In the finale of Landman season 1, Cami Miller (Demi Moore) tells Tommy Norris (Billy Bob Thornton) to “roll the dice,” but some viewers may have missed why she decided to gamble with Monty’s (Jon Hamm) money. The ending of Landman season 1 was a wild ride, but it all started with Monty’s health problems. After a heart attack and a lengthy operation, Monty was left unconscious waiting for a heart transplant. While Monty’s fate in Landman would soon be fully revealed, his lawyer asked Cami to decide what to do with his money and a farm out deal he had previously made.

Cami was presented with two choices: stop the deal and take the massive inheritance Monty left behind, or make Tommy go through with the deal and bet all of Monty’s money against a chance at $1.4 billion in pure profit. It seemed like an easy decision – Tommy even noted that Monty’s fortune was so large that Cami’s grandchildren wouldn’t have to work a day in their lives – but Cami decided to gamble anyway. With that much money safe and sound, it’s strange that Cami decided to risk it all on yet another risky oil deal. Luckily, Landman explained Cami’s choice before she even made it.

Cami’s Gamble Is To Secure Monty’s Legacy, Despite Being A Huge Risk

Monty Wanted To Be Remembered, & Cami Thought She Needed More Money To Secure His Legacy

Custom image by Sean Morrison

As surprising as Cami’s decision to “roll the dice” was, she actually explained her reasoning herself. Earlier in the episode, just after Tommy assumed the role of M-Tex’s president, Cami told him that Monty wanted to be remembered after he died, and all of his work in the oil industry was to secure his legacy. Then, she wondered if the fortune he left behind would be enough to “make the world remember him.”

“All he wanted is to be remembered. That’s it. Not for the money, but for what we do with the money. And yeah, I have enough to live and live well. But do I have enough to make the world remember him?”

Cami’s quote explains why she gambled with Monty’s money: she wanted to make sure she would have enough money to secure Monty’s legacy. It’s not clear how much money Monty left Cami and set aside for his charitable foundation, but it was likely around $1 billion. Cami didn’t think that was enough to put his name in the books as one of the great philanthropists of American history, so she told Tommy to take the chance to make an even bigger fortune. To affect the world as thoroughly and positively as she needed to for Monty to become a famous philanthropist, Cami would need far more than $1 billion.

Will Cami’s Risk Payoff In Landman Season 2?

It’s Too Soon To Tell, But Tommy Leading M-Tex Should Help Cami’s Gamble Pay Off

Landman season 2 will almost surely answer whether Cami’s gamble pays off, but for now, it’s too soon to tell. There are so many things that have to work for Cami’s gamble to work – from Rebecca Falcone (Kayla Wallace) securing a good deal to the drills actually hitting oil quickly – that there’s no way to predict with any certainty whether the farmout will be profitable. If just one thing goes wrong, like Tommy’s new cartel friend Gallino (Andy Garcia) interfering or one of the wells not hitting, M-Tex will go bankrupt and Cami will be left destitute.

There is, however, enough to speculate about how Cami’s gamble will play out in Landman season 2. Now that Tommy is the president of M-Tex, and now that he’s finally gotten Rebecca on the same side as him, he should prove to be a very effective leader. He already knows the oil business inside and out, and he learned quite a bit from working with Monty so closely for so many years. Plus, if M-Tex does go bankrupt and Tommy is left poor yet again, Landman won’t have a story left to tell, so it’s in the show’s best interest for Cami’s gamble to pay off.