Online Casino

For those of us who enjoy gambling in all its many forms, there are plenty of ways in which to satisfy our need for the enjoyment and pleasure it brings. There is all the thrill of the race track and a fulfilling afternoon’s racing to placate our need to wager on what we hope will be the winner.

But sometimes we need a break from all that playing and financial risk and that’s where a good movie comes to the rescue. While many people enjoy a good action thriller, a techno-sci-fi blockbuster, a scary horror flick, or a tear jerking sob story, for the gambler there is a much more attractive alternative. The out and out gambling movie is a much more fitting choice. Here we’ve taken some of what we consider the best of the bunch and listed them for your own evaluation.

You can easily rent these for a day and take yourself into the realms of the big screen gambler, where strategies can be learned and ideas are formulated. If gambling is your thing, then these movies will enrich your world even further, so why not give them a whirl? You’ll be glad you did.

California Split (1974, Robert Altman).

In this movie, the gambler, played by George Segal, who is down on his luck meets a free-spirited rambler played by Elliot Gould. They go off on a chaotic gambling adventure together visiting racetracks and casinos. The story follows their journey as they win big but are robbed. They play hard and drink even harder and it’s an enjoyable tale of winning and losing but coming out all right in the end. 

The Gambler (1974, Karel Reisz)

This movie explores the psychology of a literature professor who gambles, is self-destructive and takes huge risks. Played by James Caan, he explains his logic as, “its only insane if I lose and I’m not going to lose.” He borrows money from his girlfriend and mounts up crippling debts, eventually getting himself into trouble with some unsavoury characters. Despite this, his gambling continues unabated.

The Color of Money (1986, Martin Scorsese)

This is a sequel to The Hustler, another great gambling movie from 1961 derived from the novel by Walter Tevis. In this, Fast Eddie Felson, who is played by Paul Newman, makes his comeback as the pool hustler who has gained experience and attitude with age. Tom Cruise also stars as a young, arrogant pool player and this film looks at the often dangerous and competitive side of underground pool hustlers.

The Grifters (1989, Stephen Frears)

In this movie, John Cusack stars as a small-time con artist. Annette Bening plays his expedient girlfriend while Anjelica Huston plays Cusack’s scheming mother as they all go on a spree of tricking people which builds to a horrific climax.

Bugsy (1991, Barry Levinson)

This great film focuses on Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegal, played by Warren Beatty. Siegal is legendary as the founder of Las Vegas and this movie accurately portrays the womanizing, sharp dressed man who was prone to having a really bad temper. Despite his character flaws, his vision and keen business sense forged what was to become the best known gambling city in the world. 

Casino (1995, Martin Scorsese)

This epic story of corruption and crime focuses on a Vegas casino owned and run by the mob. The main characters are “Ace” Rothstein, played by Robert Deniro, who is the genius casino manager and bookie, the ruthless Mafia under boss and long time friend of Rothstein, Nicky Santoro, played by Joe Pesci and hustling ex-prostitute Ginger McKenna, played by Sharon Stone. It shows the rise to power of the main characters and their eventual downfall as corrupt figures from the government, FBI and the mob take over. The characters are all based on real people and many of the scenes portray actual events.

Croupier (1998, Mike Hodges)

Clive Owen plays an aspiring writer who finds employment at a casino using his father’s connections. He is seduced by a woman who encourages him to join her associates who plan to rob the casino. This provides him with the perfect ideas for his book, so he agrees and gets involved in all manner of danger, deception and intrigue.