The Best 5 Poker and Casino Films

The holiday season is a good time to relax at home with loved ones, and since there are no decent movies about casino or card games out in the theaters, here is a list of good films available on DVD to catch. They're all about card games, casinos, and generally risk-taking struggles, and most importantly--they're entertaining flicks to watch!


1. Ocean's Thirteen (2007) A power blockbuster from this year, this movie will not impart any intense poker showdowns under smoky lamplight or reveal interesting psychological struggles. But it is a lot of fun. The star-studded cast includes George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Al Pacino, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Ellen Barkin, Don Cheadle, Eddie Izzard, and more. What makes the third installment of the Ocean trilogy extra thrilling is its premise: instead of carrying out a robbery, Danny Ocean (Clooney) and his cohorts lash out an enemy (Pacino) by sabotaging the opening of his new lavish casino. This translates into rigging the slot machines and games so that everyone, including high rollers and Everyday Joes, wins big. Very exciting stuff, and it could only happen in Hollywood.


2. House of Games (1987) Now, here is a small, thoughtful movie that is the complete opposite of the flashy Ocean's Thirteen. Starring Lindsay Crouse, Joe Mantegna, Ricky Jay, and JT Walsh, this film details the misadventures of a psychiatrist named Margaret (Crouse) who falls for a conman named Mike (Mantegna). A gripping psychological tale directed by theatre dramatist David Mamet, its tight dialogue, plot twists, and intense ending will make you remember this dramatization about different types of bluffs and risk-taking for a while.


3. Casino (1995) Martin Scorcese directed this classic mob flick, which stars Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, and Sharon Stone. DeNiro plays Sam, who is entrusted with the day-to-day operations of the fictional Tangiers casino by four major mafia bosses. Pesci is Nicky, a violent-tempered friend of Sam's whose main task is to protect Sam and the casino. (The mafia presence is important, as it illegally skims profits from the casino.) Sam falls for a beautiful hustler, Ginger (Stone), and these three volatile characters bring about both the rise and fall of Tangiers, which is said to be based on The Stardust Resort & Casino.


4. Rounders (1998) Again, Matt Damon appears on the list in this 1998 film as Mike, a former rounder (a person whose only income is from poker game winnings) who gets sucked back into the underground world of high-stakes poker. Edward Norton plays Worm, Mike's friend, who owes a big gambling debt and requires Mike's help. Mike struggles between the straight life, which encompasses his relationship with girlfriend Jo and his life as a law school student, and the life of a rounder. Although this film was initially released into modest success, it has now grown into a cult favorite among poker players.


5. The Cincinnati Kid (1965) Seen as another poker classic, The Cincinnati Kid is about a Depression-Era player who wants to become the best in the game. Steve McQueen, that Hollywood paragon of manliness, stars in the title role as Eric "The Kid" Stoner. He squares off against Lancey "The Man" Howard (Edward G. Robinson) in the film's climax. The last showdown, by the way, has been deeply analyzed by poker aficionados. Journalist and writer Anthony Holden calculates that the final cards shown in the two-handed game have only a "45,102,781 to 1" ratio of odds. Want to know what they were? Well, go on, queue up your Netflix or drive to your local video store right now!