Most people nowadays gamble sitting comfortably on the sofa playing via an online casino mobile app and probably with TV buzzing in the background. But what do you recall when you hear the word casino? I bet it’s men in expensive tuxedos sitting at casino tables, stunning-looking women in designer evening gowns, cocktails and cigars, smiling yet focused dealers, and intricate and not always fair game schemes. And though in the battle between online casinos and land-based casinos, the former is taking over, the situation was different only a couple of decades ago. Feeling nostalgic about the good old days? You can travel back in time with the help of many movies about casinos. Check out the HotPotBonus list of the best 10 of them.
10. Casino Royale (2006)
One of the James Bond series movies, Casino Royale definitely deserves a place on our list. Directed by Martin Campbell, the movie stars Daniel Craig, Eva Green, and Judi Dench. This time James Bond has to defeat a banker involved in weapons sales in a poker game in Montenegro. Bow ties, guns, gorgeous women, and beautiful cities – everything is just as usual except that now everything evolves around poker. Haven’t seen it yet? Well, you definitely should.
9. High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story (2003)
The name of Stu Ungar is known to the majority of seasoned casino gamblers as he is considered as one of the best poker, blackjack and gin rummy players ever. Encouraged by the achievements of Stu Ungar, director A.W. Vidmer filmed a movie based on his life. The plot revolves around the life of the great poker player generally known by the nickname of “the Kid” who had great potential but staked everything against poker and lost.
8. The Cooler (2003)
If you are the unluckiest person on earth, you can still take advantage of the situation and earn some money. How, you ask? Get employed at a Las Vegas casino and help it bankrupt high roller players. That’s exactly what the protagonist of “The Cooler” did. But suddenly his bad luck changes.
7. Rounders (1998)
Directed by John Dahl, Rounders has a great cast – Edward Norton, Matt Damon, Gretchen Mol and others. The main character is a recovered gambling addict who has lost a huge sum in a poker game. Now he is clean and lives a quiet life: he studies at a law school together with his loving girlfriend and has a job to make ends meet. But everything changes when his old friend gets out of prison.
6. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
Another movie on HotPotBonus’s list stars Johnny Depp, Tobey Maguire, and Benicio del Toro. It takes us on a psychedelic trip across American West together with journalist Hunter Thompson and his lawyer. During the trip, the two characters take drugs, meet gamblers, racers and hitchhikers.
5. The Sting (1973)
This truly old-school movie ranks five on our list. It stars Robert Redford, Paul Newman, and Robert Shaw. The Sting brought its director George Roy Hill and the film crew seven Oscars, and there is no doubt that the Academy wasn’t mistaken. Taking us to the ruthless 30s, the plot revolves around a story of two con artists who seek revenge for their friend who was killed by a mob boss.
4. Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
It’s really hard to find a person who hasn’t seen Ocean’s Eleven. Directed by Steven Soderbergh, the movie stars truly world-class actors with George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts among them. Danny Ocean portrayed by the forever young Clooney elaborates a plan of robbing three Las Vegas casinos in a single night. If you haven’t seen the movie, it’s definitely time you did it – it’s classic!
3. 21 (2008)
And here come the top three movies one our list. The “21” movie proudly takes the third place. Based on a true story of a team of blackjack players from MIT who won thousands of dollar in Las Vegas casinos, the movie was a huge box-office success.
2. Maverick (1994)
The second place on our list goes to Richard Donner’s Maverick starring Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster and James Garner. The protagonist is a gambler who needs extra money for his buy-in for a poker game. On his way to collecting the necessary sum, he meets other gamblers, tries to win in minor poker games and runs up debts.
1. Casino (1995)
And the winner is… drumroll… Casino! Not only is this Scorsese movie one of the best gambling-related films, it is also one of the top-rankers of all time. The cast is truly awesome – Sharon Stone, Robert De Niro, and other actors give the impression that no one else could have revealed the personalities of their characters better. Ace played by Robert De Niro runs a casino in Las Vegas while his friend is a mafia boss in the city. Deception, violence, and gambling – the movie has it all and tells us about it in the most genius way that only Martin Scorsese would do.
So how do you find our list of the best movies about gambling? Would you change anything? Feel free to comment! And if you haven’t seen one of the films from the list and you’re tired of rewatching Home Alone before Christmas, you know how to spend a winter evening – grab some popcorn and enjoy yourself! Otherwise, there’s another way to spend a winter evening at home – you can have fun playing at an online casino. And here’s a tip for you: right now casinos are loaded with great bonuses and deals. Check them out on HotPotBonus!
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