It's like The Sting but way cooler. I don't think I've ever seen a better constructed plot in a TV show than this episode. Such great use of the characters too, Coach and Harry especially. I started binge watching this show again 30 years later just because I knew I'd get to this episode, and I wasn't disappointed.
5 Reviews
My Favorite Episode to Date
Hitchcoc7 August 2019
This is a great use of Harry Anderson, Harry the "Hat." A cruel man has been cheating the Coach out of thousands of dollars. Coach is pretty dense and thinks the games have been friendly. Sam needs to find a way to get the money back and sets up a poker game with Harry's help. The neat twists and turns here make this big time fun.
This is why we watch this show
dgplatt-601214 February 2024
DIANE:You mean that hustler you're always throwing out? That's like calling Spinoza to settle an argument between Nietzsche and Schopenhauer.
COACH: She's got a point there, Sam.
This episode exemplifies why audiences kept coming back to Cheers week after week. Highbrow references combined with comedy worthy of Abbott and Costello at their best, plus a bit of sexual tension - if an alien came to you and asked what all the fuss was about, you would show them this episode.
The star of this episode is arguably Harry Anderson. There is some speculation that Harry The Hat might have become a regular if Anderson hadn't been offered Night Court; whatever the case, he's pretty funny and gets some good moments with the rest of the gang. Coach is the catalyst for the action, and his gentle, befuddled nature makes the con game plot even funnier. Sam and Diane are backup players for once, but they both have funny bits, including...
The Bloody Mary scene has nothing to do with the plot (other than Sam being away from the bar to talk to Harry) but it makes the episode a perfect ten. A self-contained little sketch with a killer punchline, it's one of the funniest moments of the entire series.
COACH: She's got a point there, Sam.
This episode exemplifies why audiences kept coming back to Cheers week after week. Highbrow references combined with comedy worthy of Abbott and Costello at their best, plus a bit of sexual tension - if an alien came to you and asked what all the fuss was about, you would show them this episode.
The star of this episode is arguably Harry Anderson. There is some speculation that Harry The Hat might have become a regular if Anderson hadn't been offered Night Court; whatever the case, he's pretty funny and gets some good moments with the rest of the gang. Coach is the catalyst for the action, and his gentle, befuddled nature makes the con game plot even funnier. Sam and Diane are backup players for once, but they both have funny bits, including...
The Bloody Mary scene has nothing to do with the plot (other than Sam being away from the bar to talk to Harry) but it makes the episode a perfect ten. A self-contained little sketch with a killer punchline, it's one of the funniest moments of the entire series.
Pick a Con... Any Con (#1.19)
ComedyFan20104 April 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Coach got conned by a guy whom he believed out of a lot of money. Sam wants to help him and bails out the well known in the bar con Harry to help them out. They arrange a poker game but Harry keeps on losing. Sam figures out that Harry and George are working together so they arrange a last game when Coach acts with George. But George ends up losing all the money and Harry comes back to give it to them as he was playing with Coach.
Great episode. I knew from the start that Harry was on the right side, as the character is very likable. But it was still a pleasure to watch how they had those little twists in the game. As well as the whole trick Harry pulled with the drink under the hat.
Great episode. I knew from the start that Harry was on the right side, as the character is very likable. But it was still a pleasure to watch how they had those little twists in the game. As well as the whole trick Harry pulled with the drink under the hat.
Poor.
bombersflyup21 February 2021
Warning: Spoilers
None of this episode makes any sense, way too silly. Why would a cheat knowingly play another cheat and why settle for 3 Queens against them and rely on Coach when you can win whenever you want. Plus there's no guarantee he'd go for it anyway, after initially giving him more money. Then the other things, what was Cliff's plan to drink the beer under the hat. Plus no one wanted service the whole time Diane and Carla are doing the Bloody Mary gag. At the end, Sam didn't even say something Diane could possibly agree with or throw it to her, even though she was there continuing to listen. It's bad writing and makes no sense, therefore unfunny.
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