All Time Top Gambling Movies

Watching movies is one of our favorite past times. We can watch it from theaters or at the very comfort of our own homes. There are a lot of great movies that even time can't erase. Some of these movies has been remade and still became a hit and some of it are not as good as the original.

I would like to share to you some of the top gambling movies of all time. It's not ranked because many people have their own number one's and I don't want to ruin that. I just want to share to you guys these list. Hope you find it interesting.

Casino (1995)
Directed by Martin Scorsese. Academy Awards nominated 1995 crime drama film. It is on the non-fiction book of the same name by Nicholas Pileggi. He also co-wrote the screenplay for the film along with Scorsese. The story is about Sam “Ace” Rothstein (De Niro), a jewish top gambling handicapper who called the Mob to oversee the day-to-day operations at the fictional Tangiers Casino in Las Vegas.

Rounders (1998)
Directed by John Dahl and starring Matt Damon and Edward Norton. The movie is about two friends who need to quickly earn enough cash playing poker to pay off a huge debt. Rounders gambler-turned-law student Mike McDermott (Damon) provides it in the movie's opening moments right before he demonstrates, in a devastating hand of poker, how easy and quick it is to lose $25,000 in one misread of a fellow player.

Mike quickly vows that he's retired as a gambler, and takes a truck driving job to pay his tuition. Then along comes Worm (Norton), his childhood pal, who's sprung from jail and looking for Mike to help him pay off some hefty debts. It doesn't take a lot of persuasion before Mike is out of retirement and making the rounds of some high-stakes games.

Kaleidoscope (1966)
The movie tells the story of Barney Lincoln (Warren Beatty), a card player that comes up with a great way to cheat at card games. The young playboy’s scheme is to break into a plant that manufactures all the playing cards to all the major casinos and mark the plates that are used to print the cards. The casinos, as he finds out, use the same playing cards, all manufactured by the same company. He then naturally begins to win everywhere he plays.

A Big Hand for the Little Lady (1966)
Henry Fonda (Meredith) and Joanne Woodward (Mary) are a husband and wife, who get caught up in a high-stakes poker game on their way to California. Meredith gambles all their life savings on the game, money that was meant to be used to by a farm.

The Gambler (1974)
Directed by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. James Caan starred as Axel Freed, a New York City professor with a gambling addiction that is out of control. But as a professor and a playboy, he inspired his students, while attracting Billie (Lauren Hutton), and the admiration of his family. But as a reckless gambler, Freed's debt to bookie Hips (Paul Sorvino), threatens his career and relationships.

The Sting (1973)
Redford (nominated for Best Actor) re-teams with his Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid partner Newman as Johnny Hooker and Henry Gondorff, a couple of 1930s confidence men who plot a wickedly elaborate swindle of mobster Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw). Lonnegan is a local baddie who has drawn the ire of a whole group of con men with his cheatin' ways and his murder of their beloved fellow grifter (and Hooker's partner) Luther.

The Cincinatti Kid (1965)
Epitome of cool McQueen is the titular Kid, a cocky poker player in Depression Era New Orleans who holds markers from everyone in town. But the Kid is only interested in "The Man," a.k.a. aging five-card-stud legend Lancey Howard (Edward G. Robinson), who the Kid challenges to a high-stakes game.

Croupier (1998)
There's no flashing neon, Elvis impersonator or choreographed water fountain in the high-roller casino where unsuccessful author Jack (Owen) toils. In fact, with its mirrored walls, cheesy carpeting and outdated furniture, this joint looks more like a New Jersey wedding reception hall than a typical casino. But the lure of the lifestyle is the same, and despite Jack's choice to stick with dealing and steer clear of gambling beyond his job, life deals him another hand.

High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story (2003)
Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos) portrays one of the legendary poker players of all time, Stu Ungar, who won 3 WSOP tournaments (the only player ever to do so) and countless other tournaments. He won many millions at the poker table but lost everything due to horse races and his drug addiction that also led to his death in 1998.

The Cooler (2003)
Macy is Bernie Lootz, whose mere presence is such a buzzkill that he's paid to be a casino "cooler," a man who sidles up and puts a kibosh on any hot streak. Then he falls into a sweet relationship with waitress Natalie (Bello), and all of a sudden, his dead plants are perking up, his missing cat reappears and Bernie's good luck seems to be contagious for everyone in the casino.

Bugsy (1991)
BUGSY tells the true story of legendary New York mobster Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel who built t he Flamingo Hotel and Casino which paved the way for the mob to take over Las Vegas.

Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
Aside from the wild ride we enjoy with a set of four friends who are trying to find a way to pay off a poker game gone wrong, director/writer Guy Ritchie's stylish film debut features an ending so clever that it manages to outshine the whole fantastic movie.

California Split (1974)
George Segal (Bill Denny) and Elliott Gould (Charlie Waters) play two friends whose love of gambling takes them to new highs and new lows. Directed by Robert Altman and written by Joseph Walsh, California Split also features Ann Prentiss (Barbara Miller) and Gwen Welles (Susan Peters).


Vegas Vacation (1997)
This is an installment of National Lampoon’s vacation series with all the usual whacky situations of the other comedies. This is my favorite gambling comedy movie. The Griswolds head off for Las Vegas, as Clark got an extra bonus for developing a food preservative. The scene with Chevy Chase playing Blackjack against the dealer played by Shawn Wallace is priceless.
Gladiator (2000)

Oceans 11 (2001)
George Clooney's all-star remake of the Rat Pack romp is as much a heist film as it is a gambling flick. Along with the pure fun of seeing such an array of talent gathered on one screen, the movie is also a great look at the intricate security measures of a modern Vegas casino.

Cue the best Las Vegas heist in history, full of twists, turns and heart-stopping moments. The gambling takes a back seat, you can’t help but enjoy Clooney and Co as they look to relive casino boss Terry Benedict (Garcia) of 0m. A hit with the critics as well as box offices around the world, the film was so successful that two sequels have been made, ingeniously titled Ocean’s 12 and Ocean’s 13!

Maverick (1994)
This riverboat classic features an ensemble cast that includes Mel Gibson in the title role with Jodie Foster as his unlikely love interest and James Garner as main opponent. James Coburn also features as the poker-loving tournament sponsor. While the majority of the movie is lost in pointless slapstick stunts, the final card scene is one for the books.

Swingers
Want to find out how NOT to make money at the blackjack table? Watch two born losers played by Vince Vaughn and frequent sidekick Jon Favreau go bust in their brief and unhappy trip to Las Vegas.

21
The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions, 21 stars Kevin Spacey (Micky Rosa), Jim Sturgess (Ben Campbell) and Kate Bosworth (Jill Taylor). Spacey plays the MIT professor who recruits a group of college students as blackjack card counters. After undergoing intense training, the kids head to Las Vegas where they relieve the casinos of several million dollars.

Casino Royale (2006)
The James Bond adventure focuses heavily around a high-stakes Texas Hold'em Poker tournament. Daniel Craig, in his first film as 007, gets a milllion tab from the British Government to take on bad guy Le Chiffre, a banker to the world’s terrorist organisations, at Casino Royale in Montenegro.

The Hustler (1961)
"Fast" Eddie Felson is a small-time pool hustler with a lot of talent but a self-destructive attitude. His bravado causes him to challenge the legendary "Minnesota Fats" to a high-stakes match, but he loses in a heartbreaking marathon. Now broke and without his long-time manager, Felson faces an uphill battle to regain his confidence and his game. It isn't until he hits rock bottom that he agrees to join up with ruthless and cutthroat manager Bert Gordon. Gordon agrees to take him on the road to learn the ropes. But Felson soon realizes that making it to the top could cost him his soul, and perhaps his girlfriend. Will he decide that this is too steep a price to pay in time to save himself?

Shade (2003)
The film's name is a term for deception in the world of gambling, and this is eventually what the plot revolves around.

Starring Sylvester Stallone as skilful card shark "The Dean", Shade follows several people who come up with schemes to topple him and win a big payout. Of course, while everyone is trying to hustle The Dean, they are all trying to hustle each other as well, making for some interesting sub-plots.

Eight Men Out (1988)
"Eight Men Out" explores an entirely different aspect of sports gambling. For a movie that describes an incident from nearly 100 years ago, "Eight Men Out" is still relevant. While entire teams throwing games may be a thing of the past, international sports are constantly keeping their eyes on match fixing scandals, especially in tennis.

Let It Ride (1989)
There are some humorous moments and if you've spent any amount of time at the track, no doubt you've bumped into these characters (hey, you might be one of these characters).

Bad Lieutenant (1992)
The complete meltdown of a NY City cop, portrayed beautifully by Harvey Kietel. It was painful to watch him keep doubling up his baseball bets, chasing his losses (that was only one of the many painful, but riveting storylines in this raw movie).

The Good Thief (2002)
Brand new release about an American gambler and thief played by Nick Nolte who plans to rob a casino in France in one final heist of his career. He runs out of luck, the robbery is botched but he begins to win at cards. Starring Nolte and Ralph Fiennes.

Wall Street (1987)
Drop-in to a Gambler's Anonymous meeting in New Jersey and you'll find a decent percentage of attendees are there due to playing the market, not sports or casino games. Physiologically it is the same, as is virtually every other component of the playing the markets vs. sports events. That's why this movie finds a comfortable spot on this list.

God Of Gamblers (1989)
is a 1989 Hong Kong action comedy-drama film written and directed by Wong Jing, and featuring an ensemble cast.

Chow Yun-Fat plays Ko Chun, an extremely talented and well known gambler. On the eve of a big confrontation with a famous Singaporean gambler, Ko walks into a trap set by Knife, an avid but a so-so gambler (Andy Lau), meant for an Indian servant. Struck on the head, Ko suffers from amnesia and regresses to a child-like state. In the end, Ko Chun remembers Knife and takes him to Las Vegas to gamble.