Gambling movies that are actually worth your time (and 10 that aren't) - gamblingsites.com

There have been a ton of gambling movies produced in Hollywood over the years, but most of them are not worth watching at all. In fact, we give less than one out of five “value bets” to movie producers when it comes to creating a gambling movie that accurately portrays the thrills, chills and spills of risking (and losing and winning) big money.

The good news is we’ve done the heavy lifting for you. Below you will find a complete list of the Best (and Worst) Gambling Movies Ever Made. Read on to see where your favorites rank – or lack thereof.

Best Gambling Movies Ever Made

Maverick (1994)

About the Movie

Title: Maverick 

Release Date: June 3rd, 1994 

Cast: Mel Gibson as Bret Maverick, James Garner, Jodie Foster, Alfred Molina, James Coburn, Graham Greene, Steve Park, Candice Bergen 

Availability: Available on Google Play, Amazon Video, iTunes, VUDU 

Brief Description: Based loosely on the 1950s television series of the same name, Maverick follows Bret Maverick as he tries to win $25,000 to enter a world-class poker tournament. As with all things in Maverick’s life, it isn’t easy. He must first extricate himself from a couple of sticky card games and then join up with a group of rebels planning to take down a corrupt general during a border dispute.

Maverick is a fun film filled with action, humor, romance and, of course, poker. It also gives a shout out to another classic gambling movie, The Sting, when Bret and his sidekick, Comanchero, set up a three-card Monte scam inspired by Henry Gondorff and Johnny Hooker. All in all, this movie deserves a spot on everyone’s "must watch" list.

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Why It's a Good Gambling Movie

What makes Maverick such a great movie about gambling? First and foremost, there aren’t a bunch of quick edits every two seconds. The film takes its time telling the story, developing the characters and showing some very good Stud games and a few Hold’em hands. It even throws in a faro deal or two for good measure.

All the poker in this movie is done with actors melting into their roles instead of celebrities making a guest appearance. You can believe these people gamble for a living, which, in the case of Bret Maverick, at least, they do.

Jodi Foster was reportedly quite the Hold’em player back in the day and could have fit right in at the WSOP Main Event years before she appeared in this movie.

Alfred Molina’s character, Johnnie Lamer, is a stone-cold bluffer who steals several scenes while fleecing a couple of greenhorns. And James Garner, as Bret’s father, puts the conniving skills he learned on The Rockford Files to good use at the faro deck.

If you like poker and Westerns, Maverick is a must-see movie.

The Color of Money (1986)

About the Movie

Title: The Color of Money 

Release Date: August 1st, 1986 

Cast: Paul Newman, Tom Cruise, Mary Alice, Feather Marryat, Helen Shaver, Tesna Powell, Kelley Malcolm, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Bill Dakin, Jonathan Banks, Bruce McGill, Teresa Briese 

Availability: Available on Google Play, Amazon Video, iTunes, VUDU

Brief Description: Pool hustler “Fast Eddie” Felson (Paul Newman) is back and trying to make a comeback in the pool room circuit. The only problem is most of the young guns aren’t interested in playing the aging has-been.

That is, except for one – “Virtual Reality” (Tom Cruise). VR agrees to partner with Fast Eddie in straight pool (eight ball and nine ball don’t pay the rent) provided Eddie teaches him everything he knows. Reluctant at first, Eddie eventually sees VR as a way to make some easy money while grooming his replacement.

Meanwhile, Mario (John Turturro), the loose cannon who helped Eddie commit fraud a dozen years earlier, shows up looking for his share of the money Eddie supposedly hid for both of them. When Eddie refuses, Mario resorts to strong arm tactics that threaten to ruin everything.

The Color of Money is a worthy sequel to The Huster, earning eight Academy Award nominations, including Paul Newman’s second best actor nomination for his portrayal of Fast Eddie Felson. It also won four Oscars, including best actor for Newman.

Oh, and did I mention the movie features some of the finest pool games ever shown in a feature film? If you love pool and/or great acting, be sure to add this one to your queue.

Rounders (2000)

About the Film

Title: Rounders 

Release Date: May 19th, 2000 

Cast: Matt Damon, Edward Norton, Famke Janssen, Gretchen Mol, John Malkovich, Martin Landau, Michael Imperioli, John Turturro 

Availability: Available on Google Play, Amazon Video, iTunes, VUDU

Brief Description: Like many college students, Mike McDermott (Matt Damon) enjoys a little poker to help finance his law school education. Unlike most college students, however, Mike is a natural and hopes to one day make his living as a professional card player.

Everything changes, however, after a bad beat costs Mike his tuition money, his girlfriend (Gretchen Mol) and any hope of redeeming himself at the poker table. His only friend left in the world is Lester (Edward Norton), a genius-level poker player and inveterate gambler who always seems to be in debt to the wrong people.

Desperate to pay off Lester’s debts before said wrong people come to harm Lester, Mike hatches a plan to take down the enigmatic Texas cowboy, Ted Wongo, in a high stakes poker game in Las Vegas. Will Mike be able to resist the siren song of gambling long enough to win the money and save Lester? Find out by watching this movie.

Why It's a Good Gambling Movie

Like The Color of Money, Rounders focuses more on the game being played and the lives of the people who play it than the lure of easy money or the rush of beating the casino. Sure, there are a couple of casino heists thrown in for good measure, but those are more an extension of Lester’s personality disorder than a commentary on how easy it is to beat the casinos.

Of course, no discussion of Rounders would be complete without talking about the ending. Did Mike make the right decision? Would you have made a different choice? Watch the movie and decide for yourself.

One final note: Keep an eye open for a young Jennifer Tilly, Famke Janssen and Martin Kennedy Maxwell. All three acted in this movie early in their careers.

Casino Royale (2006)

About the Movie

Title: Casino Royale 

Release Date: November 14th, 2006 

Cast: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Judi Dench, Jeffrey Wright, Mads Mikkelsen, Benedict Cumberbatch, Isaach De Bankolé 

Availability: Available on Google Play, Amazon Video, iTunes, VUDU

Brief Description: This is the official first Bond film, though technically Casino Royale was originally a televised comedy hour in the UK in the 1950s. In any case, Casino Royale finds James Bond (Daniel Craig) just starting his career as a 00 agent. His first mission, stop banker to the terrorists, Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), from restoring his accounting ledgers by winning a poker tournament organized by Dimitrios Lauder (later replaced by Jeffrey Wright).

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To thwart Le Chiffe’s nefarious plans, M sends Bond to play against Le Chiffre at the aforementioned tournament. Accompanied by field agent Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), Bond heads to Montenegro and the Treasure Island resort casino for the showdown of the century.

I really like the new Bond franchise reboot because it allows us to see how some of the classic elements of the Bond universe came to be. For instance, why does Bond prefer shaken, not stirred, Vodka Martini’s? You’ll learn the answer to that question if you watch this movie.

In addition to revitalizing the flagging Bond series, Casino Royale provides some absolutely fantastic poker scenes. Craig looks very comfortable at the baccarat and Hold’em tables and I defy anyone to top his card count in the opening chase scene.

The Sting (1973)

About the Movie

Title: The Sting 

Release Date: December 25th, 1973 

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Cast: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Earl Jones, Charles Durning, Eileen Brennan, Harold Gould, John Masius, William Redfield, Julie Harris, William Schallert 

Availability: Available on Google Play, Amazon Video, iTunes, VUDU

Brief Description: After his partner is killed by the ruthless crime boss Doyle Lonnegan (played by the incomparable Robert Shaw), grifter Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman) goes into seclusion. But when Lonnegan discovers Gondorff is still alive, he sets his sights on the master con man.

Determined to get out from under Lonnegan’s thumb once and for all, Gondorff teams up with young grifter Johnny Hooker (Robert Redford) to pull one last, incredibly elaborate con on Lonnegan that will destroy the gangster, both financially and psychologically.

The Sting is more of a heist movie than a gambling movie per se, but it does contain a number of wonderful three-card Monte scenes and a running golf betting joke that is priceless. And honestly, this movie gets everything on my checklist for a good gambling film:

  • Good acting? Check
  • Good writing? Check
  • Good directing? Check
  • Realistic gambling scenes? Double check

Even if you take away nothing else, The Sting reminds us all that gambling should be fun. Winning and losing are simply part of the game. If you aren’t having fun, you’re doing it wrong.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, a sting is a type of confidence game in which the mark is persuaded to find and turn in a “partner in crime” to the police. Of course, the “criminal” the mark turns in is actually working with the con artists the whole time. It’s a rather subtle metaphor for what happens whenever Doyle Lonnegan sits down at one of Henry Gondorff’s gaming tables.

The Gambler (1974)

About the Movie

Title: The Gambler 

Release Date: November 7th, 1974 

Cast: James Caan, Paul Sorvino, Lauren Hutton, Boris Karloff, Robert Drivas, Stephen Elliott, Michael Sharrett, Francine York, Jay C. Flippen, John Randolph 

Availability: Available on Google Play, Amazon Video, iTunes, VUDU

Brief Description: The Gambler is one of the better movies about gambling because it doesn’t romanticize the life of a gambler one bit. Instead, writer James Toback and actor James Caan give audiences an unvarnished look at what it’s like to be a compulsive gambler.

Axel Nordeman (Caan) is an English professor specializing in 19th century literature. However, Professor Nordeman has a serious issue with authority and frequently finds himself butted up against the rules at his university. To make matters worse, Axel owes the local Chinese bookie, Neckbone Nick, $12,000 – money he doesn’t have.

His gambler grandfather, who raised him after his parents died in a car accident when he was young, advises Axel to treat the mountain of debt like a writing assignment with a strict deadline: If he doesn’t pay off the loan within a week’s time, something very bad will happen to him.

From there, the audience is taken on a whirlwind tour of Axel’s crazy life as he attempts to get his hands on enough cash to pay off his debts. Does he succeed? You’ll have to watch the movie to find out.

Known primarily for his work in action films, James Caan brings a sensitivity and nuance to the role of Axel Nordeman that surprises and delights viewers. Indeed, I defy anyone to watch the scene where Axel begs $100 from his mom without tearing up just a little bit.

Paul Sorvino also turns in a fantastic performance as Frank, a student with dreams of becoming a writer. His heartfelt monologue about “the American Dream” is the highlight of the movie and a fitting tribute to Boris Karloff, who plays Sorvino’s dying grandfather.

Finally, The Gambler boasts some excellent gambling scenes, particularly an extended sequence filmed at the old Howard Johnson’s in Manhattan that is both funny and poignant.

In short, The Gambler is a fantastic movie about gambling that never romanticizes the life of a gambler. Highly recommended!

Croupier (1998)

About the Movie

Title: Croupier 

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Release Date: April 10th, 1998 

Cast: Clive Owen, Kate Hardie, Gina McKee, Alex Kingston, Nicolas Cowper-Fasackerley, Adam Hugill, Nicholas Day, Geoffrey Palmer, Brian Case, Timothy West 

Availability: Available on Google Play, Amazon Video, iTunes, VUDU

Brief Description: Jack Manfred is a writer, but he hasn’t had much success getting his work published. Desperate to pay the rent on his tiny flat, Jack takes a job dealing blackjack at a London casino.

Despite his distaste for gambling and the seediness of the nightlife, Jack excels as a dealer and is soon promoted to stocking the chip rack for the roulette and craps tables. It’s there Jack meets the enigmatic Lisa Faberie and her boyfriend, the criminal mastermind known only as “The Baron.”

When The Baron asks Jack to write letters for him while he’s in prison, Jack finds himself caught up in a dangerous scheme involving Lisa, the Baron, and a diamond heist that goes terribly wrong. Will Jack escape with his life? Will he ever become a successful writer? Watch the movie to find out.

Clive Owen is mesmerizing in this low budget movie about gambling. The script is well written and the cinematography is exceptional, considering the modest budget available to director Mike Hodges.

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In short, Croupier is a fabulous movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. If you like mystery and gambling, you need to add this movie to your queue right now!

The Color of Money Special Collector's Edition (1986)

About the Special Collector's Edition

Title: The Color of Money Special Collector's Edition 

Release Date: September 26th, 2011 

Cast: Paul Newman, Tom Cruise, Mary Alice, Feather Marryat, Helen Shaver, Tesna Powell, Kelley Malcolm, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Bill Dakin, Jonathan Banks, Bruce McGill, Teresa Briese 

Availability: Available on Google Play, Amazon Video, iTunes, VUDU

Why It's a Good Gambling Movie

This is the same movie as the one above, but the 2011 version includes additional footage and improved special effects. Honestly, I didn’t notice any real difference between the two versions other than the opening credits, so feel free to save a few bucks and rent the original Color of Money.

Ocean's Eleven (2001)

About the Movie

Title: Ocean's Eleven 

Release Date: December 7th, 2001 

Cast: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy García, Julia Roberts, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, Elliot Gould, Casey Affleck 

Availability: Available on Google Play, Amazon Video, iTunes, VUDU

Brief Description: Danny Ocean (George Clooney) has been in jail for the past 18 years. While lockup, he dreamed of a way to score big and get even with the men who put him there: Terry Braxton (Andy García).

Now that he’s out, Ocean puts together a team of specialists to rob three Las Vegas casinos simultaneously: The Bellagio, the Rio, and the MGM Grand. Each specialist brings a unique skill set to the team:

  • Risk analysis – Living Legend Reuben Tishkoff
  • Explosives – Basher Tarr
  • “The Night Fox” – Vladimir Tuteshkov
  • Casinos – Tommy Carmichael
  • Electronics – Linus Moves
  • Getaway driver – Virgil
  • Safecracking – Frank Cuevas
  • Pickpocketing and Lock Picking – Tess (aka, Julia Roberts)
  • And, of course, heists and bank robberies – Danny Ocean

Things start out smoothly enough, but trouble starts brewing almost immediately. Will Ocean and his crew get rich or wind up like the old rat pack: deader than Caesar? Find out by watching this movie.

I loved this movie when it first came out and still enjoy it every time I watch it. Granted, it’s not a movie about gambling per se, but casino security and countermeasures play a major role in the plot. Plus, there are several great scenes of the guys practicing their card counting and craps shooting skills while preparing for the heist.

Steven Soderbergh does an outstanding job behind the camera and the cast is pure Hollywood gold. What more could you ask for?

California Split (1974)

About the Movie

Title: California Split 

Release Date: October 24th, 1974 

Cast: Ellen Burstyn, George Segal, Jill Clayburgh, Robert Webber, Jack Weston, Anthony James, Elaine Kagan, Arthur Hill, Lainie Kazan 

Availability: Available on Google Play, Amazon Video, iTunes, VUDU

Brief Description: Bill Denny (Robert Walden) and Julian Romano (Elias Koteas) are both professional gamblers, but they lead vastly different lives.

Denny is a small-time grinder who ekes out a meager existence playing low limit machines in bars and small time card rooms. Romano, on the other hand, is a high stakes player who regularly wins hundreds of thousands of dollars playing the big wheel at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe.

After sharing a jackpot worth $177,000, Denny and Romano hit it off and begin traveling together from casino to casino. Eventually, their luck runs out and Romano decides to buy tickets in the Florida Lotto. His ticket turns up a $67 million winning jackpot, which he offers to split with Denny. Initially overjoyed at his good fortune, Denny becomes increasingly uneasy with Romano’s drug use and self destructive behavior.

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California Split does a great job of examining the darker side of gambling, particularly the effect big wins and losses can have on the human psyche. It’s a fascinating movie, though honestly, I wouldn’t call it entertaining.

For example, I consider The Sting and Maverick to be entertaining movies. I enjoyed watching them and laughed at the jokes. I didn’t enjoy California Split per se, but I am glad I watched it.

If you like thinking man’s dramas and character studies, you’ll probably feel the same way I do about this movie.

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)

About the Film

Title: Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels 

Release Date: September 11th, 1998 

Cast: Eric Bana, Jonny Wilkinson, Georgina Cates, Jason Flemyng, Dexter Fletcher, Ned Beatty, Lenny James, Vinnie Jones, Robbie Coltrane, Peter Postlethwaite, Sting, P.H. Moriarty, Jason Statham 

Availability: Available on Google Play, Amazon Video, iTunes, VUDU

Brief Description: Four friends – Eddy, Tom, Soap, and Bacon – agree to front £100,000 to their friend, Joe, so he can run a crooked card game at the back of a west London pub. They intend to pay their loans off and split the profits. Unfortunately, things don’t go quite as planned.

First, the card game is a total disaster. Then, when they’re unable to pay their debt, Joe sells their souls to a notorious London gangster named Hatchet Harry Lonsdale for two antique shotguns. Now, the boys have one week to come up with £500,000 or they’ll be permanently hors de combat.

Written and directed by Guy Richie, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is a quirky mixture of heist movie, gangster flick, and dark farce. It’s also responsible for launching the film careers of future Hollywood leading men Jason Statham, Vinnie Jones, and Brad Pitt’s Australian stunt double, Eric Bana.

While the dialogue can be a bit difficult to understand at times, I think fans of the British crime drama will really enjoy this movie.

The Sting II (1983)

About the Sequel

Title: The Sting II 

Release Date: July 22nd, 1983 

Cast: Dennis Farina, Charles Durning, Richard Dreyfuss, Kathryn Harrold, Calvin Lockhart, Afemo Omilami, Julius Harris, Edwin Hannant, Jerry Orbach, Tony Lo Bianco, John Herdman, John Rubinstein, Paul Guilfoyle 

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Availability: Available on Google Play, Amazon Video, iTunes, VUDU

Brief Description: Twelve years after the events depicted in the original Sting movie, Henry Gondorff (now played by Charles Durning) is out of retirement and planning a grand confidence game designed to bring down the Italian mafia.

Joined by former grift artist Johnny Roselli (Dennis Farina), Gondorff begins putting together a complex scheme to swindle mob boss Doyle Lonnegan (now played by John Herdman) out of millions. Will they succeed in taking down the evil empire that was once the Bonanno crime family? Watch this movie and find out.

Look, I love the first Sting film. It’s one of my all-time favorites. But The Sting II just doesn’t live up to the original. The characters aren’t as interesting; the acting isn’t as good; and the plot … well, let’s just say I figured out wha’ was going on nearly an hour before the scriptwriters got around to it.

That’s not to say you shouldn’t watch it. If you really liked The Sting, you might want to give the sequel a try just to see if my assessment is accurate.

Matchstick Men (2003)

About the Movie

Title: Matchstick Men 

Release Date: September 26th, 2003 

Cast: Nicolas Cage, Allem Lindsay, Sam Rockwell, Bruce Altman, Chelcie Ross, Catherine Keener, Jenifer Ansted, Bruce McGill, Nicki Aycox, Tyler Patrick Jones 

Availability: Available on Google Play, Amazon Video, iTunes, VUDU

Brief Description: Royal Whales (Nicolas Cage) suffers from severe obsessive compulsive disorder. He meticulously counts and arranges various objects throughout the day in an attempt to maintain order in his life.

As a con man specializing in persuading people to buy products they don’t need using high pressure sales techniques, Whales is extremely successful. His business partner, Angel (Sam Rockwell), couldn’t care less about order and prefers to fly by the seat of his pants.

However, the FBI suspects Angel is involved in a string of credit card fraud, so they send an agent (Catherine Keener) to keep an eye on the pair. Meanwhile, Whales becomes convinced his wife is having an affair, which sends him spiraling further into despair.

Eventually, Whales and Angel are arrested and spend a night in jail. It’s there that Whales finally snaps, and the two men reconcile. The next morning, they are released and invited to participate in a truly massive credit card scam that will set them up for life.

But when the FBI raids their hotel room, Whales realizes he’s found peace of mind through his relationship with his daughter and decides to change his ways. Will Angel go along with Whales’ plans? You’ll have to watch this movie to find out.

I really liked Matchstick Men. It’s definitely a gambling movie, but it’s really more of a character study. Nic Cage’s portrayal of Royal Whales is absolutely fantastic, and the script is both clever and hilarious.

If you like well written movies with a gambling subplot, I recommend adding Matchstick Men to your queue.

Owning Mahowny (2003)

About the Film

Title: Owning Mahowny 

Release Date: April 10th, 2003 

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Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, John Hursley, Minnie Driver, Beverley D'Angelo, Jean Smart, Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, Maura Tierney, sticks, Keith Diamond, Kevin Chamberlin 

Availability: Available on Google Play, Amazon Video, iTunes, VUDU

Brief Description: Based on a true story, Owning Mahowny is a biographical crime drama about Dan Mahowny (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a compulsive gambler and art director at a Toronto Advertising Agency.

Each week, Mahowny loses thousands of dollars gambling on horse racing. Unable to pay his debts, Mahowny embezzles money from the ad agency to cover his losses. As his debts mount, Mahowny is forced to steal larger sums of money to keep his gambling habit fueled.

Eventually, the authorities catch on and begin investigating the disappearance of hundreds of thousands of dollars from the ad agency coffers. Will they catch Dan in time? Watch this movie and find out.

Frankly, I thought Owning Mahowny was pretty boring. Yes, Philip Seymour Hoffman turned in a spectacular performance as Dan Mahowny. But I didn’t feel any connection between Mahowny and the audience, which made it hard to feel sympathy for his plight.

Don’t get me wrong. I think you should watch this movie because it’s an important reminder that compulsive gambling can completely destroy a person’s life. I just wish I hadn’t been so bored while learning that lesson.

Maverick (1994)

About the Movie

Title: Maverick 

Release Date: June 23rd, 1994 

Cast: James Garner, Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, Alfred Molina, Graham Greene, James Cambias, Matthew Lillard, Nicholas Ward, Maria Pitillo, Eddie Adams, Corey Feldman, Jay Pommier, Clayne Crawford, Ricky Harris, Tracy Phillips, Jack Kehler, Robert Wisdom, Debbie Allen, D.W. Moffett 

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Availability: Available on Google Play, Amazon Video, iTunes, VUDU

Brief Description: BRET MAVERICK (younger), the son of legendary gambling ship captain REYNARD MAVERICK (JAMES GARNER), has spent the last 20 years avoiding responsibility and accumulating a string of failed relationships.

After his latest failure to declare himself a full-fledged captain, Brett decides to seek out his father and convince him to enter a high stakes transcontinental poker tournament. Along the way, Brett falls in love with SHARON PACEUR (JODIE FOSTER), a United States Marshal hot on the trail of INDOCHINO (ALFRED MOLINA), a ruthless Vietnamese bandit with a hidden agenda.

Part western, part romance, and part gambling movie, Maverick is one of my favorite Jodie Foster films. It’s also the movie that singlehandedly relaunched Mel Gibson’s career after the disastrous box office performance of .

Incidentally, the role of Brett Maverick was originally offered to young gun DiCaprio. Fortunately, he turned it down. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have gotten to see and … well, you get the idea.

Overall, I think you’ll really enjoy this movie. The script is tight; the direction is first rate; and the acting is superb. What more could you ask for?

The Color of Money Special Collector's Edition (1998)

About the Special Collector's Edition

Title: The Color of Money Special Collector's Edition 

Release Date: November 22nd, 1998 

Cast: Paul Newman, Tom Cruise, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, John Turturro, Embeth Davidtz, Ren Woods, Bruce Nagel, Michael Constantine, Gianni Russo, Oleg Rudakov, Nick Saxon, James Tolkan, William Converse-Robbins, Janet Carroll, Lane Smith, Bob Dishy, Richard Portnow 

Availability: Available on Google Play, Amazon Video, iTunes, VUDU

Why It's a Good Gambling Movie

This is the sequel to the 1966 classic, , which starred Newman and Robert Redford. Twenty two years later, Fast Eddie Felson (Newman) is now a billiards hustler, teaching pool at a college in Indiana.

Victimized by one of his students, Eddie hears Jimmy “Slick Willie” McClure (Cruise) is the greatest billiards player in the country. Convinced he can still make the big time, Eddie tracks down McClure and attempts to teach the kid a thing or two. Of course, McClure has a few lessons for Eddie, too.

I really enjoyed this movie, especially the pool playing. Newman and Cruise do a great job bringing their characters to life, and the plot moves right along. I highly recommend this movie.

The Gambler (2014)

About the Movie

Title: The Gambler 

Release Date: August 1st, 2014 

Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Jessica Lange, George Kennedy, Cathy Moriarty, Michael Cera, Alvin Ing, Grady Lee Richmond, James Urenda, Justin Louika, Alexander Nevsky, Roger ARthur, Rachel Klein, Brandon Micheal Hall, Eugene Cordero, Andre Royo, Neal Jones, John Doman, Scott Lawrence, Demore Barnes, Tom Everett Scott, Nico Tortorella 

Availability: Available on Google Play, Amazon Video, iTunes, VUDU

Brief Description: JIMMY BRENNAN (MARK WAHLBERG) is a literature professor with gambling problems. After defaulting on a $200,000 debt to local bookie COUNSELLOR (GERALD BUTLER), Brennan is given an ultimatum: come up with the dough or find a student to write a literary paper for English professor NYGAARD (GEORGE KENNEDY) that is worthy of a perfect score.

Naturally, Brennan opts to try and win the money back at the track and the casino. Chaos ensues, of course, and Brennan winds up owing even more money to even sketchier characters.

Eventually, Brennan writes a paper for one of his students, which inspires Nygard to encourage the kid to pursue a writing career. At the urging of his mother (JESSICA LANG), Brennan seeks treatment for his compulsion. He returns to the track and the tables, this time with a new perspective.

Honestly, I wasn’t all that impressed with this movie. The storyline is predictable; the dialogue is trite; and the only reason to watch this piece of garbage is because Mark Wahlberg and Jessica Lange are in it. Even then, I’d recommend renting it.

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Deal (2008)

About the Miniseries

Title: Deal 

Release Date: February 3rd, 2008 

Cast: Brent Spiner, Meat Loaf, William Fichtner, Jane Krakowski, Ali Larter, Marc Blucas, Raymond J. Barry, Kristin Bauer van Straten, Jeri Ryan, John Doman, Armin Shimerman, Drew Powell, James Callis, Bryan Cranston, Michael Cudlitz, Tom Everett Scott, Christina Moore, JoBeth Williams, Robin Thomas, Michael Papajohn, Chris Payne Gilbert, Natalie