The Best Gambling Movies – Gambling movies are so remarkably tense for viewers because the stakes of casino games are already inherently high. Betting it all. Losing your shirt. Staring down your opponent, trying to read their mind. Perhaps it’s not surprising then that filmmakers have returned to the well as inspiration for thrillers, dramas, and action-packed adventures over the years.
The main characters in these films are upping the ante by risking their lives on the big score, falling into debt or addiction—or trying to game the system. Sometimes, they’re running underworld operations; sometimes those involved are super spies. No matter the set up, you can bet you’ll be entertained.
Whether you’re in it to learn how to beat the house or just want to hear the soothing sounds of chips stacking and slots spinning, these are the best gambling movies to put you right in the action
California Split
The Gambler
Based on a true story of a crippling gambling addiction, screenwriter James Toback wrote The Gambler about his own problematic behavior, anger, and feelings of general desperation. The conflict makes for a great drama, as long as you’re watching the original ’70s film with James Caan and not the hated 2014 Mark Wahlberg remake
Bob le Flambeur
Rounders
Starring a 26-year-old Matt Damon, Rounders once again pits the Good Will Hunting boy wonder as the smartest, wide-eyed cutie in the room. This time, however, he’s winning poker games instead of solving chalkboard equations. Rounders also features one of the greatest line reads in all of cinema: John Malkovich screaming “Give that man his money!”