Much like an expert poker player, writer/director Paul Schrader underplays The Card Counter.  Instead of a flashier approach that boasts with style, Schrader captures the subdued focus and routine of a gambling sub-culture and its players.  One of those players being William Tell (Oscar Isaac), a former serviceman who invests in high-rolling card games to keep himself distracted.  It’s an efficient, time-consuming past-time that prevents William from possibly falling back into bad habits.