Gambling is an adrenaline-inducing activity. Hence, it makes perfect sense that the art of cinema would use this entertainment form to create tension on the silver screen. If one explores the seventh art, one will undoubtedly find terrific movies that feature gambling in some form or fashion. Many have exploited this pastime as their focal point, creating a distinct film sub-genre. Below, we rattle off three films that fit into this category, ones containing heart-pumping gambling scenes that should have most viewers glued to the edges of their seats. So, let us get to rattling these films off.
Rounders
According to most gambling experts, Chris Moneymaker’s 2003 WSOP win with the growing popularity of the film Rounders greatly contributed to the rise of Americans’ interest in top betting sites, seeking to explore the card gambling opportunities many such platforms offered.
Rounders, released in 1998, tells the story of two poker-addicted friends who survive by playing cards. When Worm, played by Edward Norton, gets freed from prison, he reunites with Mike (Matt Damon), who is in law school, trying to ascend in New York’s legal scene. However, Worm, who owes $25,000 to a notorious Russian mobster who goes by the name KGB, skips town. He technically leaves Mike to inherit his debt. Thus, to get out of a sticky situation, with his health on the line, Mike goes all in a poker game against KGB in his lair en route to settling his friend’s debt and gaining “three stacks of high society” ($30,000).
Shade
Here is another poker movie. Nevertheless, this is a much less-known one compared to Rounders, as it never received major theatrical distribution and flew under most people’s radars despite its all-star cast. Shade stars Stuart Townsend, Thandiwe Netwon, and Gabriel Byrne, with support from Melanie Griffith, Sylvester Stallone, and Jamie Fox. The story here is about the world of underground card games, where a player named Vernon (Townsend) teams up with hustlers Tiffany (Newton) and Charlie (Byrne) as the trio tries to get into a high-stakes game with a legendary card gambler called the Dean (Stallone).
Shade’s finale concludes in an intense showdown. In it, the young Vernon is sure he has the Dean dead to rights. But the master flips the script, leaving Vernon and his cohorts without their entire bankroll and in a super perilous situation. 2003’s Shade achieved cult status on DVD, and its soundtrack has music from renowned jazz composer Dmitri Matheny.
Let It Ride
For a change of pace, here is a horse racing movie. There are not a lot of these. Let It Ride is a 1989 comedy directed by Joe Pytka, which was long forgotten by most. Yet, it appears to slowly reinsert itself into the consciousness of cinephiles thanks to the magic of the Internet and streaming services, ranking as a top sports betting movie.
Chiefly filmed at Florida’s historic Hialeah Park Race Track, Let it Ride’s protagonist is Jay Trotter, a down-on-his-luck cab driver who becomes wise of a sure thing. Trotter is a compulsive gambler who told his wife the day prior that he would never bet again but cannot resist the temptation of the learned tip and seemingly guaranteed profit. After winning his bet and earning another sure-fire tip, Richard Dreyfuss’ character believes this could be his lucky day. He goes on a winning streak, and a wacky series of events follow, with Trotter making one last wager of $68,000 on a horse named Hot to Trot, which wins its race in a photo finish, netting Jay $2.7 million.
