Top poker and gambling movies

Hollywood directors often address the theme of gambling in their films. Here are nine of the most popular films about poker and other card games. They have been highly praised by audiences and critics, and the gambling scenes shown in them have fascinated even professional gamblers.

Popular poker movies

Here are nine films made in Hollywood over the last 50 years. These casino and poker movies have achieved a cult status as soon as they were released. Gambling may not occupy all the screen time, but in any case it plays an important role in the story, determining the actions of the characters and their goals in life.

Casino Royale

In the story the 007 agent not only has to shoot accurately and run fast, but also to show his poker skills. Bond turns out to be a skillful gambler: first he wins an Aston Martin and a beautiful companion, and then he demonstrates his professional game at a poker tournament held at the Casino Royale. Here Daniel Craig's character has to compete with criminal banker Le Chiffre played by Mads Mikkelsen.

Sin City 2

There's no Las Vegas in this film, but the title obliged director Robert Rodriguez to address the subject of gambling. And he did, with one scene featuring a poker fight between Johnny, the main character played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Senator Roark, played by Powers Booth.

This episode is interesting not so much for its poker image as for its visual sophistication. The black-and-white image is reminiscent of documentaries and detective noirs of the 1940s - against such a gloomy background, a brightly colored painted girl looks especially spectacular.

The Cincinnati Kid

An iconic film in which Steve McQueen embodies the character of a virtuoso poker player nicknamed "Cincinnati Kid". He is unrivaled in stadium poker, but when another ace in this discipline appears on the horizon, the hero challenges him to prove his superiority. Professional gamblers often put this film at the top of their list when asked to name the best poker and casino movies.

Cards, Money, and Two Guns

In this cult film by Guy Ritchie, four friends decide to make some extra money on one of their skills at poker. But they don't choose the most convenient opponent - a criminal boss in London who is known for cutting off the fingers of his debtors. It is him in the end and our heroes lose a large sum. In addition remain indebted. Now they have only a few days to repay the debt and not lose their limbs.

Twenty-one

The plot for this picture is based on real events about 4 students from Massachusetts University who, together with their math teacher, emptied several casinos in Las Vegas of large sums of money. Their success was helped by their phenomenal math skills--the company could count cards masterfully. In addition to the realistic demonstration of card machinations, the film is worth watching because of Kevin Spacey's virtuoso acting as the teacher.

Hangout in Vegas

Not much time is given to card games in this popular comedy. The director uses them in the story when the characters need to get their hands on $80,000 to rescue their friend who has allegedly been taken prisoner by bandits. The friends decide on a desperate gamble to beat a Las Vegas casino. Surprisingly, the venture goes off without a hitch thanks to one of them's professional card-counting skills.

The Scam

A classic Hollywood poker movie in which Robert Redford and Paul Newman decide to avenge a murdered friend on a Chicago mob boss. The act of revenge unfolds at the poker table. The situation is complicated by the fact that the mob boss plays only his deck and only on his personal territory - on the train. However, this does not become an obstacle for our heroes, who know how to achieve success in poker by any means.

Cheaters

The main roles in this stylish and entertaining film were played by Hollywood stars Matt Damon and Edward Norton. In the story they are two cronies. One of them left poker in the past to attend law school, the other, just out of prison, is mired in large debts.

Wanting to help his friend, Damon's character takes up his old game again - he sits down at the card table to quickly collect the necessary amount of money. Like other poker movies, this film is a great success:

• Keeps you in suspense until the very end;
• professionally depicts poker matches;
• presents many plot surprises.

Many poker players, including the famous Daniel Negreanu, have praised "The Cheat" for its professionalism.

Ocean's Eleven

Steven Soderbergh's iconic film about a Las Vegas casino heist made it to this top spot thanks to one of the opening scenes. In it the characters of George Clooney and Brad Pitt play poker in a small bar back room. The game is played for small amounts of money and is clearly seen as a way for the buddies to pass the time. Further events of the movie will allow the friends to break a really big score, but in a slightly different field.