The other night I was sitting at my regular table down at the local club, low to medium stakes and friendly atmosphere. Most of the players know each other by first name and the table talk is normally what makes me come back time after time.

This night was in no way different than any other, but… There was one particular event that I remember (other wise I wouldn’t be writing this post). As usual, I got dealt crap, folded and leaned back in my chair to observe, listen and relax. A couple of calls and a raise on the button. Fold, fold, call. Flop comes 10♠-2♦-6♦. Check, check. Turn shows A♥. Bet, raise, re-raise All-in, call.

They flip their cards and show 10♥-10♣ and A♦-Q♦, set vs top pair and a flush draw. And then it happens, river comes J♦! I loudly shout with my best american accent: ”Gets down to what it’s all about, doesn’t it? Making the wrong move at the right time” and all players around the table stop whatever they were doing to look at me wondering what the hell I was on about. I in return give them my ”are you all stupid” look and we spend all of the remaining night chatting about poker movies in between the more exciting hands.

So are you stupid? I hope most of you visiting this site would have recognized the obvious quote from one of the best poker movies ever made. If not, youre in for a treat. Here are what me and my poker buddies came up with as the top-10 poker movies ever made.

Enjoy!

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10. High Roller: The Stu Ungar story (2003)

Gambler. Addict. Loser. Legend.

Stu Ungar (played by Sopranos star Michael Imperioli) carved out a name for himself by amassing a small fortune in gambling winnings after taking up poker at an early age. A three-time winner of the Poker World Series, Stu seemed to have it all. But sadly, his motivation for playing was fueled by an addiction to gambling that could only lead to a sorry end.

Rightfully, this movie did not get great reviews. But since its the story of one of the best poker players ever it deserves to be on the list.

Quote: — Some people said I was crazy to take a dominated hand like Ace-four against Ace-eight. But, wherever you are, you gotta consider all your outs. See, sometimes they save you. But, sometimes you really ain’t got no outs at all.

Trivia: Based on the true story of the rise and fall of poker legend Stu “The Kid” Ungar.

Related video: The ”Comeback kid” wins 1997 WSOP

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9. Casino Royale (2006)

Daniel Craig is James Bond. Deal with it.

In his first mission, James Bond must stop Le Chiffre, a banker to the world’s terrorist organizations, from winning a high-stakes poker tournament at Casino Royale in Montenegro. The classic showdown between the villain and Bond in this remake switches the game from Baccarat to Texas Hold’em. We agree that the final hand is a bit unrealistic and it might not be the greatest poker movie ever made, but it certainly is one of the greatest Bond movies.

Quote: — The name’s Bond. James Bond.

Trivia: Poker playing was a common pastime amongst cast and crew on the set, even after production had wrapped. This however is not new for a James Bond movie. Roger Moore and Albert R. Broccoli during breaks in filming played and bet on backgammon. Many of the James Bond movies have been known to have cast and crew participate in some high-stakes gambling.

Related video: Texas Bond’em

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8. Ocean’s Eleven (2001)

3 Casinos. 11 Guys. 150 Million Bucks. Ready To Win Big?

Hollywood’s A list stars come together to pull off the most daring heist Las Vegas has ever known…11 men, 3 casinos, 150 million dollars, 1 chance to pull it off.

Poker only peaks in around the edges in the Ocean movies, but the series’ brinksmanship and high stakes setting should be enough to satisfy addicts. Apparently Brad Pitt and Elliott Gould were the big winners behind the scenes.

Quote: — You guys are pros. The best. I’m sure you can make it out of the casino. Of course, lest we forget, once you’re out the front door, you’re still in the middle of the fucking desert!

Trivia: The script was sent to Julia Roberts with a $20 bill attached. Included was a note from George Clooney that said “I hear you’re getting 20 a picture now”. This of course is a joke referencing Julia Roberts becoming the highest paid actress at $20 million per picture.

Related video: Poker lesson from the pros

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7. A Big Hand for the Little Lady (1966)

All the action you can take…all the adventure you can wish for!

Classic comedy western in which Henry Fonda (Meredith) and Joanne Woodward (Mary) are husband and wife, who gets caught up in a high-stakes poker game on their long way to a fresh start in California. Meredith gambles all their life savings on the game, money that was meant to be used to buy a farm (what else). When he suffers a heart attack during a hand his wife takes over, even though she doesn’t know how to play. Will she be able to play against the professionals and save their life savings? The end will surprise you …

Quote: — Now look, mister, the first rule of the game of poker, whether you’re playing eastern or western rules, or the kind they play at the North Pole, is put up or shut up!

Trivia: The hand that Mary is holding for her husband Meredith is the 4 and 6 of clubs, 5 of diamonds, 6 and Queen of hearts.

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6. California Split (1974)

… being the story of two bet-on-anything guys who happily discover something called a ”winning streak”.

George Seagal links up with free spirit Elliot Gould at first to have some fun, but then gets into serious debt when Gould takes an unscheduled trip to Tijuana. As a final act of desperation, they pawn most of theta possessions and goes to Reno for the poker game of a lifetime. A film set mainly in casinos and races, as the two win and lose (but mainly win), get robbed, and get blind drunk.

Quote: — If it takes a watermelon five minutes to water. How long does it take a sweet pea to pee? As long as it takes a pair of dice to crap.

Trivia: The original ending actually spilled outside the casino. Bill leaves Charlie and hails a cab when Charlie suddenly comes out and decides to go with him so as to prove that he can walk away from gambling. However, a couple of people climb out of the waiting cab and ask Charlie how the action is, and he is drawn right back in and thus Bill leaves alone.

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5. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)

They lost half a million at cards but they’ve still got a few tricks up their sleeve.

Long-time friends; Bacon, Soap, Tom and Eddie decide to put together £100,000 to play 3 card brag against Harry “Hatchet” Lonsdale – a porn king of notorious disposition – in a high-stakes card game in the hopes of winning easy money, but things go awfully wrong as they end up owing half a million pounds and having one week to come up with the cash.
Overhearing their neighbors in the next flat plotting to hold up a group of out-of-their-depth drug growers, our heroes decide to rob the robbers in turn. In a way the confusion really starts when a pair of antique double-barreled shotguns goes missing in a completely different scam.

Quote: — Jesus, Plank, couldn’t you have got smokeless cartridges? I can’t see a bloody thing – Ah! Shit! I’ve been shot!

Trivia: On Vinnie Jones’ first day of filming, he had just been released from police custody – he had been arrested for beating up his neighbor.

Related video: Lock, Stock and Three card brag

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4. Maverick (1994)

In their hands, a deck of cards was the only thing more dangerous than a gun.

Mel Gibson steps into James Garner’s (who played the original Bret Maverick in the 1957 TV-series) leather boots as the greatest card sharp of them all in this aggressively snarky comedy Western.

Thankfully Garner was still kicking at the time, and gives the young whippersnapper a few lessons. Jodie Foster, James Coburn and Alfred Molina have their moments too.

Quote: — From the moment I slapped eyes on this hombre, I smelled trouble. And re-fried beans.

Trivia: The $25,000 needed to enter the poker tournament in the 19th century America would be about $600,000 in 2010 terms (High Stakes Poker anyone?).

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3. The Sting (1973)

… all it takes is a little Confidence.

When you play a cheater, be sure you cheat better than he does. Infamous duo Paul Newman and Robert Redford pulls the greatest con ever pulled during a train-board poker game seeking revenge the murder of a fellow conman.

This elaborate jazz-age con game of a movie won seven Oscars, including Best Picture and as the original tag-line put it, ‘All it takes is a little confidence’.

Quote: — Doyle, I KNOW I gave him four THREES. He had to make a SWITCH. We can’t let him get away with that.
— What was I supposed to do – call him for cheating better than me, in front of the others?

Trivia: Technical advisor John Scarne doubled for Paul Newman’s hands in the film. It was he who did all of the card manipulations and deck switching in the film. It would have taken a long time for someone to be able to master all of the card routines shown. In the film, we see Scarne’s hands disappear off screen; a clever invisible cut hides the switch; Newman’s hands return, and the camera pans up to his face.

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2. The Cincinnati Kid (1965)

A rambling, gambling man!

The up-and-coming poker player, Eric “The Kid” Stoner, played by Steve McQueen, goes head to head with Lancey Howard, a veteran card shark. The two dual it out in five-card stud, with the straight-as-an-arrow dealer Shooter forced by a poker player who was bested by Howard, to cheat in order to help the kid and humiliate Howard.
The epic game featured in the movie and the highly suspenseful final hand has not aged well, but, any movie with ”The King of Cool” – Steve McQueen playing some poker is worth seeing.

Quote: — Gets down to what it’s all about, doesn’t it? Making the wrong move at the right time.

Trivia: According to an article written by Michael Wiesenberg of Card Player Magazine, ”The odds of the two hands appearing in the same deal (in the climactic scene) are worse than 45 million-to-1.”

Related video: The KING of cool

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1. Rounders (1998)

Trust everyone … But always cut the cards.

Matt Damon is Mike McDermott, a New York law student who plays poker to finance his education. When he loses his savings in a $30,000 hand of poker he decides to quit the game completely until his bad influence best friend Worm, portrayed by Edward Norton, gets out of prison and drags him back to the game and into serious trouble.

Rounders has plenty of table action and a strong supporting cast, dominated by John Malkovich as the cookie loving russian, Teddy KGB.

Quote: — Mr Son of a bitch, let’s play some cards!

Trivia: Matt Damon and Edward Norton played the $10,000 buy-in Texas Hold ‘Em championship event at the 1998 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. During the first of four days, Matt Damon had pocket Kings and was knocked out by former world champion and poker legend Doyle Brunson who held pocket Aces.

Related video: Johny Chan in poker movie Rounders

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