18 Best Gambling Movies

best gambling movies

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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.

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California Split

A great buddy film—and Robert Altman’s most underrated classic—California Split stars Elliot Gould and George Segal, both performing incredible feats of stoic face-acting. Part of the fun lies in trying to figure out if Segal hit it big or lost thousands, because his worrying expression never changes.

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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.

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Bob le Flambeur

Directed by the master of French crime thrillers, Jean-Pierre Melville, Bob le Flambeur, a.k.a. Bob the Gambler, is an early masterpiece. After losing it all at the casino due to a lifelong addiction, Bob decides he’s going to get the old gang back together and rob the joint—if he can only keep himself away from the tables.

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The Hustler

Paul Newman may seem like the greatest billiards player of all time in The Hustler, but that doesn’t make his high stakes pool games feel any less like he’s about to lose it all. His rival is Minnesota Fats, one of the coolest named characters in gambling film history.

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The Cooler

There’s nothing the casino can do if someone’s playing hot and winning a lot of money—unless they send in “The Cooler,” anyway. Played with a timid, nervous energy by William H. Macy, “The Cooler” is naturally unlucky, and he works for the casino by jinxing players and spreading his misfortune.

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Ocean’s Eleven

Though not a traditional gambling film, Ocean’s Eleven is a favorite casino movie. Starring an ensemble cast of George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, Andy Garcia, Elliott Gould, Casey Affleck, Don Cheadle, and Carl Reiner, the gang comes together to pull off the biggest Vegas heists of all time.

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Casino Royale

In Daniel Craig’s debut as a young James Bond, Casino Royale features 007 playing in a high-stakes Texas hold ’em poker tournament. He’s up against Mads Mikkelsen, who plays an international criminal with a questionable tell, risking the funds of the exact sort of people you don’t want to be on the bad side of.

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Dark City

This seedy, ’50s gambling noir was the Hollywood debut for actor Charlton Heston, who would go on to star in Planet of the Apes and The Ten Commandments. In Dark City, he plays an underground casino owner based in Los Angeles who must deal with patrons who won’t pay their dues.

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Casino

One of Martin Scorsese’s most famous films, Casino stars Robert De Niro as a big time Las Vegas casino owner sent by the Chicago mafia to run the Tangiers. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Scorsese flick without some crime, murder, and a little Joe Pesci along for the ride as well. (Read the true story inspiration for the film here.)

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The Card Counter

Directed by Paul Schrader and starring Oscar Isaac, this recent film follows an ex-military man who plays one of the most dangerous cons in all of gambling: counting cards. Exploring trauma and his character’s dark past, The Card Counter slowly delves into madness.

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The Sting

Two con men get revenge for a fallen friend in this buddy comedy starring Robert Redford and Paul Newman. The Sting won the Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Director, and many more in 1974, as the smart but tense comedy keeps the audience guessing who will come out the better grifter.

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Hard Eight

The debut film by Paul Thomas Anderson, Hard Eight starts off as a free-wheeling film about a casino pro (Philip Baker Hall) and his new protege (John C. Reilly), who start winning big at the casino. Everything changes when the young craps player falls in love with Clementine (Gwyneth Paltrow), forcing him to break some of his mentor’s rules to disastrous effects.

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Pale Flower

Pale Flower is Japanese film about a yakuza hitman drawn to gambling by a beautiful woman who is constantly losing large sums of money. The ’60s noir expertly captures the intensity of the game despite the audience never learning how to play the tile-based Hanafuda.

Watch on The Criterion Channel

Molly’s Game

Molly’s Game was the directorial debut for writer Aaron Sorkin, based on the alleged true story of a former Olympic skier who ran an international underground poker tournament for celebrities, high profile businessmen, and the Russian mob. Played by Jessica Chastain, Molly Bloom tries to keep her gambling empire afloat while the FBI investigates the massively illegal operation.

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Uncut Gems

Nothing captures the stress of a gambling addiction more than Uncut Gems, the Adam Sandler-starring film about a New York City jewelry dealer who can’t stop himself from chasing the big win. He owes money to everyone in town, including the mob, bookies, watch salesmen, his own brother-in-law, and basketball legend Kevin Garnett.

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The Cincinnati Kid

Steve McQueen, a.k.a. The Cincinnati Kid,” takes on Edward G. Robinson, the king of gamblers, in this high-stakes Poker drama set in New Orleans. In a classic display of movie magic, The Cincinnati Kid displays some of the rarest hands in Poker: queen-high straight flushes, and full houses, aces full of tens.

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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!”

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