The Greatest Poker Movies of All Time

Cover of Maverick

Many movies contain a poker scene or two, much fewer are built up around the classic card game. Nevertheless, there are a few, and some of them are really good.

In the James Bond movie Casino Royale (starring Daniel Craig), poker plays a part, and the high stakes poker episode in this movie is a modern classic in its genre. In Titanic, jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) wins his oversea voyage in a poker game.

Whole movies circling around the game of poker are rarer. After the explosion of the poker in USA in 2004, a few pure poker films have been presented to the movie audience, without creating the really big buzz: “All In” (2006) and “No Limit” (2006).

Movies with a poker theme

In the 1994 movie “Maverick” (starring Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster), two poker players in the Wild West struggle together and against each other, at the poker table and away from it. Their goal is to win the buy-in to a big poker tournament that is to take place on a Mississippi river boat.

Other fine movies with a central theme related to poker are “California Split” (1974), “The Sting” (1973), and “Kaleidoscope” (1966).

But when you speak about movies and poker, two films stick out in the crowd: Cincinnati Kid (1965) and Rounders (1998). Whether they are the best is a matter of debate, and taste, but these films definitely have a special place in today’s poker culture. They are the two cult films of poker.

Cincinnati Kid

In the first one, young poker whiz Cincinnati Kid (Steve McQueen) comes to New Orleans to challenge the old champion in a high stakes game of five card stud. Believing he can beat “The Man” in an honest headsup game, “The Kid” finally loses big time after a 30 hour session. His full house of aces over tens loses to The Man’s straight flush in what’s possibly the best poker game in the movies.

This film has a whole lot of poker in it, and we’re talking old school poker played with cash on the table and without “table stakes”, meaning that players can reach into their wallet for more money in the middle of a hand.

In Rounders, the incomparable cult film of the online poker generation, the game being played is no-limit Texas Holdem, of course, and the “table stakes” rule is in place, as it should be.

However, this doesn’t prevent young card genius Mike McDermott (Matt Damon) from losing everything in a supposedly honest game against Russian mobster “Teddy KGB” (John Malkovich). This time, it’s a full house losing to a bigger full house.

Rounders

But where Cincinnati Kid ends on a losing tone, this is where Rounders starts. After losing it all, Mike quits poker and takes a job to sustain himself while pursuing his law studies. Until his old friend and poker comrade “Worm” (Ed Norton) is released from prison and draws him back into the game against his will.

In the end, Mike goes up against Teddy KGB a second time. This time it’s a real all-or-nothing match, with not only huge amounts of money at stake, but his life as well.

Watching poker is as fun as watching paint dry, the old saying has it. There’s some truth to this, and of course any movie dealing with poker needs to handle this conundrum. At the same time, if you show poker in a movie, it must be reasonably realistic, not to arouse the ridicule of the poker playing audience.

It’s a kind of mission impossible, but both Rounders and Cincinnati Kid prove that a balance between realism and entertainment can be found.

This sponsored article is written by Hank Andersen. Hank Andersen works as a writer for Pokerlistings.com. (originally published Feb 09)

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