Best Poker Moves Ever
Poker and film are a match made in heaven, as evidenced by the fact that some of the best films of all time — be they thrillers, action films, or comedies — feature scenes where characters play poker. While films such as Molly’s Game (2017) and Rounders (1998) focus specifically on the ups and downs of the high-stakes poker world, many others use poker to create interesting scenes for characters while still moving the film’s plot forward.
Ever wonder who is the best poker player in the world? Check out our Poker Player of the Year race, as well as years of data of poker player results and casino poker tournament pay-outs. For a more in-depth look, check out 3 Hands from Poker Movies That You Probably Have Not Seen. Smart Money (1931): The Poker Dream Lives During the Great Depression. Synopsis: Nick the Barber is the best poker player in his hometown, so he tries his luck on a big city game and gets cleaned by shady pros. Not discouraged, he dusts himself.
Because of poker’s naturally thrilling and social nature, it can easily create drama, suspense, or even humor in a film. But what else is it about poker that is so utterly entertaining, immersive, and rewarding? We know when we’re given the chance, we can’t keep ourselves away from online Agen IDN Poker. To help us stay on top of our game, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best poker movies in cinematic history.
Slow, shallow, and incredibly talky, Spectre is so busy telling us it’s an epic movie that it never gets around to delivering on its promise. In lieu of a plot, what follows the (admittedly spectacular) pre-credits sequence set amidst Mexico City’s Day of the Dead celebration is a random collection of set pieces, seemingly cobbled together as a “greatest hits” from. This movie is a treat for Steve McQueen fans. This classic is about “ The Kid” Eric Stoner (Steve McQueen), a young stud poker player who challenges the best card player in the country “ The Man” Lancey Howard (Edward G. Robinson) for a high stake Five Card Stud poker game. It is known as one of the most popular movies about poker.
Mississippi Grind
We begin our exploration with Mississippi Grind, an independent featuring Ryan Reynolds and Ben Mendelsohn described as cool and surprisingly well-crafted entertainment. Both characters enjoy the gambling scene tremendously, but Curtis (Reynolds) is the charismatic chap with plenty of swagger and ability at the casino.
Together with Jerry (Mendelsohn), he sets off for a major poker tournament in New Orleans. The on-screen chemistry between the protagonists is extraordinary, and the gambling games are filled with flair. The movie is an entertaining ensemble, an underrated comedy-drama caper that explores the human desire for hedonism.
Mississippi Grind is festooned with wild entertainment, perilous exploits, and some incredibly important life lessons. Its melancholy and mania are fused together in a sizzling-hot entertainment masterpiece for the avid poker player.
Win it All
Here’s a movie bursting with comedic entertainment value. Win it Allis not necessarily a poker movie per se, but it most definitely is a gambling movie, with enough casino-related references to whet the appetite of aspiring poker players. If you enjoy the thrill of winning big at the tables, Win it All does a fine job of getting you excited for the gambling activity to follow.
The story is a little cheesy, but definitely captivating. Eddie Garrett (Jake Johnson) is asked to hold onto a duffel bag. The owner, his buddy, is heading off to prison and will give him $10,000 for the bag upon his release. Eddie is asked not to open the bag, but finds it impossibly difficult not to sneak a peek inside.
Upon learning the bag is filled with cash, Eddie goes off the rails and ends up in debt. He must recover this cash before his buddy returns, and that’s when the story really gets going. This is premium-grade entertainment for fans of lighthearted comedy and it’s certainly a step in the right direction for budding poker players.
Casino Royale
The 2006 James Bond movie, Casino Royale, was more than just Daniel Craig’s premiere as the iconic spy, it also refreshed the Bond franchise as a whole. The original Casino Royale book by Ian Fleming has Bond and the villain Le Chiffre’s gamble over baccarat, a game that is based more on luck than strategy.
2006’s Casino Royale switched the game to poker, as Texas Hold’em had become increasingly popular. The swap amped up the excitement of the gambling scenes and set up Bond as a strategic and observant card shark.
Casino Royale takes place early in Bond’s career, as he has just received his “license to kill” from M16, the British Secret Intelligence Service. In Madagascar, Bond uncovers a link to Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), a villain who finances terrorist organizations. When M16 learns that Le Chiffre plans to raise money in a high-stakes poker game, they send Bond to play at the Casino Royale in Montenegro with hopes he can topple Le Chiffre’s organization.
Casino Tycoon & Casino Tycoon 2
Here’s a pair of aces for poker enthusiasts. These Hong Kong tales are packed with action, drama, and suspense, telling the story of a Hong Kong refugee who becomes a casino tycoon. Also known as Gambling City Magnate, these movies were a big hit in Asia back in the late 1990s.
The film stars Andy Lau as Benny Ho Hsin and Joey Wang as Vivian Chang Lo-Erh. This casino-inspired film was written by Wong Jing and was inspired by legendary characters like Yip Hon, Henry Fok, and Stanley Ho.
The story takes place in Macau after the Japanese invasion during World War II. For poker players, there’s plenty of inspiration to take out of these films, and if nothing else, you get to see a pair of pocket rockets (aces) in action. Casino Tycoon and Casino Tycoon 2 reeled in tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars, and many action fans regard these foreign films as winners.
Rounders
Best Poker Movies Ever Made
The poker boom that made Casino Royale into a poker movie instead of a baccarat movie also elevated Rounders into a cult classic. The 1998 casino noir drama, Rounders, starring Edward Norton and Matt Damon didn’t get the appreciation it deserved until poker was all the rage.
Rounders is titled after the slang term for a person traveling around from city to city seeking high-stakes card games, a “rounder”. When gifted poker player and law student Mike McDermott (Damon) loses his money in a poker game against Russian gangster Teddy “KGB” (John Malkovich), his girlfriend, Jo (Gretchen Mol), makes him promise to quit gambling.
McDermott agrees until his old friend, Lester “Worm” Murphy (Edward Norton), is released from prison. Worm needs to play off old debt and enlists Mike to help. When Mike finds out the debt is owed to Teddy and he makes one last-ditch effort to beat the Russian.
Maverick
Bringing the poker trope all the way back to the Old West, 1994’s Maverick is based on the 1950’s television show of the same name. The television show created the stereotypical poker player, one who would rather con than fight, which is still the most used personification of the game’s players.
Maverick’s title character, played by Mel Gibson, hopes to join a poker contest with a jaw-dropping payout that will differentiate him as the best poker player of his time. However, the game requires a $25,000 entrance fee of which Maverick is $3,000 short.
To come up with the money, Maverick scams hopeful contestants, the young con artist Annabelle (Jodie Foster) and cranky gambler Angel (Alfred Molina) in a preliminary card game to win the money he needs, making enemies of both players. Full of twists, turns, all-star cameos and sleights of hand, Maverick brings a bunch of fun to the poker film genre.
Molly’s Game
A little less commercially known, but revered by critics, Aaron Sorkin’s Molly’s Game is the true story of Molly Bloom, the beautiful, Olympic-class skier who ran the world’s most exclusive high-stakes poker game for a decade. Based on Bloom’s memoir: Molly’s Game: The True Story of the 26-Year-Old Woman Behind the Most Exclusive, High-Stakes Underground Poker Game in the World, the film stars Jessica Chastain as Molly Bloom.
After Molly experiences a career-ending injury in the 2002 Olympic qualifiers, she decides to spend a year in Los Angeles before going to law school. Molly takes an office manager job which includes running her boss, Dean’s (Jeremy Strong) underground poker ring. Molly quickly learns the ropes, and begins her own underground poker empire, using the contacts she gained from her work with Dean.
Molly’s players included Hollywood royalty, sports stars, business titans and finally, unbeknown to her, the Russian mob. As her client list grows, Molly becomes increasingly addicted to drugs and winds up in over her head, eventually raided by 17 FBI agents wielding automatic weapons.
What is better than watching a gripping, well-produced movie?
What else but watching a gripping, well-produced poker movie!
With all of the movies available online, you may have trouble finding great movies about poker.
That is why we would love to give you a helping hand!
Get it?
Because the movies are about poker and in poker we deal with hands…Okay, we promise you that the movies are better than our lame puns.
If you have some spare time this week, grab some beers, lay down and watch a great film. So brace yourselves, my fellow poker players who have good taste with movies. Here they are!
EXCLUSIVE BONUS CONTENT
Get this article as an beautiful PDF for print and daily use.
Get an amazing infographic over the top 27 poker movies to share with your friends.
Get a free copy of our popular eBook “21 Secrets to Dominate the Poker Tables Like a Pro“.
Get access to our Google Sheet with 27 poker movies evaluated with all revew-data!
1. The Sting
This is a must watch not only for poker players but just everyone in general. This is about two grifters (con artists) who cons $11,000 (around $189,000 today) from a victim.
The victim turns out to be a footman for a crime boss (this is the Great Depression of the 1930’s after all) and what ensued is a great story about revenge and intrigue. There is a high stakes poker game here which you should not miss.
2. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
For those in the mood for a much more stylized film, this is the right one for you.
Four friends lost quite a bit of money in a game (which turns out to be highly-rigged).
They then try to acquire the money to pay their debt, legally or illegally. The gambling part is just the icing on the blood-stained, highly stylish cake that this film turns out to be.
3. Casino
With A-list actors like Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Sharon Stone as cast, and with director Martin Scorcese at the helm, you can bet that the movie is going to be great!
This is a great story of what happens if the gambling sector is run by the old ones (crime groups and mafia) to the new ones (capitalists and big corporations). Seen through the eyes of the characters, this action-packed tale will definitely be a great movie to watch!
4 Cool Hand Luke
One of the classics, this 1967 film is about Luke, a war veteran, who one night decided to cut electric meters off their poles and then was sent to prison.
This has the air of the cool guy rebellion and is a good pick me up story from the 1960s.
The poker game he played in the prison is an example of a great bluff, which earned Luke a win and the moniker “Cool Hand Luke”. A good watch, if you ask me.
5. The Hustler
Another classic that does deserve the rave reviews, The Hustler is a story about “Fast Eddie”, a small-time hustler who feels he is a big fish in a small pond. He wants to be an even bigger fish in an even bigger pond.
It shows the effects of winning, losing and learning all poker players cycle about. This story is much more compelling than what my summary is, so please watch this great, great film.
6. Rain Man
Everybody should have watched this at least once in their life.
Best Poker Movies Ever
For those who want a more touching and heartfelt movie, this one is for you.
Their journey is a great story to watch, and the card counting done here is really good (and of course anybody can do this, not only Savants like Raymond.
Card Counting is not illegal, but casinos do ban counters though so play it safe).
7. Casino Royale
Another action-packed film, this is Agent 007’s first mission and it is perfect for those who want to have the adrenaline kick.
The poker game is genuinely exciting and of course, the action scenes are great.
A good movie to start your day; it gets you pumped up to just win everything.
8. Freeze Out
Freeze Out is an interesting movie, not only because of the comedy but also because of this movie was financed by the director’s own poker winnings!
Plus, it is the all too familiar friendly poker game that escalated so hard, where friendships are questioned (kinda like a normal monopoly night). A great movie to watch with your poker friends. No trailers though, but your own friendly poker games should be a good sneak peek.
9. Bob le Flambeur
For those who like the taste of French films, Bob le Flambeur is an excellent film how old habits die hard; Bob is an ex-convict who is now broke and is now planning to rob a casino.
Best Gambling Movies Ever
I will not spoil you on how it turns out, but it is a great film all in all. Not only does he have an excellent poker face, the equal parts tragic and comic ending is something to be seen.
10. The Game
A Drama, Mystery and Thriller, The Game is a thrilling story about an investment banker who has his life drained out of his job and relationships.
The direction and writing are second to none for the middle part.
Plus, there are a lot of games here where you might learn a thing or two, and not just about poker or gambling.
11. Ocean’s Eleven
With a cast that has stars that put the evening sky to shame, Ocean’s Eleven is a well-loved film about a bank heist. There are so many A-list stars on the cast which makes this film, even more, fun to watch.
This is an underwhelming review of an overwhelming film, so please do yourself the favor of watching this, or rewatching this, a great masterpiece. There is a great poker game sequence too and the ending is just a treat to the eyes.
12. The Hangover
Not exactly Poker-related, but is just a great laugh trip. With the setting in Vegas, we follow three friends (we can call them idiots as well) as they try to find their friend before he gets married.
I find the Blackjack scene really funny as well as a great jab towards card counting.
13. McCabe & Mrs. Miller
The Timeless McCabe & Mrs. Miller is a must watch for everyone. It is about a gambler and a prostitute who made a business. They rejected an offer to be bought and the capitalists sent bounty hunters to take care of them.
The ending is so bittersweet, and McCabe is implied to be a great gambler and is respected by other poker players in the town. This must be required viewing for everyone.
14. Regalo di Natale
Regalo di Natale, or the Christmas Present, is a great Italian drama-comedy about how four friends gathering and playing poker actually reveals their true nature, both the good and the bad.
The poker game is the highlight and the plot device; it is really like a good hand being slowly unfolded. If you can understand Italian or have no problem with subtitles, then this is a movie you should watch.
15. Leaving Las Vegas
Nicolas Cage does a great job in this film as an alcoholic scriptwriter who met a prostitute and then hit it off and forms a relationship. It is a great drama about two dysfunctional people who finally found a great companion perfect for them.
Around more than an hour into the movie, they were playing at a Caribbean Stud Poker table, which is a poker variant where you play against the house.
16. The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
An action and crime film, this 1976 movie shows a darker side to the poker world, when it was being ruled over by crime syndicates.
A man, due to losing a lot of money in a poker game, was forced to kill a small-time Chinese bookie.
Said Chinese Bookie turns out to be the boss of the Chinese Mafia. This is a great action-packed film.
17. Follow the Bitch
A good film for getting laughs, the bitch here means less of the “nasty girl” we are thinking but is actually about the “queen” in a game.
It is deeper than it sounds and it also shows how one man tries to keep this poker night tradition with his friends from being forgotten.
Watch this with a glass of water at hand, you do not want to be choking while laughing.
18. Atlantic City
A 1980 Crime Drama, Atlantic City is about a gangster and a pot dealer’s wife who tries to make this corrupt city to their own little piece of heaven.
The wife is taking classes on how to be a blackjack dealer, so you might want to follow her journey (and not what she ends up doing at the end).
A great watch if you are feeling more introspective.
19. God of Gamblers
If you want a wacky movie to watch and do not mind subtitles, then God of Gamblers might tickle your fancy.
This Hong Kong film is funny (I love slapstick humor) and the supernatural elements add more fun.
Best Poker Movies Ever
There is also this fun poker game which is a treat to see.
20. A Big Hand for the Little Lady
This is a 1966 Poker classic.
Not only is it funny, it has a great plot twist which I will not spoil.
Let us just say that the little lady is definitely not so little!
Just watch it, how she plays poker is half cute and half cool, and wholly awesome to watch!
21. Rounders
With Matt Damon as the lead actor, Rounders is a great movie, not just for poker fans, but for everyone!
The Texas Hold’em shown here is really great and just the poker games in general, you might just pause the game to take down notes (I did a couple of times).
22. House of Games
Boy oh boy, where do I start?
A psychiatrist is trying to help her patient out of a debt he owes. The creditor runs poker games for a living.
The creditor accepts with a condition, the psychiatrist must look at the other player’s’ body language and help him win.
Watch it. It is great.
23. The Gambler
We can be are our own biggest enemies to ourselves. A professor who has a gambling problem. Fed up, his family no longer helps him after a big loss.
The ending is just so good to be missed out.
24. The Cincinnati Kid
Prepare yourself for the timeless film about poker, risks, and pay-offs.
The final poker game is a classic. It might have been released at 1965 but there is a lot you can learn.
25. California Split
A 1974 Comedy and Drama film about how gambling veteran Charlie and poker newbie Bill have fun, winning some and losing some and finally do their split.
It talks about the so-called beginner’s luck, excitement, and apathy found in poker.
A great educating movie.
26. Croupier
For those who want a more technical take on poker which is at the same time an exciting film, look no further than Croupier.
There is also two distinct phases seen in the character, which you can argue is present to all of us, the Gambler and the Croupier.
An amazing treat to watch.
27. Maverick
To end on a lighter note, Maverick is a great and enjoyable take on the poker world.
Maverick is like your poker game with friends where you are not really betting anything and is just a lot of fun.
You will find hot-headed gamblers, wisecracking gamblers, and just funny players in this journey of Maverick to a five-card draw poker contest.
There are still a lot more films about gambling and poker, but I can say this list here is the cream of the crop.
In the meantime, enjoy these movies, these are all great (or at least better than our puns).
If you have any recommendations or any other comments or suggestions, or you want to tell us how wrong or how right we are, just leave a comment or send us DVD box sets, you do you.