- Inside a private gambling room, a woman asks the waiter if Rick will have a drink with them. They're told that Rick never drinks with customers.
- We finally meet Rick. Good-lookin' guy. He seems to be playing chess with himself. That's a good way to always win.
- There's some commotion as a German tries to bully his way into the gambling room, but Rick won't let him in. So it seems Rick doesn't love Nazis. Which means we love Rick.
- After Rick arrives back at his table, a gentleman named Ugarte pulls up a chair across from him and attempts to engage him in conversation. Rick humors him, but not without some of his signature snarkiness.
- Ugarte reveals that he's in the business of helping refugees, for a price. He also mentions he's on his way out of Casablanca himself, and hands Rick an envelope containing letters of transit for safekeeping. Seemingly, the only guy he trusts with them is a man who can barely stand him. Tough town.
- Rick, more than a tad suspicious, reminds Ugarte that those German couriers were killed and robbed of some letters of transit. Then he tells him he's "a little more impressed" with him.
- Seems killing Nazis is what it takes to get on this guy's good side (we don't blame him).