GUEST COLUMN: Famous Poker Movies

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FAMOUS POKER MOVIES

by Mila Bera

Poker has been around the block since we can all remember, even as far back as the 16th Century. While some frown at it because of its addictive gambling tendencies, others see it as a fun way to pass time and entertain themselves. Some even believe that poker is good for the brain.

Nonetheless, the entertainment industry has enacted several movies centring around the lifestyle of the game, highlighting the good, the bad and the ugly, and some of these movies have gained immense popularity over the years. These are some of our all-time favourite poker movies: Maverick (1994), Molly’s Game (2017), Casino Royale (2006), Deal (2008), Rounders (1998), The Grand (2007), The Cincinnati Kid (1965), Uncut Gems (2019), etc.

In this article, we will highlight 5 of the famous poker movies ever made.

MAVERICK

This Roy Higgins movie stars Mel Gibson playing the role of Bret Maverick; it was inspired by the 1950’s TV series starring James Garner before they made it into a movie in 1994. The movie has an American Old Western setting, and it shows the story of Bret Maverick, a con man and gambler who hopes to emerge as the winner in a high-stakes poker tournament to seal his reputation as the best poker player in the world. He is short of $3000 to enter the tournament, and he sets out to a town called Crystal Villa to reclaim debts from his debtors and take advantage of a few poker players in town.

At the finals of his tournament, he was up against the sexy and sweet Annabelle Bransford (Jodie Foster), Angel (Alfred Molina) who tried all his best to ensure that Maverick doesn’t finish the game and the Commodore (James Coburn) who is a more experienced con artist than Maverick. The movie also stars James Garner (the original Maverick from the initial TV series) playing the role of Marshal Zane Cooper, a mysterious lawyer who was there to ensure the security of the game. The tension, comedy, and plot twists will definitely have you glued to your screen.

MOLLY'S GAME

This 2017 movie, based on true life events, tells the story of an underground poker “mogul” Molly Bloom (played by Jessica Chastain). A young, vibrant athlete, who had to leave her Olympic dreams behind to start all over; after being involved in a skiing accident at 20. She moved to Los Angeles to start a new life and take a break before starting law school. There she caught the attention of producer Dean Keith (played by Jeremy Strong) while waitressing. Dean offers her a job as his assistant, to help him run a high-end poker game played by some of the most influential people in the country and beyond.

From building her multimillion poker dynasty in Los Angeles to starting over again in New York City to being investigated by the FBI, Molly’s Game shows the rise and fall of Molly and how she could overcome every challenge that life threw at her. The movie which was directed by Aaron Sorkin also stars prominent characters like Idris Elba (who plays Molly’s lawyer, Charlie Jaffey), Kevin Costner (who plays Molly’s dad, Larry Bloom), Bill Camp and Brian d’Arcy James.

ROUNDERS

A skilful, addicted gambler Mike McDermott (Matt Damon) loses his life savings of $30,000 to a poker genius and Russian mobster Teddy “KGB” (John Malkovich), during a game of poker. Frustrated and disappointed, he resolves to focus entirely on getting his Law degree with the help of his girlfriend and fellow law student Jo (Gretchen Mol), as this seemed like a brilliant option at the time. When his childhood friend and poker player, Worm (Edward Norton), is released from prison with an enormous debt to repay, Mike finds himself derailing and going back to old habits just so he can help his friend settle his debts.

Will Mike be able to stand by his decisions to quit poker? Will he eventually get his law degree and make his girlfriend, Jo, proud?  This 1998 movie directed by John Dahl shows the hurdle these two friends will have to face to clear their debts, as Mike will have to stand face-to-face again with the deadly Russian mobster Teddy “KGB.”

THE CINCINNATI KID

This 1965 classic shows the story of an overly ambitious, up-and-coming poker player, Eric Stoner (Steve McQueen), popularly known as “The Cincinnati Kid,” who travels from city to city taking part in one big game or another. Kid challenges Lancey Howard (Edward G. Robinson), popularly referred to as “The Man,” to a game of poker. “The Man” has earned his reputation as the “King” of stud poker with several years of experience under his belt, but it does not deter Kid as he hopes to win and overtake the title.

This movie by Norman Jewison won the heart of gamblers back in the day, who unanimously voted it to be “the best gambling movie of all time”. The exceptional performance of the cast is evident in the nominations and awards they received.

UNCUT GEMS

A Jewish New York City Jewelry store owner, Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler) who is an addicted gambler, is in huge debt. He hopes to clear off his debt by auctioning an uncut opal he received from an Ethiopian Jewish community, after several months of trying to secure the gem. He believes he can sell off the Opal at $100,000.

Being an unrepentant gambler, he accrues more debts in a bid to clear out previous ones. His adulterous lifestyle and ill behaviour earned him divorce charges from his wife (Idina Menzel), who is tired of his lifestyle and affair with his mistress, Julia.

After pawning off a ring that served as collateral from a basketball star Kevin Garnett, who is interested in the Opal and wants to use it as his good luck charm, Howard appears to be in even more trouble than he expected. Check out some great poker resources on Fliptroniks.

Will the auctioning of the jewellery save him from his loan shark brother-in-law Arno (Eric Bogosian) and help him clear off his debts, including the ring? This 2019 movie by Josh and Benny Safdie will take us through the unstable lifestyle of a gambling addict.

Conclusion

The above movies cut across different generations, storylines and characters, to give more insight into how the world of poker works. We hope you find our selection interesting and hopefully get to watch them and let us know what you think of them.