The romance of the casino and the thrill of the big win translates perfectly to the big screen and there have been some spectacular movies based around the world of gambling.
Here are just a few of our favourites:
1. Casino
Martin Scorsese’s classic tale of the underworld of Las Vegas, starring Robert de Niro, Joe Pesci and Sharon Stone, was a global smash hit back in 1995.
De Niro starred as Sam Rothstein, the man charged with overseeing operations at the Tangiers casino. Of course the building is fictional, but De Niro’s character has its foundations in Frank Rosenthal, the man in charge of the Stardust, Fremont and Hacienda casinos that were controlled by Chicago mobsters.
2. Rounders
Released in 1998, Rounders is one of the most under-rated gambling movies of all time. Matt Damon, Edward Norton, John Malkovich and Gretchen Mol formed the all-star cast and the story centred around retired gambler Damon returning to the tables to help a friend in need who had run up gambling debts.
3. The Sting
Paul Newman and Robert Redford joining forces was always going to be a seminal Hollywood moment.
After the murder of a mutual friend, the two decide to take their own particular form of vengeance by running a con on the mob boss responsible. The 1973 film is considered one of the all-time classics and if you haven’t seen it, you should. Quite what Newman would have made of the new microgaming casinos is anyone’s guess.
4. Ocean’s Eleven
Steven Soderbergh’s slick casino romp had one of the greatest casts of the modern era, with George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Julia Roberts headlining this 2001 epic.
This high-paced movie is everything a casino film should be, with manipulation, action, subterfuge and a whole lot more.
5. High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story
This film is a total contrast to the high-paced Hollywood thrillers and tells the true life story of Stu Ungar.
A gambler by the age of 10, Ungar won and lost millions during his career and was widely recognised as one of the finest readers of body language the game has ever seen.
As with many gamblers, though, Ungar’s final years showed a decline into drink, drugs, women and losing his Midas touch.
