If you have not seen Rounders yet, it's a great watch although it is quite an old film now.
Does anyone else have suggestions for great poker/gambling related movies to watch?
Had to do some digging on the internet because i couldn't remember the actors name or the film title but The Cooler is the one that always stood out for me
It's slim pickings for sure - as a pretty decent player for the last decade or so, seeing poker on film/tv generally makes me cringe
Rounders is the all time greatest for poker, no question
Molly's Game was enjoyable, particularly the scene showing how a player can lose their mind on tilt
Cincinnati Kid needs a mention
Hustle - the old BBC show had some not totally unbelievable setups, think they even shot a scene at the Vic
Some really good documentaries out there too, also some absolute shite (don't bother with the David Haye one on Amazon!)
Hi Robin,
Rounders is the standout for sure. The scene with the Oreo cookies towards the end is absolute genuis that only a true poker player could have written and John Malcovitch playe the part of Teddy KGB brilliantly however the scene at the home game where the professors have all of their cards read by Matt Damon's character is memorable too.
I really expected Molly's game to be better than it was. The solid player being tilted by the numbskull is very memorable I grant you but the main character played by Jessica Chastain was just not likeable enough. Perhaps my expecations were set too high as I yearned for the Aaron Sorkin style of dialogue and interplay exhibited so expertly in classics like The West Wing and The Newsroom. As as aside, if you've never seen The Newsroom there is a clip called "Booing a Gay Soldier" that is Sorkin at his absolute best and you could find it easily on YouTube.
The Cincinatti Kid is an excellent movie that I understand was simply an alternative version of The Hustler starring Paul Newman and both movies are fantastic.
I watched Weemonk's suggestion called The Cooler last evening and it was a very enjoyable watch so thanks very much to him for that recommendation.
I am no longer involved with it but I used to belong to a group of players who entered tournaments all across the country a few times a year and a group of ten poker players would always include some very interesting characters and it's a wonder there has never been a drama series based around a group such as this.
If anybody else has any suggestions please keep them coming.
For me Rounders is the best poker movie of all time, even had the Tat that worm has XD