Fav gambling movie

Quote: clarkacal

Where is "The Hustler" and "Cincinnati Kid"?

Jennifer Tilly in Let It Ride . I can almost remember the movie . Never forget Jennifer. Hustler my favorite, has great lines. My favorite, and when I knew Fast Eddie was gonna win, was in reply from a request from Jackie Gleason to shoot pool. At the time Fast Eddie was talking to George C Scott inbetween shots " I'm shooting pool Fats, when I miss then you can shoot! "
Trivia question What non-speaking part did Willie Mosconi play in " The Hustler "
Question of a lifetime : What is the Unabomber blackmailing Jennifer Tilly about ??? Jennifer Tilly and Phil Laak as lovers?

Maverick. The poker is preposterous but that's not the point..it's funny.

Quote: Martin

the absolutely best of all - "The Cincinnati Kid" from 1965 - starring Steve McQueen, Edward G. Robinson, Ann-Margaret, Rip Torn, and a cameo by Tuesday Weld. One of the most realistic gambling movies I've ever seen - had to be written by a real rounder. This is an absolute must see

Turner Classic Movie channel at 12:30 Eastern today, Tuesday March 22nd.

duplicate posting deleted.

There are some excellent gambling movies out there. Below are some of my personal favorites:

-The Good Thief (2002) : Its about American gambler and thief played by Nick Nolt who plans to rob a casino in France in the final heist of his career. He runs out of luck and the robbery is spoiled but he begins to win at cards.

Ocean's Eleven (2001 and 1960) In the new version, Danny Ocean and his hand-picked crew of specialists gather in Las Vegas to attempt the biggest casino heist ever: They plan to rob the Bellagio, The Mirage, and Treasure Island at the same time.

Casino Royale (1967) In a campy spoof of the James Bond films, the new aging secret agent is called to save his agency from infiltration with the help of many new agents and the threat of a chorus of suspected villains.

Quote: FleaStiff

Cincinnati Kid, Turner Classic Movie channel at 12:30 Eastern today, Tuesday March 22nd.

Thanks! I tivoed it and just watched it for the first time. All in all, an enjoyable flick with some ageless poker phrases still in use today and others that would never fly in a real Vegas poker room ("I'll see your $2000.....and raise you another $3000")

But what I found most unacceptable was dealer involvement. Perhaps in drunken home games it's permissible for a non-playing dealer to announce what the hands are ("another 9 for you sir, possible full house"), but dealers here are supposed to be impartial. And of course other players are not allowed to comment on any possibilities in other hands. But then again, stud is a dead game in this town, so I don't play it.

I enjoy Big Hand for the Little Lady with Henry Fonda every time it airs on TV. I get such a kick out of the little kid's persistent cries of "Papa! Papa!". One of that movie's classic stars, Kevin McCarthy, died late last year.

Quote: goatcabin

How about "The Big Town", 1987, with Matt Dillon, Diane Lane, Tommy Lee Jones, Bruce Dern, Tom Skerritt and Lee Grant. It's all about craps in Chicago, and "Cully the Arm", played by Dillon.

Just watched this movie for the first time

Quote:

The craps-playing scenes are not very realistic, as Cully keeps parlaying and winning

well, the premise that a player can be so good (earning himself the title 'the arm') that he gets himself financially backed is what is the least realistic. A whole fantastic world inhabited by 'arms' and their backers is portrayed. In an opening scene dice setting is shown without comment, otherwise left out of the plot , and once a 7-out by Cully himself is shown I guess to suggest he isn't super-human.

Quote:

but the most amazing thing is the scene where Cully takes his letter of introduction from his partner in the boonies to Lee Grant in Chicago. She asks him how many comeout rolls it takes to work out all the probabilities, and he describes the "perfect 1980". I can't remember for sure, but that may be where I got those figures. I wonder who the technical director was?
Cheers,
Alan Shank
Woodland, CA

Another thing repeated verbally in the movie is that Cully has learned the game top to bottom like that, and that is the actual reason Cully is so good. However, you are right, the big dice moments are instead just about how good he is at throwing the dice.

The felts they showed, and the type of game shown in private, illegal settings was interesting. In the beginning of the movie, a felt is thrown on a table in a gas station - the game seems to be one step above street craps. All bets are "faded" by the other players. Once a point was established, more betting ensued over whether the point would be made or not, and it shows that some people knew fair odds and some did not, suggesting that someone who knew the odds had an advantage in those days. I can imagine there were guys who would go on a hunch and discount the magnitude of the disadvantage of an even money bet on 6/8 in street craps even when they knew there was such. "Taking the don't" and similar expressions were used quite a bit in the movie. The felt at this gas station was interesting, numbers to bet all over the place and a series of numbers used to mark the point, which was done with a small piece of wood. There was the field bet - hard to get a good look at but apparently paying even money on each number including 2 and 12 - ouch. Did they make up this felt or was it actually a historical one? I had to wonder.

The other main felt and game shown was run by the Tommy Lee Jones bad-guy character. He makes it clear that he books "all the don'ts", "it's my game", meaning he was taking the darkside exclusively, he was the house to get that advantage, [edited] but doesn't seem to short-pay on side bets. He also really doesn't have a big enough bankroll to do all that, and is vulnerable to getting wiped out, accurately I'd say. Except that the way it is shown to happen is unrealistic as we have noted. The felt in his game has a pass line and a don't pass line, and that is about it! The year is 1957, so the norm of how to handle the DP would have been known. Jones is shown to fade the shooter exclusively on all bets, big bets too- perhaps any don't action beyond that could be put on the DP or perhaps the DP was on the felt and not used. A normal looking puck was used to mark the point.

A remarkable amount of accuracy shown in an otherwise so-so movie - interesting to a craps player regardless.

Has anyone seen The Gambler with Mark Wahlberg? I have heard mixed reviews and I normally hate Mark Wahlberg, but thought I should find time to watch it just for the topical content.

Quote: charlestfuller

Has anyone seen The Gambler with Mark Wahlberg? I have heard mixed reviews and I normally hate Mark Wahlberg, but thought I should find time to watch it just for the topical content.

Awful just watch the original one from the 70s

Quote: djatc

Awful just watch the original one from the 70s

agree; even better would be if they would just be faithful to the Dostoevsky story, which has genuinely funny elements to it.

you can also use the search function to find old threads on both movies

Yonkers Joe. A heart wrenching movie.

Since the news of Paigowdans passing I have been looking through his threads. I never really seen eye to eye with him on this forum whatsoever. His mentality was one that was for the Evil Corporate Empires that I daily war against. He was completely on the other side of the line IMO. This is one Poll/Thread that I missed and being a movie buff it is pretty ugly how he came up with this poll. How could he have missed so many great gambling movies of years past. Not to have The Hustler or The Joker is Wild on this poll is bothersome. I could list over 20 movies at ease that should be on the list compared to almost every movie on here. I can't really even vote because the clear winner in the options is Casino but so many other movies that are not listed are far more deserving. Look up Barbara Stanwyck in The Lady Gambles. Enjoy that movie in Black and White and enjoy how Vegas used to look and how becoming a degenerate gambler is as easy as pie. You could even list Humphrey Bogart in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre as far superior to this list of mostly awful movies dealing with gambling and that movie isn't a gambling movie exactly. Although he does win a drawing to get the funds to start up the expedition. James Caan in The Gambler not even listed?? Some might not agree that "Let it Ride" shouldn't be considered but try to watch that movie and not relate to almost every scene as a gambler. Great Idea for a poll but really poor execution IMO.

Harry Potter??? Lucky You lol and Secretariat with Diane Lane...are we kidding? The Stu Unger Story which every poker player I know or read about was pretty upset with the way they fabricated that story... and all the Oceans Movies without putting in the Rat Packs version... pure sacrilegious. Even the Runner or The Cooler are better movies compared to most on the list. I do like Alec Baldwin telling them how do you think that disney land mookfest betting the mortgage on red and black are real gamblers. Also pretty good when he tells that bean counter how he hears something at sub sonic levels ... pain pain pain as he beats him silly in the bathroom.

I can live with rating this list with only 4 movies...

1. Casino
2. The Sting
3. Owning Mahoney: only because the scenes were so faked but the story was good... Ill take a dime on all the away teams in the national league and a dime on all the home teams in the american league lol ...thats good!
4. Rounders

Let It Ride. Also the first movie I saw Jennifer Tilly in.

Quote: AxelWolf

Let It Ride. Also the first movie I saw Jennifer Tilly in.

Along with David Johanson (Buster Poindexter).

And then you met her at the poker tables.

Quote: AxelWolf

...I saw Jennifer Tilly in.

Her and Phil Laak are perfect for each other. Two of the most annoying people on this planet.

Let It Ride was great. Even though I'm not a track/horses guy, I could still tell it was made with an intimate understanding of the culture.

California Split is also like that. Not much of a popcorn movie. It is funny, but in a low key way. Great job of capturing the mind of a degenerate. Also, how scummy california cardrooms are, (even worse, back in the day it seems).

Found a couple clips.

From last WoV meetup:





A long time before rounders:

Vegas Vacation then Owning Mahoney.

Anyone seen El Cortez? I thought it was okay, even if it was shot in Reno.

Quote: AxelWolf

Let It Ride. Also the first movie I saw Jennifer Tilly in.

Wow I completely forgot about this movie. Have to watch it again.

My favorite? Probably 21.
Least favorite? Rainman, if that's considered a gambling movie.

I don't think I've seen any other gambling movies, unless you consider Ocean's 11 + sequels gambling movies.


Oh, I saw that one Canadian version of 21, which was awful.

you guys didn't mention (unless i overlooked it) the great (imo) 1980 film with Burt Lancaster "Atlantic City." not totally about gambling but lou (lancaster) is an aging numbers runner who loses his business to the casinos. sally matthews (susan sarandon) is a hotel waitress training to be a blackjack dealer and dreaming of learning french and working in monte carlo. it depicts the pain of atlantic city's major changeover into a gambling city. it was an especially meaningful movie for me since i spent a great deal of time in a.c. this movie got rated 7.4 stars out of 10 on imdb which is high and 4.5 stars out of 5 on amazon which is extremely high. you can watch it free here on youtube although the upload is kind of crummy. barely acceptable. this thread made me think of this movie and i'm going to watch it again later today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcJWujrXKVE

Quote: RS

...Oh, I saw that one Canadian version of 21, which was awful.

hahaha I saw this too... I'm pretty sure I stopped watching after like 30 minutes as it was just completely awful.

I don't know if this was mentioned already, but there is an entire subgenre of Hong Kong cinema that is nothing but gambling films. Some are good, some not so much.

Quote: TigerWu

I don't know if this was mentioned already, but there is an entire subgenre of Hong Kong cinema that is nothing but gambling films. Some are good, some not so much.

Well since my wife is from Hong Kong... we actually own many of them. Some of my favorites are the spoofs! My whole point was there are at least 50 to 100 great movies about gambling but this list on the poll was just not very well thought out. I was at the Horseshoe when they filmed Lucky You but what a horrible movie. I wouldn't even consider it in a poll for gambling movies. The only decent scene was when they met at White Cross. The only reason I liked that is because I enjoyed the soup over there at that greasy spoon for years.

Quote: monet0412

... this list on the poll was just not very well thought out. ...

I think you totally missed the point of this 6 year old post. I thought the jokes were pretty funny, and it opened the door for a discussion of other films. There are other, more serious, movie threads on this board.

Quote: Ayecarumba

I think you totally missed the point of this 6 year old post. I thought the jokes were pretty funny, and it opened the door for a discussion of other films. There are other, more serious, movie threads on this board.

I think your right... It seems I did miss something here.

A 1986 movie called "Wise Guys" directed by Brian De Palma, starring Danny Devito, Joe Piscopo and Capt. Lou Albano of wrestling fame plays Frankie 'the fixer' Acavono.

It's set in NJ. Harry Valentini and Moe Dickstein are both errand boys for the Mob. When they lose $250,000, they are set up to kill each other. But they run off to Atlantic City and comedy follows.

I saw some scenes filmed in the Ironbound section of Newark, NJ.

Quote: FatGeezus

A 1986 movie called "Wise Guys" directed by Brian De Palma, starring Danny Devito, Joe Piscopo and Capt. Lou Albano of wrestling fame plays Frankie 'the fixer' Acavono.

It's set in NJ. Harry Valentini and Moe Dickstein are both errand boys for the Mob. When they lose $250,000, they are set up to kill each other. But they run off to Atlantic City and comedy follows.

I saw some scenes filmed in the Ironbound section of Newark, NJ.

Oh 80s huh?? Right up my alley! How about they year 1987 with Robert Downey Jr and Molly Ringwald in The Pick Up Artist? She starts out in BJ with 500. She runs it up to 13k and wants to bet it on one hand. The pitboss says you want to bet 13 thousand on one hand? Uhuh...wait right here! They let it run... 12...15...20 this is good. Dealer has an 8 with a deuce and snapper the Ace falls off. Bang 13k gone! So he sells his car for 2950 cash... goes and gets a cheeseburger with Molly... after that he hits the roulette table. He bets a thousand on his number 13 and 1950 on her number 11. I guess he had some extra dough to pay for the cheeseburgers and cokes that we didn't know about lol! Molly asks why not even amounts...He replies because I'm the amateur. Too bad 13 hit and he actually lost some EV if that is even possible lol! I like how they shoved 4 racks of chips at him in about 5 seconds with no verification or nothing :)

You can see the whole movie here on a small box version with high speed... Not perfect but it works or you can just jump to around minute 41 or so to watch the scene.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4eTHUOed7A

Thanks everyone.
I often forget film titles but do like the plot summaries that bring back my memories of the films.

Atlantic City was a film I particularly enjoyed due to the desperate hope of the girl trying to learn to be a blackjack dealer.

I definitely enjoyed Hard Eight (various alternative titles) although filmed in Reno, not Vegas. I liked the buying in at one cashier and cashing in at another routine to milk the casino for comps.

I forget the film that was made in New Orleans about a guy who killed his own bodyguards because they had witnessed him in tears when a woman had a pair of scissors securely clamped where no man ever wants to see a pair of scissors. I really enjoyed the casino manager who said 'no one in your family has had any honor in three generations".

I know teh movie 21 was full of nonsense. Most of the team were Asian, they were stupid in thinking the casinos were dumb. Good at math but not at anything else. Liked their training routine though.. that bucket of ice was classic.

I wish someone would make a movie about the Eudamon Pie, so far its just an old out of print book by a Stanford professor involving a physicist studying a roulette wheel.

The Cooler was fun. Not too "real" but fun.

Some scenes from Wise Guys bubble up in my alcohol sodden brain cells: where the guards carry a man out to the back alley and open the metal door with his head. I also recall from Casino the dealer who was concealing a black chip underneath a wrist watch.

That Live or Die in LA was good but a bit fragmented and slow in parts.

Darn it. I hate my mouse and its sudden tendancy to double click on the word Post.

Even that ill fated and utterly horrible tv show Laughlin was a fun premise. Silly little gimmicks in a tv show will never 'carry' a show that has utterly foolish content.

Push out four racks with no verification? Yeah, I hate it when directors want continuity of the main action and allow such procedural gaffs to take place.

A rare gambling movie that I own is the 1969 film called "A Dream of Kings" with Anthony Quinn. I enjoy the movie. He plays poker, dice and what not. I consider him a con man since he sells advice to suckers. He has a good poker scene where him and the boys take a gambling poker player who thinks he is being cheated when the cards turn sour. Another good scene with him using loaded dice. Basically the same old lie, cheat,and steal strategy that everyone uses even if they don't realize or admit it. I think amazon sells it but it is a more expensive DVD compared to most.

Star Wars: Harry Potter & the Goblet of Gerbils is better than any gambling movie mentioned, except 21.....and I can't stand Star Wars.

Quote: RS

Star Wars: Harry Potter & the Goblet of Gerbils is better than any gambling movie mentioned, except 21.....and I can't stand Star Wars.

After this comment I need at least 6 months away from the forum.

Honorable mention: A Bronx Tale has a dice scene were Palmentieri's character keeps making people stand in the small bathroom so the kid (and shooter) won't have to look at them. I mean who likes a jinx, anyway?!?

I think monet already mentioned The Runner. Awesome low budget with Eldard, Cox-Arquette, and Goodman.

These may be a stretch...
Snatch - centers around a fixed fight (that is being bet on).
Walking Tall - not a lot about gambling, but it offers one way to take down a casino!
Seabiscuit - horse racing!

Just tonight I saw Owning Mahowny. It was barely watchable. I was with two friends so I saw it through, if by myself I would have turned it off half way through. Like many gambling movies when the protagonist is on a roll he wins every bet--when he is on a losing streak he loses every bet.

Hoffman is a talented actor though. He was very good in The Master and Before The Devil Knows You're Dead.

Hard Eight is a better movie. Casino is a much better movie.

I would love to see a gambling move that really captures the essence of this world. The desire, the spectrum of dealers, players and characters.

i knew brian molony and like the movie or not the portrayal of him and the bookie were spot on.

Quote: Greasyjohn

Just tonight I saw Owning Mahowny. It was barely watchable. I was with two friends so I saw it through, if be myself I would have turned it off half way through. Like many gambling movies when the protagonist is on a roll he wins every bet--when he is on a losing streak he loses every bet.

Hard 8 is a better movie. Casino is a much better movie.

At the time it came out I didn't think it was bad, but I was fairly young then. Nowadays most older movies don't do it for me.

If you can find The Runner. Not the Nicholas Cage one in 2015.

I won't say its a good or bad Movie, I don't remember,I think I would say not that great TBH

I will say, it has a great BJ scene in it, just find that scene and it's well worth it.

here a trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiU194m5qbs

I saw The Runner. Don't remember much about it but it was good. The trailer was good. Might have to watch it again.

Rounders will always be my favorite as the cast is just terrific and I had seen it just before the WSOP exploded in the early 2000s.

I also enjoyed Lucky You with Eric Bana and Robert Duvall, save the pointless side romance story, it was actually a good story about compulsive gambling and the long lasting affects it can have on family relationships.

Quote: Greasyjohn

I would love to see a gambling move that really captures the essence of this world. The desire, the spectrum of dealers, players and characters.

Its rare. Too many movies are "Hollywooded" meaning given syrupy and unrealistic facades.

I think Croupier comes close to dealing with diverse but real, well-motivated characters. The protagonist lunges at his soon to be girlfriend that he instantly had recognized as Trouble and her body consents before her mind sort of catches up. Yet she is a "Tits and a Uniform, a Punter's dream" type.

The Cheating Dealer dismisses all females as "Just Girls".

The "Sweaty and Desperate Loser" is just that; he just can not quit and go home, not ever.

The movie's central theme is deception for all characters in the gambling world.

Quote: Greasyjohn

Just tonight I saw Owning Mahowny. It was barely watchable. I was with two friends so I saw it through, if by myself I would have turned it off half way through. Like many gambling movies when the protagonist is on a roll he wins every bet--when he is on a losing streak he loses every bet.

Hoffman is a talented actor though. He was very good in The Master and Before The Devil Knows You're Dead.

Hard Eight is a better movie. Casino is a much better movie.

I would love to see a gambling move that really captures the essence of this world. The desire, the spectrum of dealers, players and characters.

I actually enjoy the movie quite a bit. Yes the gambling is quite farfetched but Seymour Hoffman is a great actor and the story was interesting. I watched it again on tv a couple months back.

We saw Owning Mahowny once, and enjoyed it. But it isn’t the kind of movie you want to go back to. Once was plenty.

Quote: PokerGrinder

I actually enjoy the movie quite a bit. Yes the gambling is quite farfetched but Seymour Hoffman is a great actor and the story was interesting. I watched it again on tv a couple months back.

Great movie to watch while keeping heavily hydrated!

Still love Ryan O'Neal in "Fever Pitch". Very underrated, but much maligned film from 1985. Not to be confused with the 2005 Jimmy Fallon movie which is not a remake but a totally different film.

I just watched the Ocean's series again recently.

12 is not that great, but I like 11 and 13 more and more every time I see them.

Oh, and I just watched Logan Lucky, made by the same director. Didn't think it was that great. Probably worse than Ocean's 12, but worth a watch if you're really into the Ocean's series.

And I also watched Casino again recently. Ehhh.... Doesn't hold up a fraction as well as Goodfellas.

Let It Ride is a must see, even if you only know the basics to horse racing. It's got a 1980s B-movie feel to it and an implausible plot. Richard Dreyfuss plays a compulsive gambler that finally has a good day. The supporting cast, the random characters you're introduced to during the movie, make it good.

I'm waiting for that docudrama "Zenking vs. The World"

Quote: TigerWu

I just watched the Ocean's series again recently.

12 is not that great, but I like 11 and 13 more and more every time I see them.

Oh, and I just watched Logan Lucky, made by the same director. Didn't think it was that great. Probably worse than Ocean's 12, but worth a watch if you're really into the Ocean's series.

And I also watched Casino again recently. Ehhh.... Doesn't hold up a fraction as well as Goodfellas.

I agree about oceans 12. I have always felt that film was missing one important character - the casino!!! Its the only film that has nothing to do with casinos and just about the group (and giving everything back to the bad guy was a sour plot point as well imo)

It does have a fond spot for me as i personally worked on it always nice to see my name in the end credits

Quote: TigerWu

... I just watched Logan Lucky, made by the same director. Didn't think it was that great. Probably worse than Ocean's 12, but worth a watch if you're really into the Ocean's series...

I didn’t know Steven Soderbergh directed Logan Lucky until the end credits. Tiger is spot on about it having the same ensemble caper vibe as Ocean’s. I don’t know why, but I really enjoyed Daniel Craig in that film.

There’s an “Ocean’s 8” with an all X chromosome ensemble led by Julia Roberts as Tess Ocean coming soon. From the trailer, it appears to be set on the East Coast which is a shame because Las Vegas should have gotten a co-star credit in Ocean’s 11 (both of them). The city is what made those films “cool”.

I don't always remember movie titles correctly.

I think To Live and Die in LA was a good grafter movie but may have the title wrong.

I recall one movie wherein the action largely took place in a gambling school in Atlantic City featuring a bunch of losers.

Hard 8 had various titles and was filmed in Reno, not Vegas.

I recall some memorable lines such as Nobody in your family has had any honor in three generations but can't remember the movie or the new Orleans casino it was filmed in.

The cooler was okay but it was utterly absurd.

For some reason I never liked Rounders but do think it was a good attempt at realism.

Anyone know what happened to the girl who left poker behind and instead became a 'quant' in New Jersey gaming the large block server located there?