The Top Poker Movies of All Time. There are tons of really great poker movies out there and a few that are not all that good. It all depends on what you are looking for. Some movies are strictly about the game and great examples of those include Rounders, High Roller: The Stu Unger Story and All In: The Poker Movie. Get an amazing infographic over the top 27 poker movies to share with your friends. Get a free copy of our popular eBook ' 21 Secrets to Dominate the Poker Tables Like a Pro '. Get access to our Google Sheet with 27 poker movies evaluated with all revew-data!
What is better than watching a gripping, well-produced movie?
What else but watching a gripping, well-produced poker movie!
With all of the movies available online, you may have trouble finding great movies about poker.
That is why we would love to give you a helping hand!
Get it?
Because the movies are about poker and in poker we deal with hands…Okay, we promise you that the movies are better than our lame puns.
If you have some spare time this week, grab some beers, lay down and watch a great film. So brace yourselves, my fellow poker players who have good taste with movies. Here they are!
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1. The Sting
This is a must watch not only for poker players but just everyone in general. This is about two grifters (con artists) who cons $11,000 (around $189,000 today) from a victim.
The victim turns out to be a footman for a crime boss (this is the Great Depression of the 1930's after all) and what ensued is a great story about revenge and intrigue. There is a high stakes poker game Fort myers poker run 2020 results. here which you should not miss.
2. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
For those in the mood for a much more stylized film, this is the right one for you.
Four friends lost quite a bit of money in a game (which turns out to be highly-rigged).
They then try to acquire the money to pay their debt, legally or illegally. The gambling part is just the icing on the blood-stained, highly stylish cake that this film turns out to be.
3. Casino
With A-list actors like Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Sharon Stone as cast, and with director Martin Scorcese at the helm, you can bet that the movie is going to be great!
This is a great story of what happens if the gambling sector is run by the old ones (crime groups and mafia) to the new ones (capitalists and big corporations). Seen through the eyes of the characters, this action-packed tale will definitely be a great movie to watch!
4 Cool Hand Luke
One of the classics, this 1967 film is about Luke, a war veteran, who one night decided to cut electric meters off their poles and then was sent to prison.
This has the air of the cool guy rebellion and is a good pick me up story from the 1960s.
The poker game he played in the prison is an example of a great bluff, which earned Luke a win and the moniker 'Cool Hand Luke'. A good watch, if you ask me.
5. The Hustler
Another classic that does deserve the rave reviews, The Hustler is a story about 'Fast Eddie', a small-time hustler who feels he is a big fish in a small pond. He wants to be an even bigger fish in an even bigger pond.
It shows the effects of winning, losing and learning all poker players cycle about. This story is much more compelling than what my summary is, so please watch this great, great film.
6. Rain Man
Everybody should have watched this at least once in their life.
For those who want a more touching and heartfelt movie, this one is for you.
Their journey is a great story to watch, and the card counting done here is really good (and of course anybody can do this, not only Savants like Raymond.
Card Counting is not illegal, but casinos do ban counters though so play it safe).
7. Casino Royale
Another action-packed film, this is Agent 007's first mission and it is perfect for those who want to have the adrenaline kick.
The poker game is genuinely exciting and of course, the action scenes are great.
A good movie to start your day; it gets you pumped up to just win everything.
8. Freeze Out
Freeze Out is an interesting movie, not only because of the comedy but also because of this movie was financed by the director's own poker winnings!
Plus, it is the all too familiar friendly poker game that escalated so hard, where friendships are questioned (kinda like a normal monopoly night). A great movie to watch with your poker friends. No trailers though, but your own friendly poker games should be a good sneak peek.
9. Bob le Flambeur
For those who like the taste of French films, Bob le Flambeur is an excellent film how old habits die hard; Bob is an ex-convict who is now broke and is now planning to rob a casino.
I will not spoil you on how it turns out, but it is a great film all in all. Not only does he have an excellent poker face, the equal parts tragic and comic ending is something to be seen.
10. The Game
A Drama, Mystery and Thriller, The Game is a thrilling story about an investment banker who has his life drained out of his job and relationships.
The direction and writing are second to none for the middle part.
Plus, there are a lot of games here where you might learn a thing or two, and not just about poker or gambling.
11. Ocean's Eleven
With a cast that has stars that put the evening sky to shame, Ocean's Eleven is a well-loved film about a bank heist. There are so many A-list stars on the cast which makes this film, even more, fun to watch.
This is an underwhelming review of an overwhelming film, so please do yourself the favor of watching this, or rewatching this, a great masterpiece. There is a great poker game sequence too and the ending is just a treat to the eyes.
12. The Hangover
Not exactly Poker-related, but is just a great laugh trip. With the setting in Vegas, we follow three friends (we can call them idiots as well) as they try to find their friend before he gets married.
I find the Blackjack scene really funny as well as a great jab towards card counting.
13. McCabe & Mrs. Miller
The Timeless McCabe & Mrs. Miller is a must watch for everyone. It is about a gambler and a prostitute who made a business. They rejected an offer to be bought and the capitalists sent bounty hunters to take care of them.
The ending is so bittersweet, and McCabe is implied to be a great gambler and is respected by other poker players in the town. This must be required viewing for everyone.
14. Regalo di Natale
Regalo di Natale, or the Christmas Present, is a great Italian drama-comedy about how four friends gathering and playing poker actually reveals their true nature, both the good and the bad.
The poker game is the highlight and the plot device; it is really like a good hand being slowly unfolded. If you can understand Italian or have no problem with subtitles, then this is a movie you should watch.
15. Leaving Las Vegas
Nicolas Cage does a great job in this film as an alcoholic scriptwriter who met a prostitute and then hit it off and forms a relationship. It is a great drama about two dysfunctional people who finally found a great companion perfect for them.
Around more than an hour into the movie, they were playing at a Caribbean Stud Poker table, which is a poker variant where you play against the house.
16. The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
An action and crime film, this 1976 movie shows a darker side to the poker world, when it was being ruled over by crime syndicates.
A man, due to losing a lot of money in a poker game, was forced to kill a small-time Chinese bookie.
Said Chinese Bookie turns out to be the boss of the Chinese Mafia. This is a great action-packed film.
17. Follow the Bitch
A good film for getting laughs, the bitch here means less of the 'nasty girl' we are thinking but is actually about the 'queen' in a game.
It is deeper than it sounds and it also shows how one man tries to keep this poker night tradition with his friends from being forgotten.
Watch this with a glass of water at hand, you do not want to be choking while laughing.
18. Atlantic City
A 1980 Crime Drama, Atlantic City is about a gangster and a pot dealer's wife who tries to make this corrupt city to their own little piece of heaven.
The wife is taking classes on how to be a blackjack dealer, so you might want to follow her journey (and not what she ends up doing at the end).
A great watch if you are feeling more introspective.
19. God of Gamblers
If you want a wacky movie to watch and do not mind subtitles, then God of Gamblers might tickle your fancy.
This Hong Kong film is funny (I love slapstick humor) and the supernatural elements add more fun.
There is also this fun poker game which is a treat to see.
20. A Big Hand for the Little Lady
This is a 1966 Poker classic.
Not only is it funny, it has a great plot twist which I will not spoil.
This is an underwhelming review of an overwhelming film, so please do yourself the favor of watching this, or rewatching this, a great masterpiece. There is a great poker game sequence too and the ending is just a treat to the eyes.
12. The Hangover
Not exactly Poker-related, but is just a great laugh trip. With the setting in Vegas, we follow three friends (we can call them idiots as well) as they try to find their friend before he gets married.
I find the Blackjack scene really funny as well as a great jab towards card counting.
13. McCabe & Mrs. Miller
The Timeless McCabe & Mrs. Miller is a must watch for everyone. It is about a gambler and a prostitute who made a business. They rejected an offer to be bought and the capitalists sent bounty hunters to take care of them.
The ending is so bittersweet, and McCabe is implied to be a great gambler and is respected by other poker players in the town. This must be required viewing for everyone.
14. Regalo di Natale
Regalo di Natale, or the Christmas Present, is a great Italian drama-comedy about how four friends gathering and playing poker actually reveals their true nature, both the good and the bad.
The poker game is the highlight and the plot device; it is really like a good hand being slowly unfolded. If you can understand Italian or have no problem with subtitles, then this is a movie you should watch.
15. Leaving Las Vegas
Nicolas Cage does a great job in this film as an alcoholic scriptwriter who met a prostitute and then hit it off and forms a relationship. It is a great drama about two dysfunctional people who finally found a great companion perfect for them.
Around more than an hour into the movie, they were playing at a Caribbean Stud Poker table, which is a poker variant where you play against the house.
16. The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
An action and crime film, this 1976 movie shows a darker side to the poker world, when it was being ruled over by crime syndicates.
A man, due to losing a lot of money in a poker game, was forced to kill a small-time Chinese bookie.
Said Chinese Bookie turns out to be the boss of the Chinese Mafia. This is a great action-packed film.
17. Follow the Bitch
A good film for getting laughs, the bitch here means less of the 'nasty girl' we are thinking but is actually about the 'queen' in a game.
It is deeper than it sounds and it also shows how one man tries to keep this poker night tradition with his friends from being forgotten.
Watch this with a glass of water at hand, you do not want to be choking while laughing.
18. Atlantic City
A 1980 Crime Drama, Atlantic City is about a gangster and a pot dealer's wife who tries to make this corrupt city to their own little piece of heaven.
The wife is taking classes on how to be a blackjack dealer, so you might want to follow her journey (and not what she ends up doing at the end).
A great watch if you are feeling more introspective.
19. God of Gamblers
If you want a wacky movie to watch and do not mind subtitles, then God of Gamblers might tickle your fancy.
This Hong Kong film is funny (I love slapstick humor) and the supernatural elements add more fun.
There is also this fun poker game which is a treat to see.
20. A Big Hand for the Little Lady
This is a 1966 Poker classic.
Not only is it funny, it has a great plot twist which I will not spoil.
Let us just say that the little lady is definitely not so little!
Just watch it, how she plays poker is half cute and half cool, and wholly awesome to watch!
21. Rounders
With Matt Damon as the lead actor, Rounders is a great movie, not just for poker fans, but for everyone!
The Texas Hold'em shown here is really great and just the poker games in general, you might just pause the game to take down notes (I did a couple of times).
22. House of Games
Boy oh boy, where do I start?
A psychiatrist is trying to help her patient out of a debt he owes. The creditor runs poker games for a living.
The creditor accepts with a condition, the psychiatrist must look at the other player's' body language and help him win.
Watch it. It is great.
23. The Gambler
We can be are our own biggest enemies to ourselves. A professor who has a gambling problem. Fed up, his family no longer helps him after a big loss.
The ending is just so good to be missed out.
24. The Cincinnati Kid
Prepare yourself for the timeless film about poker, risks, and pay-offs.
The final poker game is a classic. It might have been released at 1965 but there is a lot you can learn.
25. California Split
A 1974 Comedy and Drama film about how gambling veteran Charlie and poker newbie Bill have fun, winning some and losing some and finally do their split.
It talks about the so-called beginner's luck, excitement, and apathy found in poker.
A great educating movie.
26. Croupier
For those who want a more technical take on poker which is at the same time an exciting film, look no further than Croupier.
There is also two distinct phases seen in the character, which you can argue is present to all of us, the Gambler and the Croupier.
An amazing treat to watch.
27. Maverick
To end on a lighter note, Maverick is a great and enjoyable take on the poker world.
Maverick is like your poker game with friends where you are not really betting anything and is just a lot of fun.
You will find hot-headed gamblers, wisecracking gamblers, and just funny players in this journey of Maverick to a five-card draw poker contest.
There are still a lot more films about gambling and poker, but I can say this list here is the cream of the crop.
In the meantime, enjoy these movies, these are all great (or at least better than our puns).
If you have any recommendations or any other comments or suggestions, or you want to tell us how wrong or how right we are, just leave a comment or send us DVD box sets, you do you.
The card game of poker has many variations, most of which were created in the United States in the mid-1900s. The standard order of play applies to most of these games, but to fully specify a poker game requires details about which hand values are used, the number of betting rounds, and exactly what cards are dealt and what other actions are taken between rounds.
Popular poker variants[edit]
The three most popular poker variants are spread in casinos and poker rooms worldwide and can be divided into the following groups:
- Draw poker: Games in which players are dealt a complete hand, hidden, and then improve it by replacing cards. The most common of these is five-card draw.
- Stud poker: Games in which each player receives a combination of face-up cards and face-down cards in multiple betting rounds. The most common of these are five-card stud and seven-card stud. These two variants are further played in other different formats.
- Community card poker: Games in which each player's incomplete hidden hand is combined with shared face-up cards. The most common of these are Texas hold 'em and Omaha hold 'em.
Here are more common rule variations:
- Lowball: The lowest hand wins the pot. There are different rules about whether or not aces count as low, and the effects of straights and flushes. The most common variants are Razz and 2-7 Triple Draw
- High-low split: the highest and lowest hands split the pot. Generally there is a qualifier for the low hand. For example, the low hand must have 5 cards with ranks of 8 or less. In most high-low games the usual rank of poker hands is observed, so that an unsuited broken straight (7-5-4-3-2) wins low (see Morehead, Official Rules of Card Games). In a variant, based on Lowball, where only the low hand wins, a straight or a flush does not matter for a low hand. So the best low hand is 5-4-3-2-A, suited or not.
- Players can pass cards to each other. An example of this would be Anaconda.
- Kill game: When a fixed limit game is played and a player wins two pots in a row, the stakes are doubled. In some split-pot games, a player winning both halves of the pot may also cause a kill. In some variants of Lowball, a player may choose to kill by placing a double bet after seeing his first two cards.
- Wild cards are added. This can range from simply making deuces wild to the 7-card stud variant named baseball.
- A twist round in which players can buy another card from the deck. If a player does not like the purchased card, the player can purchase another one by adding money to the pot. This is sometimes called a 'tittle.'
- A stripped deck may be used. Poker was first played with only 20 cards. In the spirit of poker history, players will sometimes only play with a stripped deck. A popular poker game in Spain is played with cards 8-A. It is played similar to hold'em, except that one card is dealt at a time and a player must use both hole cards.
- Roll your own is played in stud games, and allows the player to determine which of his or her cards are turned up and visible to the other players. In a game like Seven-card Stud, the 'roll' action only applies to the first 3 cards, all of which are dealt face down. Each player then determines which card to expose. Play then continues as with regular Seven-card Stud. But a game like Mexican stud applies the roll option throughout the game. Two cards are dealt face down, and the players roll one card up. The game continues just as in Five-card Stud, except the cards are dealt face down, and each player then decides which of the two down cards is exposed.[1]
Mixed poker games[edit]
Poker can be played in a mixed game format, for example one half-hour of Texas hold 'em followed by one half-hour of Seven-card stud. There are many types of mixed poker games. The most notable mixed poker variation is H.O.R.S.E. poker. H.O.R.S.E. is a mix of Texas hold 'em, Omaha high-low, Razz, Seven-card stud and Seven-card stud Eight-or-better. Each game will usually be played for a fixed number of hands or time and then the players will move on to the next game.
Other mixed games include:
- H.O.S.E. – same as H.O.R.S.E., except without Razz.
- H.O.E. – same as H.O.R.S.E, except no Razz or Seven-card stud.
- H.O. – Texas hold 'em and Omaha high-low
- O.E. – Omaha high-low and Seven-card Stud Eight or better.
- H.A. – Pot limit Texas hold 'em and pot limit Omaha.
- Omaha High-low Mixed – Fixed limit Omaha and pot limit Omaha high-low
- Holdem Mixed – Fixed limit and no limit Texas hold 'em.
- Eight Game Mix – Fixed limit 2-7 Triple Draw, fixed limit Texas hold 'em, fixed limit Omaha Hi-Low Eight or better, Razz, fixed limit Seven-card stud, fixed limit Seven-card stud Hi-Low eight or better, no limit Texas hold 'em and pot limit Omaha.
- Ten Game Mix (introduced at 2011 World Series of Poker) – No limit Hold'em, fixed limit Seven-card Razz, fixed limit Hold'em, fixed limit Badugi, fixed limit Seven-card Stud, no limit 2-7 Single Draw, fixed limit Omaha Hi-Low eight or better, pot limit Omaha, fixed limit 2-7 Triple Draw and fixed limit Seven-card stud Hi-Low eight or better (played with 6 players on a table).
Specific poker variant games[edit]
Some poker games don't fit neatly into the above categories, and some have features of more than one of these categories. These variants are most often played in home games, usually as part of a dealer's choice format.
High Chicago or Low Chicago[edit]
Either of these two versions can be played in any stud high game. In High Chicago, or sometimes simply called Chicago, the player with the highest spade face down (referred to as in the hole) receives half the pot. In Low Chicago, the player with the lowest spade in the hole receives half of the pot, with the A♠ being the lowest. If the player with the highest hand also has the highest/lowest spade in the hole, then that player receives the entire pot - having won both sides of the bet.
Follow the Queen[edit]
This 7-card stud game uses a wild-card designated as whichever card is immediately dealt (exposed, or face-up) after any queen previously dealt (exposed). In the event that the final card dealt (exposed) is itself a queen, then all queens are wild. If no queens are dealt (exposed), then there are no wilds for that hand. Betting is the same as in normal 7-card stud games. Follow the Queen is a typical game variant in Dealer's Choice poker games.[2][3]
Countdown[edit]
In this 5-card game, the dealer gives each player 5 cards face down. After the first round of betting, each player may choose to replace zero to three cards. A second round of betting follows and then players may opt to replace zero to two cards. Upon completing another round of betting, each player may replace one card of the cards in their hand. After a final round of betting, any remaining players show their hands, and the highest 5 card hand wins. The cost of cards doubles each round. For example, if the dealer says each replacement card costs $10 in the first round, then each card costs $20 in the second round, and $40 in the final round. When players purchase cards to replace ones in their hand, they put the cost of the cards in the pot.[4]
This game will only work with 4 players (or fewer) otherwise you will run out of cards.
Billabong and Shanghai[edit]
Just as Oxford stud is a mixed stud/community card version of Texas hold 'em, Billabong is a mixed version of Manila. Each player is dealt two down-cards and one up-card. Low up-card starts the betting with a Bring-in if you are playing with one, otherwise high card starts the betting. Next, two community cards are dealt, followed by a second betting round, beginning with the player with the best exposed partial poker hand (counting the community cards, as in Oxford stud). Then a third community card is dealt, followed by a third betting round. Finally a fourth community card is dealt, followed by a fourth betting round and showdown. Each player plays the best five-card hand he can make from the three in his hand plus the four on the board in any combination.
Shanghai is the same game with an extra hole card, but no more than two hole cards play. That is, the game begins with each player being dealt three down-cards and one up-card; each player must discard one of his hole cards at some point during the game as determined ahead of time. The most common variation is to discard immediately as in Pineapple; the second most common is to discard just before showdown as in Tahoe.
Guts[edit]
Guts is a family of games that are cousins of poker rather than poker variants. They usually involve hands of 3 or fewer cards, ranked similarly to hands in poker, and multiple successive rounds of betting each of which consist of the decision to be 'in' or 'out', and each with its own showdown. The losers of rounds of guts generally match or double the pot, which grows rapidly.
Five-O poker[edit]
Five-O Poker is a heads-up poker variant in which both players must play five hands of five cards simultaneously. Four of the five cards in each hand are face-up. Once all five hands are down, there is a single round of betting. The winner is determined by matching each hand to the corresponding hand of the opponent. The player with the stronger poker hand in three (or more) out of the five columns, wins, unless a player folds on a bet that was made. If a player beats their opponent with all five hands, this is called a 'Five-O' win.
Chinese poker[edit]
Chinese poker is a 2-4 player poker game with thirteen cards. The idea is to make three poker hands with increasing rank : two with five cards and one with three cards. If one of the hands does not adhere to increasing rank (i.e. is mis-set), the hand is declared dead and results in some sort of penalty.
Kuhn poker[edit]
Kuhn poker, using a three card deck, is more of game theory problem than an actual game people play, but it can be played by two players.[5]
See also[edit]
Poker Movies List
References[edit]
Poker Movies List
- ^Pagat.com: Roll Your Own
- ^Pokernews.com: Fun Home Poker Game Rules - Follow the Queen
- ^Pokerrules.net: How to Play Follow the Queen
- ^Pokerrules.net: How to Play Countdown Poker
- ^'A Parameterized Family of Equilibrium Profiles for Three-Player Kuhn Poker'(PDF).
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