Top Five Best Gambling Movies

by Jake Gosselin | Dec 21 2007

5. Rounders
(Matt Damon, Edward Norton, John Malkovich - 1998)

Rounders had almost as much to do with the international poker craze that continues to sweep the world as Chris Moneymaker's big World Series of Poker Main Event win in 2003. The movie is also responsible for thousands of people instantly becoming "expert" poker players after watching it. So it’s kind of a double-edged sword.

Rounders tells the story of Mike McDermott (Matt Damon), a brilliant law student turned rogue poker player, as he pursues success at the poker table at the cost of a career and social life.

Much of the success of Rounders should also be credited to Damon's performance. Despite some slightly over-the-top writing (more on this below), Damon excels at playing a genius who is always several steps ahead of the pack.

But where this film really shines is in its ability to capture the tension and excitement of what it's like to play high-stakes poker.

Matt Damon and Edward Norton played the $10,000 buy-in Texas Hold 'Em championship event at the 1998 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, Nev. During the first of four days, Damon had pocket kings and was knocked out by former world champion and poker legend Doyle Brunson who held pocket aces.

The moral of the film, if you can call it that, is equally refreshing. Despite the fact that director John Dahl portrays the professional gambler's lifestyle as seedy, he does show some objectivity. Mike ultimately realizes that he's been turning his back on poker because other people have problems with it even though he doesn't.

One of the best scenes in Rounders occurs when Mike finally figures out Teddy KGB's (John Malkovich) tell. Check it out here, but ask yourself if it really makes sense for such a great poker player to have such a ridiculous and consistent tell, like eating an Oreo every time he's holding the best hand?

4. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
(Jason Flemyng, Jason Statham - 1999)

I know, I know, it's not exactly a gambling movie, but the plot's action does get rolling from the result of a poker game.

A group of friends (Tom, Bacon, Soap and Eddie) pool some ill-gotten resources and stake Eddie (Nick Moran) $100,000 for the game. Unfortunately for them, Eddie gets cheated by local mobster "Hatchet" Harry Lonsdale, who uses a hidden camera to see his cards.

The plot then becomes a case of how do they pay off their debts before "Hatchet" Harry teaches them the reason he was given his nickname.

Interesting Fact: Vinnie Jones, who plays Big Chris the mobster thug, had just been released from police custody on the first day of filming. He had been arrested for beating up his neighbor.

Writer/Director Guy Ritchie really put his name on the map with this one as the screenplay is seamless, fast-paced, exciting and original, while the camera work draws audiences in with a style comparable to Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction.

While Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels might make you hesitant about playing in illegal high-stakes cash games, it won't make you feel like you've been suckered by the film studio – here's a taste of why.

3. Casino
(Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, Sharon Stone - 1995)

If you're going to make a gangster movie, it's not a bad idea to get Martin Scorsese to direct it. Exhibit A: Casino.

Like Goodfellas, Casino is a based-on-facts insider's mob story. In this case, it's the tale of how the mob lost control of Las Vegas.

Scorsese teams up with Robert DeNiro and Joe Pesci, who break from their usual role choices to play mobsters – shocking, I know. The acting is as great as you would expect from these two, and the dialogue crackles with tension.

Great Quote: "No matter how big a guy might be, Nicky would take him on. You beat Nicky with fists, he comes back with a bat. You beat him with a knife, he comes back with a gun. And you beat him with a gun, you better kill him, because he'll keep comin' back and back until one of you is dead." – Ace Rothstein

The dialogue between Pesci and DeNiro is fantastic. Check out a great example here – although their facial expressions come across as a little stiff.

For those of you who love films that not only have great characters and plots but also have accurate explorations of history, Casino has got you covered.

2. The Sting
(Paul Newman, Robert Redford - 1973)

The Sting won seven Oscars including Best Picture.

It's a great flick, and for those of us who enjoy the old Robert Redford and Paul Newman buddy dynamic in the vein of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, it's just the ticket.

Redford and Newman play low-level conmen in Depression-era Chicago. I won't spoil the plot for the few of you out there who haven't seen it, but I'll say that it has more twists than an M. Night Shyamalan documentary about Twizzlers. It involves Redford and Newman's winding and complex sting designed to take down established mobster Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw) after Lonnegan makes the mistake of murdering their friend.

Interesting Fact: The film's score by Scott Joplin created a resurgence in ragtime music which indelibly became associated with the '30s. This occurred despite the fact that Joplin composed it between 1900 and 1910.

The classic poker scene in The Sting takes place when Newman's character out-cheats the "master cheat" Lonnegan when he beats him at poker while pretending to be drunk on gin. The bottle of gin, of course, was just water.

1. The Cincinnati Kid
(Steve McQueen - 1965)

The Cincinnati Kid is a great movie by any standards. It's one of director Norman Jewison's earliest and best films and has the audacity to be even better than the book it’s based on, an honor held by select films like Blade Runner, Fight Club and The Bridges of Madison County (yes, I just admitted to reading it).

Set in Depression Era New Orleans, Steve McQueen plays The Kid, a cocky poker player looking to prove he's the best card player around. The Kid is obsessed with proving himself by beating the five-card-stud legend Lancey Howard (Edward G. Robinson).

It's a smart poker film that doesn't talk down to the audience. But most of all, it's just a rock solid story about a man bent on being the best and how that affects him and those around him.

Interesting Fact: The original director for this film was Sam Peckinpah. Peckinpah was fired after producer Martin Ransohoff discovered that Peckinpah had shot a nude scene with Sharon Tate that he intended to include in the U.S. version of the film.

The acting in this movie is as about as good as it gets with McQueen doing what he does best - being very fucking cool. The final poker scene is tense, brutal and fantastic. McQueen gets into one of those hands where you're pot-committed with a great hand, but that turkey across from you keeps calling on a draw. If you've ever been in a situation like this, it will almost make you ill to watch it.

Play Bodog's sleek online Blackjack with no download required.  Play online Blackjack now!