When movies and gambling combine together, you end up with a perfect combination. The thrill, the excitement and unfolding drama, all of these movies will get you in the wagering mode.
10. Owning Mahowny (2003)
To all of his colleagues, Toronto bank employee Dan Mahowny (Philip Seymour Hoffman) acts like a normal employe, but scratch below the surface as he’s actually a compulsive gambler who steals money from the bank’s accounts to pay off his bookie. This movie follows his secret as it unravels.
9. Hard Eight (1996)
A veteran gambler in his sixties still spends a lot of time at the casinos. He meets a young man who has no money at all and tries to help him. He takes care of him, teaches him all of the tips and trick he’s learnt over the year and introduces him to a waitress at the casino. Everything is going well until an unexpected twist leaves them in turmoil.
8. The Cooler (2003)
Down on his luck, lonely single guy Bernie Lootz (William H. Macy) uses his natural talent at the the Las Vegas casino he works at in order to jinx other gamblers into losing, something that his boss, Shelly Kaplow (Alec Baldwin) is more than happy with. A new woman in his life threatens this arrangement.
7. Croupier (1998)
Jack Manfred (Clive Owen) is an aspiring writer but in order to make a living he gets a job as a croupier. At the start Jack just observes as others gamble their money however he eventually gets sucked into the world of gambling and his ambitions in life change.
6. Maverick (1994)
Followed on from the “Maverick” TV series Mel Gibson poses as a poker player who hopes to win big in a high stakes contest. In order to get into the contest he must put up a large cash sum. To get the money hr plays contestants Annabelle (Jodie Foster) and Angel (Alfred Molina) in a card game and wins, although they suspect he may be cheating, turning them both into enemies.
5. The Gambler (1974)
James Caan plays a compulsive gambler that can neither quit or win which quickly finds him in debt to the mob. Despite this he still seems to love the thrill of gambling, eventually getting enough money to travel to Las Vegas where he tries his luck.
4. Rounders (1998)
Mike McDermott (Matt Damon) loses his money in a poker game against Russian gangster Teddy “KGB” (John Malkovich). He soon comes under pressure from his girlfriend to quit gambling. McDermott keeps to his promise of quitting until an old friend, Lester “Worm” Murphy (Edward Norton) is released from prison and has an old debt to pay. The pair team up to earn the money back however they are caught cheating.
3. Casino Royale (2006)
Casino Royale makes it to number three on this list with its story adapted from Ian Fleming’s 1953 novel of the same name. James Bond (Daniel Craig) gets his first assignment as a 007 agent. His mission is to bankrupt terrorist financier Le Chiffre by beating him in a high-stakes poker game.
2. 21 (2008)
Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) is a student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Like all students he’s in need of some quick and easy cash so he joins a group of students who with the help of an unorthodox professor Mickey Rosa (Kevin Spacey) use their math skill to win big in Las Vegas.
1. The Hustler (1961)
The Hustler (1961) follows the story of Fast Eddie Felsen who’s played by Paul Newman as he makes his way up in the world of professional pool. Fast Eddie is a young hopeful in the world of pool who is working his way up to challenging Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason) for his world title.
