With their heightened drama, perfectly dealt hands and the opportunity to know when a player has the cards they’re playing or if they’re just bluffing, a good casino movie offers just the right balance of suspense, artistry, and psychology.
Below, we outline some of what we consider the most iconic casino film scenes of all time, taking into account a mixture of poker and blackjack because we constantly argue about which delivers the best thrill-to-skill ratio!
21 (2008)
21 has been heavily criticized over the years, primarily due to many people thinking that the methods employed were unrealistic. If you want realism, then we’d encourage you to seek out a documentary, but if you want an exciting film about an exciting game with a whole lot of drama mixed in, then you’ll find it a tough one to beat.
Our favorite scene (purely for the disguises) has to be the one where a mustachioed Jim Sturgess (looking somewhat like a police e-fit) works table after table, with the help of his accomplices.
Casino Royale (2006)
It would be hard to consider some of the best casino movie scenes of all time without:
a) Considering many James Bond films
b) Considering the James Bond film specifically centered around a poker game
Seated at a table with arch-villain, Le Chiffre, 007 (played by Daniel Craig) finds himself part of a game of Texas Hold’em. Bond is then poisoned by one of Le Chiffre’s henchmen and (as the stakes weren’t high enough) battles through the toxins to take part in a $115 million “all-in” call, which he brings about himself (as Le Chiffre coolly, or nervously, flips a chip in his hand).
As we move around the table and consider each player’s gunslinger-like stare, we quickly realize that the battle can only ever really be between good and evil. Our favorite moment comes when Le Chiffre’s smug look is transformed into that of a man who’s about to lose his (no doubt very expensive) dinner and promptly leaves the table to do so.
Rounders (1998)
Set in the world of career, high-stake poker players, Rounders follows a baby-faced Edward Norton (playing “Worm”) and Matt Damon (playing “Mike”) as they attempt to win enough money to cover a debt.
After losing his money to Teddy “KGB” (Malkovich), Mike promises his girlfriend to quit gambling but is drawn back into the poker scene when his friend, Worm, is released from prison and given just five days to pay off an old debt. We won’t spoil too much of the plot here, but Mike ends up coming face to face with Teddy “KGB” once again in one of the most dramatic scenes of the movie.
Casino (1995)
Casino delivers on so many fronts that it can be hard to pin down a specific, stand-out scene. With gangsters, glamour, and action in spades (never mind the magical touch of a certain Mr. De Niro – playing “Ace Rothstein”) it’s a movie that just keeps on giving.
However, if you really twisted our arms, we’d have to point to the moment that an insolent cowboy’s head is used as a battering ram as he’s removed from the premises by security for refusing to remove his booted feet from the table.
All this happens as Ace calmly smokes a cigarette and watches… Cool.
Rain Man
If you’ve been living under a rock your entire life and aren’t familiar with Rain Man, you should know that if follows Charlie (Tom Cruise) and his autistic, estranged brother Raymond (Dustin Hoffman). Charlie is heavily in debt and realizes that Raymond’s disability might be his golden ticket.
The pair get suited-up (enjoy the iconic, escalator reveal) and hit the casino floor, where Charlie capitalizes on Raymond’s calculator-like brain, encouraging him to count cards and win big in the process. They’re eventually asked to leave by the management on suspicion of cheating, but even security finds it hard to believe that anyone could count six decks!
The Verdict
It’s a tough call, but we think Casino Royale’s high-stake game takes the crown but go and watch the rest!
