One of the best things about all the streaming services available is the sheer variety of films to watch. Whatever your hobby or interest is, you can guarantee there is a movie for you. For example, if you fancy a gritty drama featuring some of Hollywood’s biggest names then just type Heat into your search engine.
The same goes for movies about poker, with The Other Side of Hope showing a different side of the game. While lacking the graphics and the explosions of a blockbuster, poker films tend to be taught and tense; much like the game itself. And in at least one case a single movie could be said to have fueled the original poker boom.
Rounders
Released in 1998, Rounders wasn’t quite the smash hit the makers would have liked, but it became one of those movies whose influences transcended the cinema tickets it sold. Described by one professional Poker player as capturing the ‘energy and tension’ of the game, Rounders helped start the Poker Boom. This helped launch the careers of pros such as Brian Rast and Dutch Boyd.
Starring Matt Damon, Ed Norton and the towering John Malkovich, the film tells the story of a law student whose dream it is to play in the World Series of Poker. He teams up with his hustler pal Worm who has just been released from jail and has an outstanding debt to the Russian Mob. What makes Rounders such a good poker film is how it is able to include all the key concepts of the game, like bluffing, folding, and going all in, and make them a natural part of the plot while also explaining them to the audience.
Maverick
Starring Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster and James Garner, Maverick is set in the old American West and squeezes cowboys, Indians, paddle steamers and other clichés of the genre into a good yarn. Poker player and con artist Gibson is trying to raise the funds needed to buy into a five-card draw poker tournament being held on the paddle steamer.
Along the way, he falls in with another con artist, played by Foster, as well as Garner playing a Marshall who he meets on a stagecoach. There are no deep, underlying messages in this film, it’s a lighthearted canter with Gibson and director Richard Donner combining well as they had done in the Lethal Weapon franchise. The film’s two major poker scenes convey both the thrill of poker, and the skill and luck needed to win big
Smart Money
Made in 1931, Smart Money is memorable if only for Edward G Robinson and James Cagney appearing in the same film for the only time. At its heart, the film is about a country bumpkin, Nick, who fancies himself with the cards and goes to the big city to take on the best.
He loses, is conned and gets beaten up. After dusting himself down back home, Nick returns to the city older and wiser and eventually runs all the illegal gaming there. Setting the storyline against the era adds another subtext to the plot. At the time, America was struggling to release itself from the grip of the Great Depression where time and time again the little man was being ‘owned’ by The Man.
This film turns that around with Nick taking on and beating the establishment, for a while at least. The various layers to the plot mixed with the atmospheric black and white filming and the A-list cast make this a vital addition to any list of poker films.
Molly’s Game
More contemporary, Molly’s Game was released in 2017 and was based on the life of Molly Bloom, whose dream of skiing at the 2002 Winter Olympics was dashed by an injury which ended her career. Getting a job in LA running underground poker games brought her into contact with famous and rich individuals who would tip Molly handsomely.
Despite her success, she was sacked and eventually set up her own games in a hotel penthouse. She moves to New York, gets involved with the mob, and is arrested by the FBI! The film is notable for showing how the modern poker game has evolved far beyond the traditional casino settings, as well as giving an interesting overview of the types of players who are considered modern big players.
The film stars Jessica Chastain as Molly as well as Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, Michael Cera and Chris O’Dowd.
California Split
Elliot Gould and George Segal star as a couple of gamblers who form an unlikely friendship after getting beaten up and robbed. Segal’s character holds down a job and is relatively sensible while Gould’s gambles full-time. Segal envies what his newfound friend has, his devil-may-care attitude and giving no thought to tomorrow, so he quits his job and they run off to Reno.
After a long losing streak, Segal has had enough while his pal wants to carry on playing – the heavy losses mean nothing to him. Eventually, they win big and split $82,000. There is an element of glamourizing gaming, with Segal’s character aspiring for the lifestyle Gould’s has, but by the end his sensible side takes over again as he sees the game for what it is, and he returns home. The film also shows the less glamorous side of poker, with scenes of regular people playing and enjoying the game.
Let us know about some of our choices and your suggestions for poker movies