five, and five..." that would have made perfect sense. So that's why I'm wondering if the actor had a mental slip and said, "I'll bet a pound" when he was supposed to say, "I'll bet a fin." Is the actor British? Edited to add: Googling, I see that "I'll bet a pound to a penny" and "I'll bet a pound to a pinch" are apparently sayings? That might make it more likely for a British actor to mistakenly tack "pound" instead of "fin" to the familiar phrase "I'll bet a..."
They appear to be playing limit poker. Two bucks before the draw and five bucks after. That means you can only bet in increments of five dollars after the draw. And since the "pound" speaker is in first position his only options are to bet 5 bucks or check. He could call his bet anything. He could say "I bet an eggplant" and nobody would have to ask him what he meant since the 5 would be understood. Interesting that someone would say "I thought you were bluffing" to the dealer when he never raised the pot, which is the definition of a bluff. They should have said that to dude in the glasses who raised or the guy with the beard that re-raised. Also interesting that the guy in the glasses stood pat with his initial five cards. That indicated that he was dealt either a straight, a flush, full house, or straight flush since those are the only hands that cannot be improved by drawing another card. I would suspect that he was bluffing there since he raised before the draw and after. Or it could have been a semi-bluff, like two pair or three of a kind, which are unlikely to be improved by drawing another card. By standing pat he's announcing the table that he either has a huge hand or he's full of shit. The trouble with limit poker is you can't push people out by over-betting the pot because of the incremental betting. This basically gives everyone good pot odds to chase mediocre hands. What's another "pound" if there's fifty bucks in the pot already? That's 10 to 1 pot odds, betting 5 to win 50. So as long as you have a ten percent chance to win the hand, which isn't great, you should always make that bet because over a long night the odds will guarantee you a profit assuming your chips hold out for enough hands. I love the cross in the dead center of the shot. I'm going to have to watch this before I waste any more time deconstructing it.
So we've established it's not a particularly accurate portrayal of a poker game and that it could have simply been a slip of the tongue from the actor who uses the 'pound' term. Anyway, I found a contact email on jimjarmusch.com so I've fired the question off to that. Whether I'll get an answer I have no idea, but I'll certainly let you know what they say if I do.
its a possibility in 1984 the 1 pound note was green and roughly the same size as american currency ... however it doesnt really make sense in the context. I doubt it was hungarian as their currency is the Forint , and in 84they were behind the iron curtain
They would only do it if they were referring to UK money. When did the euro come into being ?? Sounds like a UK scriptwriter snuck it in and nobody changed it for US filming, but the guy who wrote it was American. The suggestion in for a penny in for a pound could fit. He had already anted up and bet once now he is going in more so saying it could fit. I would have to watch the scene to be sure how to interpret it.
