Hard Eight

Hard Eight features a single scene with Philip Seymour Hoffman, and it’s a memorable one. Dressed in shitkicker garb and full of “shaka-laka-do” antics, Hoffman’s Reno showboater taunts the “old timer” at the other end of the craps table: Sydney, played by Philip Baker Hall, whose calm demeanor and tailored suit needle at Hoffman. With undue confidence, Hoffman challenges Sydney to place a bet before he can light a cigarette. Sydney doesn’t flinch at the persistent badgering. Instead, he places two grand in chips on a “hard eight”—meaning, if the shooter rolls two fours, there’s a hefty payout on the high-risk bet. This forces the loudmouth to pause. Though he places $100 on Sydney’s “hard eight,” Hoffman’s tone shifts to nervy confidence. Sydney has just placed a considerable sum on the table, making it Hoffman’s responsibility to deliver on his overconfidence. His inevitable loss cuts a hole right through him. He can only shakily laugh and make a half-hearted attempt to buy Sydney a drink. But Sydney has already left the table. The scene conveys Sydney’s composure under pressure, while his bet, a statistical loser, has another purpose: it’s a $2,000 demonstration to Hoffman’s character that acting like a big shot will get him nowhere.

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