The Best Movies About Gambling

Gambling and film are two significant facets of the entertainment business, and sometimes, they merge to create something glorious. With the ever-growing expansion of the online gambling business, especially with promos like no deposit bonus Canada, gamblers grow accustomed to controlling the betting adventure. Even if skill cannot be applied in the games, one can choose the kind of stakes they place and when they walk away from the table. Indulging in gambling movies, on the other hand, takes control out of the gamers’ hands to enjoy the thrill of betting dangers and rewards. The films below take an in-depth, entertaining, and sometimes amusing look at the world of gambling.

High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story

High Roller: Newline Cinema released the Stu Ungar Story in 2003. The film describes the life of Stuart Errol Ungar, who is often stated to have been ahead of his time thanks to his genius skills at the poker table. In his lifetime, he collected three WSOP main event titles along with the same number of Amarillo Slim’s Super Bowl of Poker trophies.

Stuart was exposed to gambling very early in his life since his father was a bookmarker who ran a bar that later became a gambling facility. Even though his father tried to keep young Stu from gambling, the legend took every chance to learn it. When his father died, Stuart used his skills to fend for his family and played like a giant despite being a small fellow standing at five feet four. As rosy as the idea of monetizing such a penchant for gambling sounds, it also came with some stabbing thorns. The High Roller film highlights Stu’s decline in gambling addiction. The lead actor portraying Stuart, Michael Imperioli, takes players through the legend’s mistrust, drama, and cocaine-filled life up until he died in a hotel room.

The Cincinnati Kid

The Cincinnati Kid is a classic that serves those with interest in the popular poker game, Stud Poker. The film, which was released in 1965, portrays the life of a young gambler played by Steve McQueen, who challenges the champ of the table game dubbed The Man. The film’s storyline is translated from a popular book by Richard Jessup and uses a powerful cast to deliver a story that draws audiences even today. The climax of the film showcases the professional side of traditional gambling, which is its highlight. The opponents are pitted against each other in a brutal card battle while an aged Tiffany Lap is used to lubricate escalating incidences.

Casino

Casino is one of the most successful movies in American history, and this statement still carries weight more than two decades after its release. The 1995 film is based on the book Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas written by Nicholas Pileggi. It also mixes real events based on the life of Frank Rosenthal, who was responsible for three Las Vegas casinos as part of the Chicago mob. In the film, he is depicted as Ace. Casino tells the story of a Jewish gangster residing in America that is tasked with driving up the profits in Tangiers Casino. The epic crime film shows Ace’s troubles running three casinos and how it affects his relationships and rank in the mob. The epic nature of the film is also credited to the star-studded cast used to tell the story that includes:

• Robert De Niro
• James Woods
• Sharon Stone
• Kevin Pollak

The Hustler

This CinemaScope drama movie narrates the tale Fast Eddie, a hustler who is willing to give it all for a chance at professional hustling and gambling. Despite being talented, the film begins with Eddie losing to Minnesota Fats, who is the best pool player in the country. Viewers follow him as he tries to redeem himself and claim the title of the best player in the country. Even though Eddie finally manages to beat Fats, it comes at a high personal price. At one low point, he even has his hand broken due to dealing with the unscrupulous manager Bert Gordon. 

The Hustler was shot in NYC and captures the modern classic era of the Big Apple and makes it worth watching even today. After its release, it was credited with the surge of pool popularity and went on to gather several major awards for its critical and popular success.

Croupier

Most movies with gambling themes focus on the glamour, excitement, or illicit activities of casinos. Croupier, however, chooses to focus on the unsung heroes that stand behind the tables and facilitate gameplay – the croupier. The film focuses on Jack Manfred, a writer-turned-dealer, who is set up by his gambling father to work the tables. Even though the job starts as a harmless venture to finance the publishing of his book, jack gets caught up in the underbelly of the gambling world as the tale progresses. Trouble arises when he chooses to make the activities in the casino the focus of his new book.

The protagonist of his story, Jake, is described as a dealer with no emotion and is wildly sex-driven. Jack soon changes into the character he is writing about, which results in tension between him and his girlfriend due to a slew of affairs. He also gets caught up in several criminal activities as he hopes to find his way back before it is too late.

Rounders

Rounders is a drama film that cheerfully focuses on the habit of compulsive gambling. The movie features two friends who travel from city to city looking for underground high-stakes poker games to earn enough money to pay off significant debt. The star of the show, Matt Damon, plays the main character Mike Mc Dermott, who loses 30,000 dollars to KGB in an underground Texas Hold’em game. After such a hard hit, he promises his loved ones to steer clear of the game and focus on law school. However, everything goes down the drain when his childhood friend is released from prison and reintroduces him to the ugly underworld of gambling.

Each of these films has a unique touch to them that depicts different elements of the gaming world, including its highs and lows. Some other honorable mentions include 21, Lucky You, Let It Ride, The Cooler, Ocean’s Eleven, Molly’s Game, and Atlantic City.