The 7 Best Poker Movies of All Time

#7 – The Sting

This 1973 classic has much more to offer than just poker scenes. All kinds of gambling intrigues abound: bets on the numbers rackets, on horse racing, and double-dealing of every kind.

What’s more, the two leading men, Robert Redford and Paul Newman, are still household names 50 years after their time!

Even so, this film feasts in gambling scenes, with poker taking particular pride of place. One particularly exquisite scene features a breathtaking, all-night game of five card draw played on an overnight train.

In order to really enjoy this unforgettable poker scene (where one con artist out-cheats another!), we’d recommend looking at our guide to different varieties of poker.

#6 – High Roller: The Stu Unger Story

A totally different approach to a poker movie, this one features a tour-de-force performance by Michael Imperioli in the title role.

This is the real-life story of one of the undisputedly greatest poker players and gamblers of all time. It’s ultimately a sad story, as drug and gambling addiction saw him unable to enjoy the fruits of his labor…

…but there are also moments of real triumph to be enjoyed!

This is a story that could only be told through incredible scenes at the card table, and this movie does not disappoint.

The mercurial hero achieved some incredible poker feats, amassing an estimated $30 million in winnings throughout his career. Though his demons got the better of him in the end, the drama of his rise, fall, and many successes is absolutely enchanting.

It’s the perfect story for Hollywood.

This is a film any student of the game will love: Stuart Unger was a master of his craft, and it’s beautiful to watch Imperioli’s portrayal of him at work.

#5 – Casino Royale

Who could possibly resist watching James Bond go all in against a devious villain, with millions of dollars and the fate of the world at stake, at one of the most glamorous casinos in the world?

This film’s poker scene is a true classic. Also one of the most famous card games in recent cinematic history!

At the resplendent tables in Monte Carlo, the river turns with millions of lives in the balance. The delivery is ice cold, and the showdown is unforgettable.

With that said, it’s difficult to overstate how unlikely it would be to see a hand like this dealt at a Hold’em table. A four-way, all-in showdown featuring a flush, two full houses and a straight-flush?

To put it mildly, that’s not something you see every day!

But as any seasoned player will testify…

… unlikely hands do happen! Use our the poker odds calculator tool over at our sister site Wizard of Odds to get to know the numbers better.

#4 – Mississippi Grind

Some movies glamorize everything about poker, even the lifestyle’s low points.

This isn’t one of those movies.

Starring Ryan Reynolds and Ben Mendelsohn, this picture tells the story of two men down on their luck, trying desperately to turn things around at the betting tables.

Most of the action takes place not in Las Vegas, or in Monte Carlo or Macau for that matter, but in the considerably grittier setting of the riverboat scene along the Mississippi River in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana.

The tables aren’t well-let, the clothes aren’t beautiful, the opposing players aren’t photogenic or even in shape.

What do viewers get instead?

Gritty gambling glory, that’s what!

No movie does a better job of capturing the gut-punch of getting brutally outdrawn on the river, of the manic joy that comes with massive wins, or thrill a superior player gets from his or her quiet mastery of their opponent’s tells.

It’s a tremendously realistic movie with outstanding poker scenes aplenty.

Like most modern poker movies, the card scenes focus on one kind of poker in particular…

… so players who aren’t yet familiar with this game should review the basics of Texas Hold’em.

#3 – Maverick

Poker movies don’t get much better than this 1994 Western.

Mel Gibson, before revealing his insidious views on race and anti-semitism, stars as Bret Maverick, a gambler, hustler, and gunslinger taking aim at a massive, high-stakes poker tournament. A young Jodie Foster steals all of her scenes.

This is the rare poker movie that focuses less on the drama of the cards, and more on the human element of the game.

Players flex by reading each-other, recognizing tells, and in one memorable scene, being aware of their opponent’s breathing!

#2 – The Cincinnati Kid

A classic never goes out of style, and this 1965 movie fits that bill perfectly.

Steve McQueen owns the main role of the up-and-coming card player at war with corrupt forces beyond his years.

The style of play will feel foreign to many modern players: games are open stakes, meaning that a player can bet any amount just by speaking aloud, regardless of what chips they have on the table. This is, to it mildly, rare today.

Like the final hand in Casino Royale, the climactic hand in The Cincinnati Kid is unfathomably unlikely.

So much so, in fact, that the writer Anthony Holden noted in his book Big Deal: A Year as a Professional Poker Player, that the odds of this hand occurring were more than 322 billion to 1 against:

“If these two played 50 hands of stud an hour, eight hours a day, five days a week, the situation would arise about once every 443 years.””

#1 – Rounders

This is the king of poker movies. The all-star cast features Matt Damon as the leading man alongside the likes of Edward Norton, John Malkovich, John Turturro, and Gretchen Mol.

The story centers on a poker prodigy who gave up the game, only to be forced to return to the tables in order to save a childhood friend from his dangerous debts.

There are more card scenes than could be counted, featuring every kind of table drama and properly showcasing the hard-driving, sleepless, gritty and glamorous life of professional poker.

Because so much of the film takes place at the table, it would be wise to watch with our poker glossary and vocabulary guide close at hand.