The film industry has given many people a very specific idea of what casinos and gambling in movies look like: flashy machines where you can hit the jackpot by simply pressing a button, roulette, around which a crowd of people gather to watch some lucky guy who always guesses the next number, a card table with several million dollars in the pot, and poker players - the richest people in the world, who don't even change their facial expressions when they put everything on the line. Of course, in practice, everything is far from what the casino shows us in Hollywood movies.
In real life, things are a bit more complicated. Professional gamblers don't always look like James Bond, mathematical calculations don't guarantee winnings, and casinos have long since turned into technological complexes with multi-level security systems that even all of Ocean's possible friends won't be able to bypass. So in this article, we propose to figure out where fiction ends and the real world of gambling begins, comparing famous gambling movies that have shaped the idea of casinos for millions of people, poker і blackjack, with reality.
«Casino Royale (2006): Are such poker hands possible in reality?
After a long hiatus from the 007 franchise, it was Casino Royale starring Daniel Craig as James Bond that revived the audience's interest in the franchise. This film features one of the most famous card scenes in modern cinema. Watching it is a real pleasure, as it keeps the viewer in suspense every second. The stakes are huge, the risks are no less. How will it all end?
They play poker there, or more precisely, Texas Hold'em. The rules of Texas Hold'em: each player gets two personal cards, five community cards are laid out on the table, and the combination consists of the best five cards. The tension increases with each card, and the final hand turns into a real battle of characters. Extremely strong combinations appear on the table, and Bond eventually gets the oldest one. What does the viewer feel? A real catharsis, especially if the viewer likes casino movies!
During the final hand, several participants receive extremely strong poker card combinations. One player collects a full house, another also has a full house, another gets a flush, and the main character wins thanks to a straight flush - five consecutive cards of the same suit from four to eight.
Is it possible to have something like this in real life, as poker shows us in movies? In Texas Hold'em, if we consider all seven cards available to the player (two in hand and five community cards), a straight flush occurs approximately 0.0311% times – that's one hand in 3217. A full house occurs approximately 2.6% times, and a flush occurs approximately 3.03%. That is, each of these combinations is quite real, but to have a straight flush, two full houses and a flush at the same table at the same time is an exceptionally rare event. That is why such layouts are usually used in movies to enhance the drama.
Another exaggeration for the sake of drama, which is entirely forgivable in this film, is the excessively long pauses. Delaying the reveal of an obvious winning combination, known as a slow roll, is considered poor poker etiquette.
«"21" (2008): Does card counting really help you beat the casino?
Anyone who has been even slightly interested in the topic of gambling has heard that there are people who know how to count cards in blackjack, so they can easily beat the casino, which is why they are often not even allowed into such establishments. They become like persona non grata, for whom the entrance is closed a priori.
The film "21" tells the story of students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who use their mathematical skills to play blackjack. Their goal is to gain an advantage over the casino by counting cards. Interestingly, the plot is based on real events, because at one time, students from various universities really used mathematical methods to play blackjack in casinos in Las Vegas and other cities, which often really helped them win.
Verdict: In the movies, it is shown too unrealistically. There it is literally like telepathic superpowers or predicting the future. It is closer to magic or mutants from "X-Men". How does card counting work? In reality, card counting is a mathematical system that really helps to estimate the ratio of cards remaining in the deck, which allows you to roughly estimate the chances and change the size of the bet according to the situation, but this is not a 100% guarantee. Even with a positive mathematical expectation, a player can lose a significant number of hands in a row.
So, while Hollywood portrays card counting as a way to get rich quick, in reality it is a complex strategy that requires discipline, mathematical knowledge, and a willingness to endure long periods of failure.
«"Ocean's 11" (2001): How realistic is it to rob a casino?
This is a real classic movie with cult actors! Of course, the main plot is about a casino robbery, not a game, but that is also paid attention to. The main unrealistic component is that robbing a modern casino is impossible. The characters themselves talk about it, but in the very next scene they plan how they will do it - a movie cliché. Even in those years (a quarter of a century ago) it was almost impossible, and today it is not even discussed.
Casinos have a much more complex security system than you might think after watching the movie. Larger establishments use:
- video surveillance systems covering gaming halls, cash registers and office premises;
- access control to areas with money and equipment;
- automated transaction accounting systems;
- procedures for screening personnel and suspicious transactions;
- interaction between security services, financial departments and law enforcement agencies.
Of course, casino heists aren't just for the movies. For example, in the 2010s, cases of fraud involving electronic devices, staff collusion, and card manipulation were investigated in various countries, including the United States, but such stories are usually much less spectacular than Danny Ocean's adventures, and the amounts stolen are smaller.
The consequences of such adventures are most accurately explained by one of the characters in this film, named Ruben Tishkoff.
«"Maverick" (1994): Can you win a poker tournament by bluffing?
Quite often in movies where there is poker, you can hear that the main thing is the bluff, and not a successful combination that depends on luck. Often the best player wins precisely because of his endurance, the ability to hide emotions and confidently look at other players, which makes them nervous, and they fold.
This is how Hollywood shows poker in this film. It is enough to keep an impassive expression on your face to make your opponents believe in any combination. Maverick is the main character of the film, who constantly uses tricks, provokes his opponents and tries to predict their decisions. Here, bluffing in poker is the main thing.
In real-world poker, bluffing is indeed an important part of poker strategy. A player can bet with a relatively weak hand to force their opponent to fold stronger cards. However, successful bluffing depends not only on their behavior at the table. You need to consider previous bets, position, pot size, your opponent's playing style, and the likelihood that they will continue the hand.
«"Ace" (1981): Are there invincible gamblers in real life?
This is not quite Hollywood, but the film is known all over the world, so it would be wrong not to mention it. The main character of the comedy with Adriano Celentano is a professional card player nicknamed Ace. He plays poker so well that his name is known to everyone who plays, and the next game with him turns into a real test for opponents. Other players literally get a thrill when they see him at the table.
But do experience and intuition really give you the opportunity to beat almost anyone? Are there a select few who always win? In fact, an experienced poker player can have a significant advantage over less prepared opponents - that's a fact. Why? Because he better understands the mathematical laws of the game, assesses probabilities, analyzes the behavior of opponents and knows how to adapt the strategy. At the same time, even the strongest professionals do not win every game. Why? Because randomness remains an important component of poker, because otherwise the whole game would have no meaning.
Result
Thus, in films that feature gambling, there is always exaggeration, which is generally quite typical of almost all feature films as a genre. Somewhere there is more of it, somewhere everything is shown very close to reality. In any case, films are not about realism, but about the acting, suspense, plot. The main task of cinema is to entertain the viewer, so if you plan to learn how to bluff coolly, count cards or just play a particular gambling game well, it is better not to focus on feature films.
