"The Cincinnati Kid"
IMO the best of the poker movies. Cautionary tale in part. Steve McQueen knows he is good, but the gambling world is a tough nut to crack.
One interesting moment out of many: the player who carefully calculates the odds of the current hand, pot odds too no doubt, then decides what to do. He winds up exasperated that he can't measure up to the other good players, who do not take this approach.
"Rounders"
I would rate this as the #2 Poker movie, also a cautionary tale. Matt Damon knows he is good, the problems are more modern.
One memorable thing: we see the players fail to insist on having a dealer all can trust. Considering the stakes involved, this did not seem realistic to me. The deal passes from player to player, and, yep, sometimes this allows some cheating.
I did not like Damon's acting too much in this movie, but I have never been crazy about him.
"The Sting"
The movie starts with Poker. Cheating at Poker! Of course, mostly about gambling other than Poker. The cautionary tale seems to be, don't be a Mark!
"Honeymoon in Vegas"
Not too much about Poker, but Nicolas Cage gets in a huge jam in this comedy by thinking he can hang with the big boys.
"Lucky You" Haven't seen this one, just on my list. Reviews welcome.
I would like to add to this list as I am sure it is quite incomplete, if anyone can add some ... good or bad !
KGBs place seemed to grungy to bother with the expense of a dealer. There was enough chance of loosing a few teeth to keep people honest. I don't remember the other place featured in the movie. Was there a dealer on those tables? It was a higher-class place, but again, I think the expense probably precludes having a dealer.
Has anybody here ever visited an underground card room? Oh, sure, if it's anything other than poker, where the house money is on the line, you have to staff it. But poker? Do they use dealers at the poker tables?
As for the State Trooper game, it seemed like a casual game. Mid-level stakes. A once-in-while sort of thing. Same as any home game. No dealer.
A comment I often make about movies is, I should have liked it, but I didnt. The English Patient is a good example. However, Lucky You is the opposite. I dont know why I kind of like it, but I do. For example, the Guts scene I can watch over and over, soaking in details of every single second. Another poker movie that I think is overlooked is Stuey.' rel='nofollow' target='_blank'>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338467/]Stuey. Not the greatest, but kind of a guilty pleasure, like Lucky You.
Talking to a friend, he said to add the Dean Martin flick "5 card stud"
Quote: WizardAnother poker movie that I think is overlooked is Stuey.' rel='nofollow' target='_blank'>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338467/]Stuey. Not the greatest, but kind of a guilty pleasure, like Lucky You.
I don't know if many understood that the character in the room the whole movie with Stuey is death (or possibly the devil). That's hard to get until you think about how much this stranger knew about Stuey. I absolutely loved the movie Stuey.
Quote: DorothyGaleI don't know if many understood that the character in the room the whole movie with Stuey is death (or possibly the devil). That's hard to get until you think about how much this stranger knew about Stuey. I absolutely loved the movie Stuey.
I wondered about that. There was a similar episode of Family Ties where Alex is questioned by an off-camera voice the entire episode. In both cases I thought it was a psychiatrist, who was never seen for dramatic effect. However, I could easily be wrong. I should watch it again to form a more informed opinion.
Edit: Just Googled it: 1966, Henry Fonda, Joanne Woodward..bunch of other top rate actors. Well worth a look if you haven't seen it.
Quote: DJTeddyBearHas anybody here ever visited an underground card room? Oh, sure, if it's anything other than poker, where the house money is on the line, you have to staff it. But poker? Do they use dealers at the poker tables?
I have. There has always been a dealer.
Dealers are cheap. Any raked game can easily afford to pay a dealer. Besides, without one, who will collect the rake?
I've even played in legal (unraked) home games with dealers. The dealer would deal for tips (and not tipping would obviously be frowned upon an probably guarantee that you wouldn't be invited back; it was never a problem)
The Kefauver committee as a big time book in Miami previously. My Dad drove a cab and the card game at the cab lot was Pinochle.
Out front of the pool room guys often played Gin Rummy? How big was Gin Rummy back then. Well in 1964 the movie
Goldfinger came out. The girl who got painted gold and died had been helping Goldfinger cheat at Gin Rummy.
The Cincinnati Kid did not come out until 1968. Funny thing about the king of poker now, Hold'em. It never got really popular
nationwide until the 80's. Back as far back as the 30's there was a poker game called Cincinnati. Just like hold'em today. Well except for each player getting 5 card hands. LOL
Up until 1990 there were lots of illegal card rooms all over Denver. Besides the veteran's club, some were in strip malls. Unfortunately when gaming was legalized in 1990. most of the dealers were barred from dealing in casino's in Colorado.
You could be an ax murder, but 5 years past serving your sentence, you could get a license to deal. But id you ever had a misdemeanor ticket for gambling, you were barred for life.
There is a crime worse that takng a life. It's the unforgivable offense of recreation without taxation.
Woody Harrelson movie, very much like Best in Show in that it is a mockumentary following a group of people trying to win The Grand, which is a poker tournament. Harrelson is a ne'er-do-well who inherited his grandfather's casino in downtown Vegas, The Rabbit's Foot. His grandfather looks suspiciously like Benny Binion.
It is a very funny movie, but not many people have seen it.
Quote: SACRAnyone else like "The Grand"?
Woody Harrelson movie, very much like Best in Show in that it is a mockumentary following a group of people trying to win The Grand, which is a poker tournament. Harrelson is a ne'er-do-well who inherited his grandfather's casino in downtown Vegas, The Rabbit's Foot. His grandfather looks suspiciously like Benny Binion.
It is a very funny movie, but not many people have seen it.
I want to say I turned the channel after 10 minutes after finding it on one of my cable channels.
Quote: WizardAs I recall, they didnt employ dealers at KGBs place in Rounders. The players took turns dealing. I think the same about the Chesterfield. That is why Worm won by cheating there.
A comment I often make about movies is, I should have liked it, but I didnt. The English Patient is a good example. However, Lucky You is the opposite. I dont know why I kind of like it, but I do. For example, the Guts scene I can watch over and over, soaking in details of every single second. Another poker movie that I think is overlooked is Stuey.' rel='nofollow' target='_blank'>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338467/]Stuey. Not the greatest, but kind of a guilty pleasure, like Lucky You.
Wasn't it right after Stuey came out that Andy Glazer committed suicide? Or, maybe it was while they were still working on the movie?
I really liked the movie Maverick.