The gambling industry has got so much popularity in the last couple of decades. When you think about it, the reason why this happened makes perfect sense. Gambling as an activity has become much more accessible to people today since it is not limited only to the upper social classes as was the case only a couple of decades ago.
The most obvious sign that this is the case is that you can find a plethora of websites out there where you can participate in your favorite games. Therefore, nobody should be surprised that millions of people worldwide now can take part. If you want to take a look at a couple of websites of this sort, be sure to visit https://www.bestunitedstatescasinos.com/best-payout-online-casinos/.
Another interesting thing we want to say about gambling is that it has become a part of popular culture. You can find a lot of it in movies, music, and art. Naturally, it being a part of the movie industry is probably the most prominent one. Today, we want to talk about how realistic are gambling scenes in movies.
Casino Royale
One of the most prominent gambling scenes in recent years is the one we’ve got in a reboot of the James Bond franchise “Casino Royale”. The famous scene includes the main protagonist, James Bond, played by Daniel Craig, the antagonist, Le Chiffre, played by Mads Mikkelsen, and several other characters.
Even though the protagonist and antagonist are not the only ones participating in this scene, we can see that the intensity of the scene is nothing short of exceptional. They’re playing Texas Hold’em Poker, and the showdown between the two characters is about to begin.
The whole sequence includes the competition between the two characters. However, the final scene is when there are just two of them left. All the players on the table are going all in, besides Le Chiffre. Believing that James Bond is bluffing, the character decides to follow and ultimately losses the hand. As a result, Daniel Craig’s character wins $14 million. Of course, we can agree that this amount is not realistic at all.
Casino
A legendary movie from 1995, Casino, is one of the best-known, let’s say, gambling movies out there. The movie itself is based on a real-life character Frank Rosenthal, and it stays true to the source material. He is accompanied by his close friend and a wise guy, played by legendary actor Joe Pesci.
When you compared how casinos were operated then to the modus operandi we have today, you will certainly agree that the differences between these two are enormous. As we’ve said, the movie is pretty accurate, including the deaths of the characters, and the fate all of them had at the end of the movie.
The main gambling scene in the movie is where Robert De Niro’s girlfriend is playing a game of craps. While there are not too many details about this scene, we can see that it is as realistic as it possibly can be. There are some other similar scenes in the movie, but they are much shorter.
21
21 is a movie based on a true story, the story of MIT’s blackjack team. For those who don’t know, we are talking about a team of gamblers who want to scam casinos by perfecting the counting cards strategy. The way they perfect it is through using mathematical algorithms which prepare them for every possible outcome at hand.
There are two aspects of this movie that, realistically, we want to cover. The hands played by the characters are exceptionally depicted. However, we would like to say that the story about the team is not told completely. Nevertheless, this is a great movie you will enjoy.
The Gambler
In the seventies, the number of movies that were set in a casino or at least a poker room was on the rise. One of the most popular titles from this period is The Gambler, released back in 1974. One of the reasons why this movie was so popular is that it featured James Caan, a legendary actor who appeared in numerous popular titles.
The storyline is set in Las Vegas, and it depicts the underworld of Sin City pretty well. James Caan’s character borrows some money to participate in a high-stakes poker room. As you can imagine, the whole setting is a rollercoaster, and you will keep on the edge of your seat until it ends.
The hands of this game are a work of art if we call them that. It means that every scene is depicted realistically. At the same time, it needs to be said that the emotional conditions James Caan goes through are perfectly depicted. Many professionals are still amazed at how realistic The Gambler is, even by today’s standards of filmmaking.
Runner Runner
Last but not least, we want to talk about the least known title on this list of ours, but that doesn’t mean that this one is not as good as others. The story follows Justin Timberlake’s character, who has been cheated at a poker game and needs to think about how to resolve the situation to his advantage.
The man who is responsible for cheating Timberlake’s character is played by Ben Affleck. The reason why we decided to include this title in this list of ours is that it shows a completely different angle to the story from what we’re used to knowing. For instance, the storyline focuses on online gambling.
You will certainly agree that this is not something we have been able to see in previous years. Nevertheless, the story is quite an entertaining one, and all the scenes are pretty much the same as what occurs in real-life online gambling. Therefore, we encourage you to take a look at this one.
In Conclusion
Gambling in movies is quite a common thing, and this is not something we would describe as a new trend. In this article of ours, we’ve provided you with some of the most realistic movies and scenes where you can find gambling as the main part of the story.
