At the Borgata Casino, Tony decides to let it ride after winning at roulette. Tony loses everything he'd won, and then some, on 23....
Plot
Tony's gambling has become a crisis. He is betting enormous sums and losing, chasing losses with more bets in the classic pattern of compulsive gambling. He has lost hundreds of thousands of dollars and owes significant money to Hesh Rabkin -- his old financial advisor and friend. Tony keeps telling Hesh the debt will be settled. It is not. Hesh is uncomfortable pressing Tony but the money is real and Hesh is not getting younger.
Tony bets on Meadow's soccer game at Columbia. He watches from the sidelines with a tension that has nothing to do with Meadow's athletic performance and everything to do with the money he has riding on the outcome. The game does not go the way Tony bet. Tony loses. The episode is unflinching about what compulsive gambling looks like in practice: the magical thinking, the rationalizations, the constant recalibration of how close the winning is.
AJ Soprano is in an increasingly deep depression. He and Blanca have broken up and he is not managing the loss well. Tony and Carmela are dealing with AJ's emotional state while also managing their own tensions. Phil Leotardo is squeezing New Jersey operations in ways that affect Tony's income and his crew's ability to do business. Tony is trying to manage New York pressure, his addiction, his son's depression, and Hesh's unpaid debt simultaneously.
Credits
Written by: Matthew Weiner
Directed by: Mark Buckland