The Shell Game (1980)
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Jeem Yim as
Episodes 20
Episode 1
It is five peaceful years since TAM SING emerges as King Punter
on the retirement of his two masters. Rivalries subsides for
a time, but casinos remain the nosiest spot in town. One day,
AH LOON and his partner OLD CAT huddle around a gambling table,
and in the middle of the game, they start a brawl because OLD
CAT is caught cheating. He is instantly 'killed'. AH LOON
quickly disappear with all the money and later the 'dead body'
is found to be a dummy. They are then chased after by
gangsters and AH LOON flees to Shanghai. On his way, AH LOON
meets TAM SING whom he tries to cheat with childish skills.
When he finds that the man is the King Punter, he begs to
serve him as master but in vain. In the funeral for the
late King Punter of the North, the new successor, TO I SHOD
challenges TAM SING and sparks off new rivalries.
Read MoreEpisode 2
It ends a drawn game. TAM flatly declines TO's second
proposal of challenge and quietly leaves Shanghai. M LOON
feels pretty disappointed and turns to TO for his new target.
To raise money for the bet, the crook plays his tricks again
at several gambling tables. On one occasion, he even
swindles a lady reporter, FOK SZE LING, and gets her camera.
When everything is ready, the lad wittily gets TO accept his
challenge. And logically enough; he also gets himself
beaten in the game and has to suffer several humiliation
of strolling half-naked through the streets.
Read MoreEpisode 3
So AH LOON ends up as the cheap little crook he used to be and
loaf about at::the back street gambling tables. In fact he is
not always the winner and cheated by a man called Q-IAN YIM
PARK. AH LOON begs the man to teach him cheating skills but
again in vain. QHAN only let him work in the garden so the
young man patiently waits, hoping that his patience would pay.
On the other hand, FOK is assigned to do an interview with T0,
who would enter the national mahjong game contest. The
assignment fails because TO is reluctant to speak. FOK
returns to the office and gets badly bawled out. l. furiously resigns.
Read MoreEpisode 4
FOK learns from the newspaper of a vacancy for the post of
family tutor. When she arrives at the house, the master is
out but she quickly gets herself acquainted with the little
boy. Soon she determines to leave at once because the boy
is wild arid plays nasty tricks on her. The father returns
and it is T0. TO feels very embarrassed and convinces FOK
to stay. To raise the hundred dollars application fee for
the mahjong game contest, AH LOON performs his old tricks
again. When he gets the money, he meets someone who wants
bad and he gives it all away. Fortunately AH LOON still
makes it with the help of GM, and starts off series of
exciting mahjong matches with TO in the contest.
Read MoreEpisode 5
AH LOON beats T0. He is so happy that buzzes around grabbing
people to celebrate with him. FOK rejects, so does Q-IAN.
CI-IAN even scolds him and makes him aware of the whole truth.
Until then does AH LOON discovers the secret of the events
that is happening to him. His winning the contest, his
relationship with CHAN ..... , are all part of the plan of
T0. TO sees the potential in the young man and is ready to
train him as king punter someday. When AH LOON learns this,
he is so happy that he cannot sleep. And the next day, he
goes over to visit TO and directs his apologies.
Read MoreEpisode 6
Ever since TO arrives at Shanghai, HUNG has been poorly beaten
at the garbling table times after times. To retaliate for
the humiliation, HUNG carries off TO's son, JUN and FOK as
hostages and states that they will not be released unless TO
manages to beat him again for 7 consecutive times. After
some tense and thrilling battles of wit and skill, TO wins
the gates, and with the dedicated effort of AH LOON, the
hostages are recovered. TO is grateful and moves AH LOON
into his own house. Meanwhile, HUNG is planning a second
time revenge. He persuades his father's mistress, U LAN to
help him by seducing T0. But it is in vain. ULAN
desperately turns to FOK and offers her twice her salary to
make her leave the house. Again the efforts fail. To
make matters worse, TO's divorced wife, YOUNG suddenly returns
from France to claim her child. Neither party give way and
the issue is put before court.
Read MoreEpisode 7
YOUNG gets hold of all substantial testimony to charge TO's
inability to take care of the child. The court is convinced
and passes a verdict in favor of YOUNG. TO buries himself
in misery. When JUN learns the news, he too locks himself in
the bedroom and refuses to leave with his mother. That very
night, JUN is carried away from the house by his father. TO
has decided to give up his business in Shanghai and flee with
the boy. But they get arrested before they can ever slip
out of the city. YOUNG warns to press charges on the man
of kidnapping, but withdraws it on the request of the child.
Now JUN goes to live with his mother, but things are not as
settled as it seems. The. boy remains hostile and constantly
plays nasty tricks on his mother and step-father. At the end,
he even runs away.
Read MoreEpisode 8
JUN goes back to join his father. When YOUNG sees their
father and son intimacy, she is convinced that further efforts
will not be worthwhile. She promises to give up her right to
the child. As she leaves the house, she is assaulted and
stabbed to death. YOUNG's husband lays severe pressure on
the police through the French Consulate and demands tense
investigations.
Read MoreEpisode 9
Reasonably enough, TO is taken custody of being the greatest
suspect in the murder case. In jail, he is attacked several
times, but manages to escape death. Then he begins to
realize that HUNG has to be blamed for the whole plot against
him. Meanwhile, AH LOON is having a tough time with the head
of the police. He has to persuade him of TO's innocence and
pleads him to release the man. His efforts are in vain. He
then turns to the mayor for help. By some witty arrangement,
he gets the mayor issue the order and TO is set free.
Read MoreEpisode 10
AH LOON's mother and brother AH FU arrive Shanghai to visit
him but AH FU is beaten by the gangsters as he is caught
playing tricks in a casino. AH LOON saves him and FOK looks
after his recovery. TO revenges by instructing AH LOON to
place some snakes in CHOU, HUNG's father's club which causes
big disturb. In return, GHOU plans to blow up TO's new
casino but is unsuccessful and gets humiliated.
Read MoreEpisode 11
CHOU swears to revenge against TO and designs numerous plots
to do so but all in vain. TO is happy to see this old king
punter fails in every plot. Accidentally, CHOU kills his own
son instead. CHOU is so angry that he determined to break
the rules and to arrange a game of showdown with TO. QIAN
urges him not to but he wouldn't listen.
Read MoreEpisode 12
Finally, FOK agrees to marry AH LOON but his grand-mother
disapproves the marriage and moves out of his house. She
insists AH LOON should marry P0. Nonetheless, PO convinces
her that FOK and AH LOON are a well-matched couple. On the
day of the engagement, JUN holds up FOK but finally released
by T0. TO receives an invitation from CHOU for a game at
the gambling table.
Read MoreEpisode 13
In the game, TO loses his right palm to CHOU and everybody is
regret and upset. AH LOON takes up the responsibility to
look after TO's business whilst he is in hospital. TU TIN
tries to set fire to TO's casino but caught by AH LOON and
sent to police. After recovery, TO engages in another game
with a punter from Japan and again loses; this time his
whole fortune. From then on, he is so depressed and gets
himself d- mk all the time. He discloses to AH LOON that
FOK is the one he loves very much. AH LOON is deeply touched
and decides to give up FOK to his master.
Read MoreEpisode 14
Everybody thinks that AH LOON is being unmanly to leave FOK
but only AH LOON knows the reason. The Japanese punter
sends his attorney to Shanghai to collect the debts from T0.
TO sells all his properties and is surprised to find out
that the man behind the curtain is CHOU. TO loses every-
thing he has and prepared to leave Shanghai. FOK marries
him and tries to help him to re-establish self-confidence.
AH LOON determined to take revenge for his master and joins
the CHOU's gang.
Read MoreEpisode 15
Due to CHOU's deadly chase, TO and FOK cannot manage to leave
the city and hide in CHAN's house. CHOU takes YIM as
prisoner and tortures him to make him speak. YIM shows
his loyalty by committing suicide for stead of AH LOON's
effort to rescue him. CHOU thinks it is AH LOON who kills
YIM and is pleased with him. Gradually AH LOON takes up
much responsibilities in CHOU's business.
Read MoreEpisode 16
Finally, TO and FOK manage to get away from CHOU's hunt and
leave Shanghai. AH LOON gets very depressed. On arrival
to Hangchow, TO looks for a job. He tries to get one as
magician in the circus but his false-hand fails him and he
feels humiliated. He then ends up to be a funeral house
keeper.
Read MoreEpisode 17
Not to let his grandmother and PO suffer as he goes on with
his plot, AH LOON deliberately drives them out of Shanghai
and proceed with his plan for revenge. CHOU asks AH LOON
to look after his new casino and TU TIN is jealous. He
determines to get rid of both CHOU and AH LOON. Unfortunately,
CHOU reveals his intention and sends somebody to kill him.
On the other hand, AH LOON starts to search for TO and FOK.
Read MoreEpisode 18
One day in the casino, a stranger shows up and wins a lot of
money. AH LOON asks CHOU to give him a try but CHOU
refuses. Instead he finds out that the stranger is well-
acquainted with his mistress U LAN and that they have
unusual relationship. In anger, he proposes the challenge.
They bet on their lives and CHOU loses. It bursts into a
fight and CHOU flees. Later he discovers that the whole
plot is designed by AH LOON.
Read MoreEpisode 19
TO and FOK accept AH LOON's explanations and return to Shanghai
but their relationship is no more as intimate as before. After
much persuasion, TO agrees to start his business again. Things
do not go smooth and TO restores his depressions. This time,
even FOK cannot help and she leaves TO in despair.
Read MoreEpisode 20
U LAN is so ambitious as trying to snatch AH LOON's business
into her own hands. After massive killings and bloodshed,
she fails. AH LOON is sorry to have AH FU killed in the
fight. CHOU returns to Shanghai and search for AH LOON for
revenge. He takes AH LOON to the Nine-heavens tower for a
big game of cards which constitutes the final climax of the
series.
Read More