1983
Mob associate Sam "Ace" Rothstein is sent to Las Vegas to run the Tangiers Casino, where his volatile friend Nicky Santoro's violent methods and Ace's tumultuous marriage to hustler Ginger McKenna create chaos. As Nicky's brutal reputation grows and Ginger's addiction deepens her entanglement with her pimp, Ace's strict management style alienates both the mob and local politicians, drawing unwanted attention. The FBI investigates the skim, leading to arrests and the mob ordering hits on key figures, including Nicky, who is brutally murdered, and Ginger, who dies of an overdose after attempting to steal from Ace. Ace narrowly survives a car bombing, and with the mob's influence dismantled, corporate entities transform Las Vegas while Ace returns to his quiet life as a professional handicapper, reflecting on the end of an era.
Save the Cat beat sheet
Ace Rothstein survives a car bombing and is recruited by the mob to run the Tangiers Casino in 1973 Las Vegas.
Open full beat sheetSam 'Ace' Rothstein is listed as Casino Executive. Tall, lean, immaculately dressed, professional handicapper and casino manager. In the parsed data, Sam 'Ace' Rothstein is connected to 96 scenes, 56 dialogue lines, 56 text mentions, first appearing around scene 1.
96 scenes / 56 dialogue linesNicky Santoro is listed as Mob Enforcer. Ace's best friend, violent, impulsive, and ambitious. In the parsed data, Nicky Santoro is connected to 61 scenes, 34 dialogue lines, 36 text mentions, first appearing around scene 3.
61 scenes / 34 dialogue linesGinger McKenna is listed as Hustler / Ace's Wife. Dazzling thirty-one-year-old blonde, obsessed with money. In the parsed data, Ginger McKenna is connected to 47 scenes, 10 dialogue lines, 10 text mentions, first appearing around scene 27.
47 scenes / 10 dialogue linesFrank Marino is listed as Nicky's Right-hand Man. Loyal enforcer to Nicky Santoro. In the parsed data, Frank Marino is connected to 28 scenes, 2 dialogue lines, 2 text mentions, first appearing around scene 143.
28 scenes / 2 dialogue linesBilly Sherbert is listed as Casino Manager. Ace's old casino pal and manager. In the parsed data, Billy Sherbert is connected to 26 scenes, 3 dialogue lines, 3 text mentions, first appearing around scene 10.
26 scenes / 3 dialogue linesPhilip Green is listed as Casino Corporation Head. Young corporate type, front man for the mob. In the parsed data, Philip Green is connected to 10 scenes, first appearing around scene 15.
10 scenes / 0 dialogue linesRemo Gaggi is listed as Mob Boss. The outfit's top boss, controls the Teamsters' Union. In the parsed data, Remo Gaggi is connected to 9 scenes, 4 dialogue lines, 4 text mentions, first appearing around scene 14.
9 scenes / 4 dialogue linesAndy Stone is listed as Teamsters' Pension Fund Head. Middle-aged man, powerful, takes orders from the mob. In the parsed data, Andy Stone is connected to 8 scenes, 14 dialogue lines, 14 text mentions, first appearing around scene 16.
8 scenes / 14 dialogue linesLester Diamond is listed as Pimp / Hustler. Ginger's old boyfriend, card cheat, and scumbag. In the parsed data, Lester Diamond is connected to 8 scenes, 1 dialogue line, 1 text mention, first appearing around scene 133.
8 scenes / 1 dialogue linesArtie Piscano is listed as Kansas City Underboss. Gray-haired sixty-year-old, manages the skim. In the parsed data, Artie Piscano is connected to 5 scenes, first appearing around scene 13.
5 scenes / 0 dialogue linesAce Rothstein gets into his car and it explodes.
Sam 'Ace' RothsteinAce oversees the casino operations.
Sam 'Ace' RothsteinMob bosses meet in the back room.
Nicky stands at a bar with his brother and Frank Marino.
Nicky Santoro, Frank MarinoGinger McKenna is seated at a nightclub.
Ginger McKennaAce looks over the casino.
Sam 'Ace' RothsteinAerial view of the Vegas Strip.
Aerial view of the desert.
Ace arrives in Las Vegas in 1973.
Sam 'Ace' RothsteinAce meets his staff.
Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, Billy SherbertThe count room process.
John Nance skims money from the count room.
Sam 'Ace' RothsteinNance arrives in Kansas City.
Artie PiscanoThe bosses meet to receive the skim.
Remo Gaggi, Artie PiscanoPhilip Green is introduced as the head of the Tangiers.
Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, Billy Sherbert, Philip Green, Andy StoneStone convinces Ace to run the casino.
Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, Andy StoneAce manages the casino floor.
Sam 'Ace' RothsteinFlashback to Ace as a handicapper.
Sam 'Ace' RothsteinAce meets with Remo Gaggi.
Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, Nicky Santoro, Remo GaggiNicky stabs a man with a pen.
Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, Nicky Santoro, Frank MarinoAce manages the casino floor, greeting a Senator and ensuring he is taken care of by Sherbert.
Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, Billy SherbertThe Senator enjoys his comped suite.
K.K. Ichikawa and his associates steal hotel amenities.
Ace and Sherbert trick Ichikawa into missing his flight.
Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, Billy SherbertSherbert tells Ichikawa all flights are booked due to a convention.
Billy SherbertAce explains the surveillance hierarchy of the casino.
Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, Billy SherbertGinger causes a scene at the craps table after being accused of stealing chips.
Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, Ginger McKennaAce and Ginger share a romantic moment.
Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, Ginger McKennaGinger meets with her pimp, Lester Diamond.
Ginger McKenna, Lester DiamondNicky and his family are detained at customs.
Nicky Santoro, Frank MarinoNicky retrieves diamonds hidden in his wife's hair.
Nicky Santoro, Frank MarinoNicky arrives in Las Vegas to meet Ace.
Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, Nicky Santoro, Ginger McKennaNicky asks Ace for permission to move to Vegas.
Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, Nicky SantoroNicky intimidates a bookie to collect money.
Nicky Santoro, Frank MarinoNicky's son gives a speech at school.
Nicky SantoroNicky coaches his son at Little League.
Nicky SantoroNicky asserts his presence at the casino.
Nicky SantoroAce observes a blackjack winner and a signaler cheating, then coordinates a security intervention.
Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, Billy SherbertAce calls for security and orchestrates a distraction to catch the cheaters.
Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, Billy SherbertThe cheaters are interrogated and punished.
Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, Billy SherbertSherbert intercepts the winner to verify his winnings.
Billy SherbertAce gives the winner a choice between the money and his health.
Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, Billy SherbertAce proposes to Ginger.
Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, Ginger McKennaAce and Ginger's wedding.
Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, Nicky Santoro, Ginger McKenna, Billy Sherbert, Philip Green, Lester DiamondLester talks to Ginger on the phone.
Ginger McKenna, Lester DiamondGinger talks to Lester while Ace watches.
Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, Ginger McKenna, Lester DiamondAce and Ginger arrive at their new home.
Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, Ginger McKennaAce gives Ginger a chinchilla coat.
Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, Ginger McKennaAce gives Ginger jewelry.
Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, Ginger McKennaAce and Ginger arrive in LA.
Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, Ginger McKennaAce and Ginger visit the bank.
Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, Ginger McKennaAce and Ginger store cash in a vault.
Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, Ginger McKennaGinger signs papers for the vault access.
Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, Ginger McKennaAce observes Nicky's activities.
Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, Nicky Santoro, Frank MarinoNicky's crew cheats at poker.
Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, Nicky SantoroAce deals with a disruptive gambler.
Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, Billy SherbertNicky calls Ace about the cowboy.
Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, Nicky Santoro, Frank MarinoNicky talks to Ace on the phone about the Cowboy incident while Marino watches.
Nicky Santoro, Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, Frank MarinoAce explains to Nicky why he threw the Cowboy out.
Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, Billy Sherbert, Nicky SantoroNicky confronts the Cowboy and forces him to apologize to Ace.
Nicky Santoro, Frank Marino, Sam 'Ace' RothsteinAce gives a Rolls Royce to performers.
Sam 'Ace' RothsteinAce reprimands a stage manager for the showgirls' weight.
Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, Billy SherbertAce manages the casino floor.
Sam 'Ace' RothsteinNicky beats a man.
Nicky Santoro, Frank MarinoAce warns Nicky about the Black Book.
Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, Nicky SantoroAce is honored at a country club event.
Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, Ginger McKenna, Billy Sherbert, Philip GreenGinger works the room while Ace watches.
Ginger McKenna, Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, Philip GreenGinger looks at her jewelry.
Ginger McKennaAce instructs the slots manager.
Sam 'Ace' RothsteinGinger gets a better table.
Ginger McKennaNicky finds out he is banned from casinos.
Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, Nicky SantoroNicky manages his crew and jewelry business.
Nicky Santoro, Frank MarinoNicky meets with his banker.
Nicky SantoroNicky visits his restaurant.
Nicky SantoroSteve Allen and Jayne Meadows dine while Nicky observes the room and approaches showgirls.
Nicky Santoro, Frank Marino, Lester DiamondNicky takes Shelly to his car to talk about food and veal.
Nicky SantoroNicky berates a gambler named Al for losing money.
Nicky Santoro, Frank MarinoNicky makes breakfast for his son.
Nicky SantoroMarino delivers money to Remo Gaggi.
Remo Gaggi, Frank MarinoNicky and his men torture Tony Dogs for information.
Nicky Santoro, Frank MarinoUh, I come here personally to kind of smooth over a fracas about a certain matter. See, uh, maybe you didn't know it, but, uh, Don Ward is a very well-liked man in this town. He's got lots of friends here. Now, his family and their money go back many, many years. Now, friends vote... family and money votes. That's important to me... and you. And if you'll think about our little problem along them lines... and you forgive me for sayin' it, maybe he did not deserve to be fired.
Got a lot of holes in the desert, and a lot of problems are buried in those holes. Except you gotta do it right. I mean, you gotta have the hole already dug before you show up with a package in the trunk. Otherwise you're talkin' about a half-hour or forty-five minutes of diggin'. And who knows who's gonna be comin' along in that time? Before you know it, you gotta dig a few more holes. You could be there all fuckin' night.
Before I ever ran a casino or got myself blown up, Ace Rothstein was a hell of a handicapper, I can tell you that. I was so good, that whenever I bet, I could change the odds for every bookmaker in the country. I'm serious. I had it down so cold that I was given paradise on earth. I was given one of the biggest casinos in Las Vegas to run, the Tangiers...
Keep a good eye on him. He's makin' a lot of money for us. And he's gonna continue makin' a lot of money for us, so keep a good eye on him.
He's got two million in the box, am I right? Okay, you let him keep your jewels. We take the cash and the only other thing he cares about.
...nobody knew all the details, but it should'a been perfect. I mean, he had me, Nicky Santoro, his best friend, watching his ass...
All this stuff doesn't mean anything. Money, this, doesn't mean anything without trust. I have to be able to trust you with my life.
...knocked out of the box, the corporations tore down practically every one of the old casinos. And where did the money come from...
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