TopPro10 The Best ProductIf you’re a poker player and/or regularly find yourself at the casinos online, chances are you’re a big fan of gambling movies. We’re here to break down our top-10 list of the best gambling movies and where you can watch them.
This list of gambling movies has been curated based on various user ratings online, responses to Twitter polls, and my own personal opinion since I’m a poker player and a movie buff myself.
1. Uncut Gems
Uncut Gems is a recent Adam Sandler film that was an unexpected masterpiece due to its incredible non-stop action. You never get a chance to breathe as Sandler’s character, Howard Ratner, is constantly involved in stressful situations that get your adrenaline pumping.
Sandler releases himself from his comedic roles to play as a New York City jeweler and all-around con artist with a crippling gambling habit who constantly cheats on his wife.
As he continuously struggles to pay off his debts, he purchases a rare Ethiopian black opal that he believes will finally get him out of the hole.
2. Rounders
Any poker player will tell you that Rounders is, without a doubt, the best movie about gambling. Rounders features the extremely smart New York City law student and poker player Mike McDermott (Matt Damon), who teams up with a good friend and ex-con Lester “Worm” Murphy (Edward Norton).
Murphy owes a ton of money to loan sharks and convinces McDermott to play underground high-stakes poker to get himself out of debt.
3. Ocean’s Eleven
This remake of the Rat Pack heist film blew audiences away due to its star-studded cast and fast-paced action. This film is the epitome of cool and rightfully deserves a high place on our list of the best gambling movies.
I mean come on, it’s George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, Andy Garcia, Elliott Gould, Casey Affleck, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, and Carl Reiner in a movie about pulling off the biggest heist of all time.
4. Casino
Money. Power. Passion. Martin Scorsese’s Casino is a crime-drama that takes place in Vegas during the 1970s.
The movie centers around Sam “Ace” Rothstein (Robert De Niro), who is assigned to run casinos for the mob due to his world-class ability to skim money. His character is based on Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal, who created the first ever casino-operated sportsbook.
5. Croupier
Croupier is a casino-based thriller that isn’t remembered all that well but quietly remains one of the better gambling movies that have ever been produced and helped launch Clive Owen’s career.
Owen’s character Jack Manfred, a South African living in England, is an aspiring writer still looking for his first big break. He then gets a call from his father, setting him up for a job at a local casino to be a croupier.
6. National Lampoon’s Vegas Vacation
National Lampoon’s Vegas Vacation was the movie that introduced me to the glitz and glamor of Las Vegas, which makes it a quintessential inclusion on this best gambling movies list.
Vegas Vacation is a hilarious comedy starring Chevy Chase as Clark Griswold, who ends up having the cliché terrible time in Vegas, losing every penny to his name. His back-and-forth with the evil blackjack dealer at The Mirage Hotel & Casino is worth the watch alone.
7. Casino Royale
Casino Royale became the 21st edition of the official James Bond series and was the first Daniel Craig Bond film. It’s wildly popular amongst James Bond fans and is considered to be one of the best Bond movies of all time.
Bond’s mission is to bankrupt poker player Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), who uses his money to fund terrorism. Le Chiffre’s client just lost $101M due to a failed operation and Le Chiffre attempts to win it all back by organizing a high-stakes poker tournament at the Casino Royale in Montenegro.
8. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
While Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is not exactly a gambling movie, it takes place in Las Vegas and depicts the landscape in the most stylish way possible. It’s based on Hunter S. Thompson’s novel of the same name.
Journalist Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp) and his attorney Dr. Gonzo (Benicio del Toro) take a rented red Chevy Impala convertible and a huge suitcase packed with an assortment of drugs across the Mojave Desert to Las Vegas. Duke has been assigned to cover the Mint 400 motorcycle race, though the pair get wildly off-track as they go on one of the craziest benders anyone has ever imagined.
9. The Color of Money
Another Martin Scorsese flick makes our list of the 10 best gambling movies as Paul Newman and Tom Cruise star in this pool hustler film.
Newman plays former hustler “Fast Eddie” Felson who wants to get back in the action and does so by taking on Vincent Lauria (Cruise) as his protégé. They team up and go from pool hall to pool hall as Fast Eddie teaches Vincent how to refine his game as well as the art of the scam. The two eventually fall out due to Vincent’s eccentric antics and multiple disagreements.
10. The Cincinnati Kid
Steve McQueen stars as poker player Eric Stoner, a.k.a. “The Kid,” in this classic five-card stud poker movie. The Kid, who attracts women and everyone around him with his luck, goes from one room to another winning every poker game he plays.
One day, he gets the urge to challenge “The Man”, legendary poker player Lancey Howard (Edward G. Robinson).
