Best Gambling Movie Scenes Of All Time – Have You Seen These Masterpieces?

Gambling is undoubtedly extremely fun and exciting. Moreover, when done properly, gambling movies are almost as fun and engaging to watch as it is to play the game featured in the movie.

Over the years, we’ve seen some iconic gambling movie scenes, and if you somehow missed it, we’ve decided to rank the best movie scenes of all time.

7. End of the Game – Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels

Guy Ritchie has mastered the crime-comedy-thriller genre with a number of outstanding movies. One of the best gambling movie scenes of all time comes from his first feature-length movie.

The movie’s main plot revolves around the over-confident cardsharp who falls into huge debt in a rigged card game.

The scene we’re referencing is precisely the one in which Nick, the main character, realizes he lost the hand, as it perfectly depicts the disbelief, hopelessness, and shock that goes through his mind.

6. Alan Counts Cards – The Hangover

The Hangover was an instant hit in 2009 and produced many memorable scenes that we could laugh at and enjoy today. Still, one of the best and most memorable ones is the scene directly referencing Rain Man.

While The Hangover movie often gets absurdly hilarious and over the top, this blackjack card counting scene is simply cool and awesome.

5. Vault Robbery – Ocean’s 11

When it comes to the best heist movies of all time, the 2001 movie Ocean’s 11 is very close to the top.

Add to it the gambling theme this movie closely revolves around, and fun is guaranteed with it.

As one of the all-time best heist movies, Ocean’s 11 has an all-time casino heist scene that’s executed to perfection.

Plus, when you look at the movie’s star-studded cast, you can’t help but be amazed at how well everything comes together for the entire movie, not just this recognizable movie moment.

4. Poker Scene – Casino Royale

James Bond is known for his ability to tackle any challenge and bring down any villain that stands in his way. But, this tense, high-stakes and potentially unsafe poker game bring out the best in Bond as he tries to out-bluff and outplay his nefarious opponent.

This poker scene is masterfully executed by Daniel Craig as Bond and Mads Mikkelsen as the main antagonist Le Chiffre.

3. Blackjack Card Counting – Rain Man

Edited as a music montage with short cutscenes of the main characters interacting, the blackjack card counting scene in Rain Man single-handedly influenced many gambling movies.

As we’ve mentioned before, the hit comedy The Hangover paid a very obvious homage to this quintessential moment in cinema history.

The now-legendary blackjack card counting scene is part of one of the first movies shot in an actual casino and not a studio. To top it off, the chemistry between Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman in this scene, and the entire movie, is off the charts.

2. The Blackjack Fallout Scene – Casino

Starring Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, Casino is undoubtedly one of the best gambling-themed movies of all time with plenty of casino, betting, and other action going around the clock. It’s also creditworthy for one of the best gambling movie scenes ever.

The intensity, brutality, and unpredictability Joe Pesci bring to this scene makes it one of the most gripping ones you’ll ever see while watching a gambling movie.

1. Opening Poker Scene – Rounders

When it came out in 1998, the poker-themed movie Rounders received mixed reviews and didn’t perform overly well at the box office. But, after the start of the poker boom a few years later, the movie garnered a cult following and quickly became one of the most loved gambling movies of all time.

Moreover, this movie has produced a handful of memorable scenes poker fans still quote and rewatch to this day. Arguably the best one in the film and our first pick on this list is the one right at the start of the movie.

The movie opens with a no-limit high-stakes poker game between the main character, played by Matt Damon, and the main antagonist, played by John Malkovich. It’s a brilliant, fascinating, and immersive scene that will have you at the edge of your seat right from the movie’s start.