10 Best Casino Based Movies Of All Time That You Can Binge Watch

Casino inspired films are some of the most thrilling and action-packed movies out there. In these movies, there’s a combination of the allure of gambling, some great action, humour, and a movie that will hook you in, even if you’re new to the gambling scene. You’re bound to have seen at least one of these must-watch casino movies but if you haven’t, we are certain you’ll want to after reading the summaries of each.

1. The Hangover (2009)

The Hangover is a hilarious movie where a group of four friends (Doug, Phil, Stu and Alan) travel to Las Vegas for Doug’s bachelor party. Shortly after arriving in Vegas, these guys wake up the next morning with no recollection of what happened the night before. There’s a tiger in the hotel room, a baby, and they have no idea where their friend Doug has gone as he is nowhere to be found. They try to retrace their steps in putting together the pieces.

2. Oceans 11 (2001)

Ocean’s 11 is about a team of criminal masterminds that come up with a plan to rob the Mirage, the Bellagio, and the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, all in one go. Featuring a cast of superstars such as Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, George Clooney and Brad Pitt, this movie is unforgettable to anyone who watches it. Not only is there a great amount of thrill but there is also a wonderful amount of elegance.

3. Casino Royale (2006)

Casino Royale is a film featuring James Bond, where he goes on a mission to stop the banker of many worldwide criminal organisations from winning a high-stakes game of Texas Hold’Em. This is yet another great casino inspired film full of adventure and crime by showing the uglier side of gambling which include money laundering and mind tricks well.

4. Rounders (1998)

Rounders is about Mike, a law student that finds he has a hidden talent for the gambling classic, Poker. He loses all his money in a poker game against a Russian gangster, Mike comes to realise that he can’t win them all, so he focuses on finishing college. However, shortly after, everything changes when his best friend, Worm, is released from prison who has a big debt to some enemies. Mike jumps back into the casino world to help his best friend get the money he needs to pay off his enemies.

5. The Cincinnati Kid (1965)

The Cincinnati Kid is about a cocky pokey player named Eric Stoner (The Kid), who wants to build his reputation as the best. In his mission to be the best, he challenges Lancey ‘The Man’ Howard, an older player who is known as the best. This results in an intense poker game between the two. However, at the end of the film, it is The Man who beats The Kid. After the game ends, The Kid is ridiculed, and so he leaves the hotel.

6. Hard Eight (1996)

Hard Eight is about Sydney, a senior gambler in his sixties who still likes to spend his time gambling. Then he meets John who is a loser and has no money at all but Sydney sees him as a son and tries to help him out by teaching him all of the tricks he knows. Throughout this time, Sydney also helps John build a relationship with a young girl who works as a waitress at the casino. Shortly after this, something happens that turns all their lives upside down.

7. The Gambler (2014)

The Gambler is about an English teacher who is also a gambling addict that loves the thrill of high stakes. After losing a blackjack game against some threatening criminals, he ends up owing them a lot of money. The criminals were not happy about this, and so the English teacher needs to find a solution to pay off his debt back quickly so that he can get himself out of trouble, which he manages to do and then walks away from gambling forever.

8. High Roller (2003)

High Roller is a story about the rise and fall of Stu Ungar, who dies in 1998 because of heart complications from drug abuse. St Ungar was a genius when it came to poker and was known as the youngest player to win the World Series of Poker. Stu was one of the very first poker players to use the No-Limit Texas Hold’em style effectively that has been copied by countless players ever since.

9. 21 (2008)

21 is about an MIT student who puts together a team of blackjack players because he needs money to pay for his insane tuition fees. In this scenario, it’s not luck that needs to be on their sides, but the ability to use their intelligence to win. The team knows how to count cards and play together to make sure they walk out with a big check. Even though this team knows a lot about blackjack, they don’t know who is going to betray them and whether it’s better to stay at school or drop out of school to pursue a career in professional gambling.

10. Casino (1995)

Casino is about an ex-gangster known as Sam ‘Ace’ Rothstein that now lives a normal life working as a manager for a great casino in Las Vegas. This doesn’t last too long because his old friend Nicky, a mafia underboss, pays him a visit seeking help. Ace tries to play by the rules, but his friends Nicky and Ginger, are breaking all of them in hopes to make it to the top. This movie shows their downfall.

These are just a few of the many amazing casino films out there. These ten movies all have a variety of genres from more violent movies to movies that bring in some humour to the concept of a night of gambling in Vegas. Whether it’s about a group of friends who go to Vegas to celebrate their friend’s bachelor party and forget everything in the meantime to a 1995 classic about an ex-gangster that gets involved in a gambling mess, there’s something for everyone from this list and a great way to get a feel for the gambling world.