The concept of high risk and high reward has always been fascinating, and most casino movies revolve around it. Risking it all for life-changing amounts of money is a dream that many movie protagonists chase even when the story is not about gambling. A very common trope because many find it relatable with their real-life situations. Whether it's a high-stakes Poker game or a glamorous world of casinos, these movies about gambling never fail to keep audiences on the edge of their seats.

The recent rise in the online gambling trend and sports betting has given rise to a newfound interest in the iGaming industry. Online casino for real money that offer games of poker, blackjack, and other card games have become a go-to choice for gamers looking to test their luck. Of course, the impact of these classic games has influenced modern-day culture as well, as their motifs, such as slot symbols, baccarat scenes, and poker tournaments, appear in various forms of media and cultural production.

And we have also seen references to it in several new movies like the recent Paul Schrader's The Card Counter. While all that's happening, we have decided to take a look back at some of the best casino movies that you need to watch.

Ocean's Eleven (2001)

Directed by Steven Soderbergh, "Ocean's Eleven" tells a classic story of revenge with the plot set in the glamorous casino world. Daniel Ocean played by George Clooney plans to pull a big heist in Las Vegas casino hotels with a trusty crew of ten members (11 including Ocean himself). However, for his elaborate scheme to work, Danny needs to learn the ins and outs of casino operations including how games are managed by operators.

Here's where his crew of specialists comes into play, which includes of his right-hand man, Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt), a pickpocket, a card dealer, a demolitions expert, an inside man, and a few more. Can they pull off the heist and walk away with $150 million?

Casino (1995)

Casino is probably the most underrated Martin Scorsese classic, it depicts a specific era of Las Vegas with a twist of Mafia involvement in the lucrative casino business. This idea was explored several times in mob movies like Godfather but this Scorsese picture takes it to a new level for the first time.

The story follows Sam "Ace" Rothstein played by Robert De Niro who goes legitimate as a casino executive only for his success to be put in jeopardy when his boyhood friend Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci), now a Made Man comes back into Ace's life. Nicky not only has violent temper but ambitions of his own and the two best friends end up competing for a gambling empire.

Rounders (1998)

Continuing our list of iconic gambling movies, we have Rounders directed by John Dahl starring Matt Damon as Mike McDermott and Edward Norton as Worm. Unlike other movies in the article, this film is more specific and revolves around high-stakes Texas hold'em Poker games.

Mike is a skilled poker player who gives up on gambling after losing his entire bankroll to a Russian club owner. As a consequence, he starts focusing on his Law studies and his girlfriend whom he promises that he'll stop playing. However, his retirement from the gambling action is short-lived as he is drawn back to his old ways when his friend Worm is released from prison.

21 (2008)

21 is based on a true story of MIT Blackjack Team that beat the house for a long time and made millions. 21 explores the science of smart gambling how the techniques developed by highly intelligent math students can be used at casinos to make huge profits. Ben Campbell is a prodigy discovered by MIT professor, Micky Rosa. Impressed by Ben's skills, Micky invites him to join his Blackjack team which has four other students. Ben ends up joining the team in hopes of making tons of money to finance his Harvard Medical School tuition.

Casino Royale (2006)

In Casino Royale, Daniel Craig's James Bond sets out on a mission to take down a rich private banker, Le Chiffre who's funding terrorist organizations around the world. However, in order to do so, Bond must beat the banker at a high-stakes Texas Hold'em poker game at the Casino Royale in Montenegro.

Like always, things don't go smoothly for the secret agent and he finds himself sandwiched between a much more terrifying setting. Loosely based on Ian Fleming's 1953 novel of the same name, the movie masterfully shows the card-playing game and its intensity as a game of life and death.

Wrapping Up

Of course, there are more than 5 good movies out there but for the sake of the article we had to snub out a few. Rounders especially is a great depiction of the poker tables and the film also makes a reference to the World Series Of Poker Tourney at the end. With that said here are a few honorable mentions for the list: Maverick (1994), Croupier (1998) and Paul Thomas Anderson's Hard Eight (1996).

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