Gambling Films We Still Watch In 2020

There have been some pretty good gambling movies released over the years but for some reason, there are not so many new titles. The drama "Molly's Game" and "Win it All" were both released in 2017 and are definitely worth watching but there's nothing like the old classic casino movies that give us a taste of both the luxury and the darker side of gambling. There are gambling movies that follow the journey of poker legends, some tell a tale of counting cards, and others follow the legendary town of Las Vegas. Whatever the actual subject of the film is, these movies are somewhat inspirational. They continue to fascinate generation after generation and are being watched by people all over the world. Even in the Arab world, where casinos and gambling for money is strictly forbidden, the casino movies we list below, are voted as top movies to watch.

21 - Released in 2008

Haven’t we all dreamed about being able to count cards to such an extent that we could win millions of dollars? This is always a bit of a blackjack fantasy for casino gamers, and it’s one of the only casino games where you can gain a real advantage by employing a simple strategy. If you’ve never heard of counting cards, this is where you assign a value to each card of a blackjack deck, and by running the total in your head, you can accurately predict when to bet high and when to bet low.

This is the premise that the movie 21 is based on, but don’t be fooled, this is much more difficult than it may initially sound. That’s why the people you see in the movie all seem to be incredibly gifted with mathematics, and their ability to work together results in a massacre of Vegas casinos. The massacre in this sense comes from the profit they are able to take from counting cards, and it really is a great movie.

Casino Royale - Released in 2006

This movie shows a combination of British spy behavior among high-stakes poker action, and it is one of the best James Bond films to ever be released. Back in 2006, James Bond is chasing a rather vicious terrorist around the world, and it leads him to a high-stakes poker game at a very glamorous casino. The movie isn’t strictly focused on gambling, but it certainly gives an awesome insight into the world of poker.

Of course, most people won’t be playing against someone who is a high-profile terrorist in a casino room, but that’s what makes the movie exciting! James Bond is able to figure out how the bad guy, Le Chiffre, reacts when he is bluffing in a game of poker. He also goes on to explain that in poker, it’s not always the player with the best cards in their hand that wins.

All of this is done in such a slick way throughout the movie too that you just cannot take your eyes away from it. You even pick up a trick or two about playing poker just by watching the action unfold too.

The Gambler - Released in 2014

This is one of Mark Wahlberg’s finest performances in our opinion, as he shows such a desperate yet clever man in the movie. This film definitely highlights the uglier side of betting and gambling, as the main character, Jim Bennett, finds himself in serious debt to some dangerous loan sharks. He has a compulsive gambling obsession, and he kind of uses this as an escape from his rather mundane life as a university lecturer.

With just 7 days on the clock to repay his debts before he is due to be assassinated, Bennett figures out a way to pay back his debts, and even profit in the process. It is a really sophisticated and clever movie, and definitely one that we would recommend.

Rounders - Released in 1998

This is clearly one of the older films on the list, yet it really is a fantastic watch. You can sit back and enjoy a pretty young Matt Damon trying to take down some of the big boys of underground poker in Rounders. He is actually a young university attendee in the film, and due to his mathematical abilities, he wants to pay his way through his studies by being successful in this poker world.

The movie is full of twists and turns, and Damon really lets you get inside the mind and emotions of what it takes to be a top-level poker player.