Back in 2011, Justin Timberlake played Will Salas, starring in a movie with an interesting premise and high-stakes poker scene.
In a futuristic Earth-like world, everyone’s time after the age of 25 must be paid for. Instead of money, the currency in this society is time. It can be traded for all of life’s necessities, but if someone’s time runs out, they die. Luckily, everyone seems to have digital timers built into their wrists.
As Will Salas' mother passes away when her timer runs out, a crusade begins. On his way to crumble the ruling class, he faces a wealthy player in a life-or-death poker game. We'll show you how that went, soon.
Here's the official In Time trailer if you're curious.
The High-Stakes Poker Hand from In Time
After saving the life of a stranger and inheriting his huge bankroll of about 100 years, Will Salas heads to New Greenwich. This is the stronghold of the 1%’ers he hopes to destroy. It's a swanky place with all of the best things life have to offer, far from the poverty of Will's district.
His first step upon arrival? Of course, he hits the casino. It’s a decadently-styled place with a 1-year entry fee, full of guests with disposable time. Will must have done well before he starts our feature hand because he suddenly has 250 years, up from 100.
Here’s what we know at the start of the action.
- Phillipe Weis (Vincent Kartheiser) is in the Small Blind
Stack size: 9860 years - Will Salas (Justin Timberlake) is on the Button
Stack size: 250 years
At the 5-handed table, Weis and Will are heads-up for rolls, and potentially, lives. Getting stacked in this game would mean instant death, meaning that short stack strategy has never been so vital.
The hand starts on the turn with a board that reads .
600 years are in the pot, so we know there’s been a lot of action. Will Salas has 250 years behind, far less than his opponent. He’s built up a stack tonight but invested a lot of it in this hand.
Phillipe is sitting with the nuts; for top set.
We don’t know what Will is working with, but there aren’t many live draws.
Against top set, his odds aren’t fantastic. In the best-case scenario, he’s open-ended.
After some table talk, Phillipe bets 50 years, which is tiny compared to the pot. Will Salas scans his wrist to make the call.
With 700 years in the pot and just 200 left behind, you’d expect him to have a made hand. With less than a third of the pot remaining, drawing is too loose. Casual online poker players might still be chasing the highest equity draws here, but not regulars.
To have a chance of winning, Will needs to have a straight draw using: , , , , , , , , , or .
Or, a flush draw, holding any suited hand.
Ideally, he’d have straight and flush draws, like or . This would give Will Salas the best chance of literally surviving.
But, we still don’t know what Will has and take a river.
A River for Will Salas’ Life
It’s a , putting a few different straights on the board.
Phillipe wastes no time putting Will all in. No flush draws got there and the 6 only helped a select few hands.
Top set looks quite unbeatable, only losing to a madman who called the turn with a straight draw.
“This is merely Darwinian selection,” says Phillipe.
"Absolutely,” agrees Will. “Only the strong survive and I think your hand is weak.”
After making a terrible read, he calls, running his lifespan down to three seconds.
And then, Will proudly displays , a hand that had about 9% probability of winning on the turn.
He scoops a 1,100-year pot, showing us, yet again, how obsessed Hollywood is with low-probability hand combinations. Scriptwriters and directors would rather show an unlikely hand than a strategy that could confuse viewers. It’s got to be closer to hitting the lottery than playing skillfully.
This is the first and final hand of poker that In Time shows us.
If you ever want to crunch the numbers and find your probability of winning, use this free online calculator.
Is In Time Worth Your Time?
Wondering if the movie is worth watching? The plot may be predictable, though the setting isn’t. Classic themes like romance, a rise to the top, and overthrowing the ruling class are all there. The cast could also keep you engaged. Vincent Kartheiser is the movie’s antagonist, Cillian Murphy plays the oppressive police officer, and Amanda Seyfried is the damsel in distress.
Overall, In Time is entertaining and relatable, but not anything too thought provoking. If you’re looking for some surface-level viewing pleasure, this movie is a decent way to spend 2 hours.
