It’s a gamble to go to the movies. Every time you buy a movie ticket or watch a movie on Netflix from your couch, you’re taking a chance. Will the investment be worthwhile? Will the two-hour time investment be worthwhile too? Of course, when choosing movies to watch, there is always a risk, but there are ways to reduce that risk, such as reading a list of the top movies in the gambling genre.
- Uncut Gems – Uncut Gems‘ greatness lies in the main character, Howard’s ability to draw us in and convince us that, yes, he might be able to carry off this mad escapade he’s created — yeah, maybe this is how he wins.
- The Hustler – Fast Eddie Felson’s early years as a notorious poolroom hustler are chronicled in The Hustler. Throughout the film, audiences will see Eddie compete against a billiards champion, fall in love with a woman who carries a lot of emotional baggage, and meet an experienced gambler who wants to mentor Eddie.
- Ocean’s Eleven – Okay, we all know this isn’t a gambling film. But, c’mon, it has Vegas, poker, and slot machines in it. Plus, robbing three casinos is a bit of a risk.
- Casino – Casino is one of the lesser-known gangster epic movies. Despite this, because it is set in Las Vegas, it is arguably the most well-known of all gambling films. It’s not for the faint of heart, and it can be rather brutal at times.
- Croupier – An aspiring writer is recruited as a croupier at a casino, where he discovers that his experiences as a croupier would make a fantastic novel.
- Rounders – While managing his relationship with his fiancée and his responsibilities to law school, a young, rehabilitated gambler must return to playing high-stakes poker to help a friend pay off loan sharks.
- The Gambler – The game of blackjack has been the subject of numerous casino films, and The Gambler is no exception. Mark Wahlberg plays a literature professor who enjoys playing blackjack as a recreational activity.
- 21 – It can be challenging to find a gambling film full of suspense, thrills, and humor. All of this and more can be found in Robert Luketic’s classic film 21.
- Guns, Girls & Gambling – Take Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels and set it in Las Vegas, and you’ve got Guns, Girls, and Gambling on your hands.
- The Cincinnati Kid – At the time, it was thought to be a rip-off of The Hustler, but this picture, which focuses on poker rather than pool hustling, holds up just as well, if not better, than that one.
- Maverick – Consider that Maverick was nominated for an Academy Award in 1994 if you don’t believe it’s a fine parody. Mel Gibson can sell any joke, firefight, or card game.
- The Sting – The Sting – which includes tonnes of poker and a fraudulent off-track betting operation – never stops dragging you into all of its traps because it is so full of twists and turns at every unexpected moment.
- Ocean’s Thirteen – After casino owner Willy Bank double-crosses one of the original eleven, Danny Ocean gathers the gang for a third robbery.
- High Roller – The story of Stuey Ungar, a poker legend. Ungar, a gambler since the age of ten, amassed a fortune through card games.
- Owning Mahowny – Owning Mahowny, one of the best gambling movies of all time, stars Philip Seymour Hoffman as a real-life Canadian banker who went too far.
- The Hangover – Although the film isn’t about gambling, various gambling sequences are sprinkled throughout it. With a cast of well-known actors, The Hangover isn’t too shabby.
- Bugsy – This film chronicles the story of criminal Bugsy Siegel and his idea of constructing a gambling oasis in the Nevada desert, which would ultimately become Las Vegas.
- Bob Le Flambuer – Bob le Flambuer is a film that depicts what occurs when someone is forced to put everything on the line. When his fortunes turn sour, and his excellent luck fades, the people who once loved him the most decide to desert him.
- The Color of Money – Paul Newman earned his lone Academy Award for The Color of Money, in which he reprised his role as Fast Eddie Felson from 1961’s The Hustler. The sequel is a film about an aging pool shark who finds himself at a fork in the path.
- Hard Eight – Anderson’s debut film, about an experienced card player and a lonely orphan, is a gripping investigation of the guys who spend their lives in Vegas, assuming you enjoy your casino flicks with a touch of sadness.
