Since the golden age of the Western, poker playing has always been a popular theme in Hollywood. Although many of the Hollywood films that feature poker are not very good, and some of them even display poker in a ridiculous manner, watching poker action on the big screen is great fun, especially if you play poker yourself.
Here are the best poker movies ever produced in Hollywood. Some movies are actually excellent regardless of their display of the poker game, while in others, the poker game is the feature that makes them worth watching. However, if you are a poker fan, add these movies to your must-see list.
The Sting was directed by George Roy Hill in 1973.
The Sting is less about poker and more about the art of card sharking, but it will provide you with two hours of sophisticated fun. The 1973 Academy Award winner features young Paul Newman as the greatest con artist of them all, who mentors young Robert Redford in the art of trickery. The David S. Warn screenplay is based on true con game stories.
The Cincinnati Kid was directed by Norman Jewison in 1965.
Doesn't it get to the heart of the matter?Making the wrong move at the right time In short, The Cincinnati Kid is about the battle between Steve McQueen, who plays a young poker player also known as The Kid, and the veteran poker gambler known as The Man, who is played by Edward G. Robinson during the Great Depression in New Orleans. It may not appear on any other list of the best movies, but it certainly has one of the best poker scenes ever seen on the silver screen.
California Split was directed by Robert Altman in 1974.
California Split may not be the pick of Robert Altman's creations, but it is one of the best movies to depict the messy everyday lives of two professional gamblers, played by George Segal and Elliott Gould. Like in many of Altman's films, the narrative is not particularly straight, and the end is not necessarily happy, but it does succeed in describing an authentic experience. Additionally, poker trivia fans would be thrilled to learn that poker legend Amarillo Slim plays a small role.Rounders
directed by John Dahl in 1998.
It is hard to tell whether the movie pushed for the 21st century poker boom or the rise in the popularity of poker during the last decade made Rounders a cult hit. However, Rounders is one of the best poker films to display the contemporary high-stakes poker scene. The core of the movie is a long poker marathon in which Mat Damon and Edward Norton try to earn money to pay off the latter's gambling debts. World Series of Poker champion Johnny Chan plays a featured role.
Maverick, directed by Richard Donner in 1994
Although Maverick is not the most brilliant film ever made, and some of the poker scenes are kind of silly, it is a fun and lighthearted poker movie. It might even provide you with a basic idea of what it was like to be a rambling gambler in the old west card scene with Mel Gibson as a maverick who tries to earn enough money for the big five-card draw poker tournaments.
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