Poker is one of the most popular gambling and card games in the world. Therefore, it is not surprising that the game of poker served as the material for numerous exciting films, because around the game you can not only tell interesting stories, but also invent real events that inspired the filmmakers. Through the eyes of the main characters, we observe the ups and downs of the game, life in its purest form. There are many great films devoted exclusively to the subject of poker. Some of them tell fictional stories, others focus on the lives of successful poker players.
We present the best poker movies you shouldn't miss. Each of these films is a masterpiece that perfectly conveys the excitement and psychology of the game and brings it to the big screen.
TOP 16 most interesting films about poker
All or Nothing (2008)
- Country: USA
Description: A former professional poker player meets a young, talented player and sees him as his last chance to win a big tournament. Student and mentor become friends, but after an argument, they meet as rivals in a tournament.
Loser (2007)
- Country: USA
Description: In one of the hotels in Las Vegas, the international poker game Grand Championship of Poker is taking place. One of the participants is Jack Faro, the grandson of the deceased casino owner, who is considered a grandfather. Faro hopes that winning the tournament will allow him to prevent ownership from going to an investor. Seth Schwartzman will accompany his daughter Lainey and son Larry, whom he often criticizes. Other contestants include amateur Andy Andrews, who knows little about poker but succeeds through luck, and "the German," whose real name no one knows, and who motivates himself by killing small animals. In addition to Pharo, the favorites include professional poker player Larry Schwartzman and Harold Melvin, who suffers from Asperger's syndrome and whose life is controlled by his mother.
Lucky Man (2007)
- Country: USA, Germany, Australia
Description: Huck Cheever is addicted to playing poker. However, he plays on the principle of "winner takes all" and constantly loses. He spends his first date with the lounge singer Billie at a casino poker table. The next morning he fled with her savings. With that money, the gambling addict heads to the next game to win a $10,000 entry fee to the World Series, where he comes face-to-face with Huck's all-powerful father, two-time World Series of Poker champion L.S. by Cheever
Molly's Game (2017)
- Country: USA, Canada, China
Description: Molly Bloom (Jessica Chastain) is a talented young skier and the great hope of the USA at the Olympic Games, but after a serious injury she is forced to give up her career. Molly also drops out of law school and takes detours into the world of underground poker. She quickly realizes that she has a knack for organizing illegal tournaments, and eventually organizes her own poker tournament, the start of a long career. Molly's clients include famous Hollywood faces, sports stars, influential businessmen and (unbeknownst to Bloom) the Russian mafia. One day, a big business comes to an abrupt end - Molly is arrested by the FBI in the middle of the night. Her only ally is lawyer Harley Jaffe (Idris Elba). He suspects that more is known about Bloom than is written in the tabloids...
The Shulers (1998)
Description: Mike McDermott is a talented poker player. When he loses a large portion of his fortune to Russian mobster Teddy the KGB, he stops playing poker and doesn't start again for the sake of his girlfriend Jo. When his old friend Lester "Worm" Murphy is released from prison, Mike is drawn back into the game. Lester owes money to the KGB and only has a few days left to pay back the money. Mike promises to help his desperate friend. When Lester provokes his creditor, Mike even promises to give his life to protect him. Friends see poker as the only way to quickly earn the money they need. And their plan seems to be working. While Mike can rely on his extraordinary skill, Lester tries to cash in on his winnings through a skilled scam. However, this leads to more and more arguments between friends.
James Bond 007 - Casino Royale (2006)
- Country: USA, Great Britain, Czech Republic, Germany, Bahamas
Description: The first assignment after receiving a license to kill brings MI6 agent James Bond to Madagascar, where he has to hunt down the terrorist Mollaka. Not everything goes according to plan, but as Bond continues his own investigation, he tracks down Le Chiffre, a banker for a global terrorist organization. He plans to multiply the assets of his organization with the help of an illegal poker game in the Montenegrin Casino Royale, which, of course, requires high stakes. Therefore, MI6 sees an opportunity to bring the terrorists to financial ruin and entrusts it to James.
Maverick (1994)
- Country: USA
Description: Brett Maverick is considered the smartest player and sharpest marksman in the Wild West - even though he can't hurt a fly. He is on his way to St. Louis, where a big poker tournament is to be held on a paddle steamer. During the eventful journey, Maverick meets like-minded people in the person of the clever Annabelle and the cunning Sheriff Cooper. After a series of exciting adventures, they have to prove who among them is the most cunning at the poker table.
God of Players (1989)
- Country: Hong Kong
Description: Ko Chun (Chow Yun-Fat) is a gambling master. His extraordinary, almost supernatural abilities when it comes to counting cards or hearing dice have earned him the name "The God of Gamblers". At the request of a Japanese player, Ko wants to compete with gangster and professional player Chan. But before the game, he falls into a children's trap set by street punk Knife (Andy Lau) to get revenge on the Indian. Ko hits his head when he falls. When he regains consciousness, it turns out that he is mentally developed at the level of a 10-year-old child. Knife, who is trying to make some money as an amateur gambler so he can lead a decent life with his girlfriend Jane (Joey Wong), looks after Ko and quickly realizes that he has a knack for gambling.
Cold Calculation (2021)
- Country: USA, Great Britain, China, Sweden
Description: Wilhelm Tell spent ten years in prison. While the head of his special unit came out of the water dry, Wilhelm had to become a scapegoat. In a prison cell, Wilhelm mastered the art of card counting. Back on the loose, he travels from casino to casino. He bets low to avoid attracting attention and wins. In the process, he meets La Linda and Sirk. While La Linda wants to raise the stakes and increase the winnings, Sirk hatches a devious plan for revenge, targeting William's former boss.
Finder's Reward (2001)
- Country: Canada, USA
Description: Adam Tepper hosts a weekly poker night for his friends. Bets – lottery tickets for a week. When he finds a wallet that also contains a lottery ticket, fate takes its toll. Out of curiosity, Adam calls the lottery numbers, and the ticket from the wallet turns out to be the jackpot. But how does he manage to sneak the ticket past his buddies Fishman, Quigley and Bolan, and more importantly, does his owner, Avery Phillips, know what his ticket number is? As Phillips goes for the wallet, a poker game begins and he gets caught up in the game. But who knows about winning, and who does not!
The Runner The Runner (2013)
- Country: USA
Description: Princeton student Richie Furst's favorite hobby is online poker. Unfortunately, he cannot control his passion and loses his student fund. Richie believes that he was cheated by an online platform. To get his money back, Richie decides to go to Costa Rica on his own, where the shady millionaire Ivan Blok has his poker site.
Walking the Mississippi (2015)
- Country: USA
Description: Curtis is in his 30s and likes to spend time at the casino. One day he meets the unfortunate 44-year-old Jerry at the poker table. They soon become friends over drinks and cards and gradually reveal their life stories. When Jerry isn't struggling with his job as a real estate agent, he's losing huge sums of money gambling. His expensive hobby soon brings a dangerous loan shark to the scene. His gambling addiction also cost him his marriage and his relationship with his daughter. Curtis, on the other hand, doesn't seem to carry any emotional baggage, and his dynamic, free-spirited demeanor touches something in Jerry. Gradually, his own attitude towards life also changes.
Deft Hands (2003)
- Country: USA
Description: Scammers Charlie, Vernon, and Tiffany keep their heads above water by engaging in petty scams and dream of one day pulling off a big jackpot. This dream seems achievable for them when they learn that a group of high-class poker players in Los Angeles are planning to organize a tournament worth millions of dollars. The trio devises a cunning plan to slip out of the round. However, when a mafia boss gets in their way, the "win-win" unexpectedly turns into a game not of life, but of death.
California Poker (1974)
- Country: USA
Description: Professional gambler Charlie (Elliott Gould) and failed journalist Bill (George Segal) have little in common except their passion for the California Split poker game. After winning, Bill quits his job and follows Charlie to the gambling paradise of Reno, where they bet on anything and anyone...
10 (2010)
- Country: Switzerland, series
Description: The setting of this unusual thriller from Switzerland is a poker table in Geneva, where ten players have gathered on New Year's Eve, each of whom wants to win a prize fund of 500,000 francs. Each of the players hides secrets that are gradually revealed throughout the ten-part series. Filled with cunning bluffs and false paths, all the way to an icy murderous thirst, the game becomes an increasingly dangerous mixture of game and death trap with each round. In each episode, the audience learns more about the characters of the main characters, why they participate in the game and what they have to hide from others.
Pokerface (2022)
- Country: USA, Australia
Description: An annual high-stakes poker game between childhood friends ends in chaos when the host, a tech billionaire, hatches an elaborate plan to get revenge for how they've cheated him over the years. But while his plans are unfolding, a group of thieves make plans of their own and break into a mansion they believe to be empty. Old friends are quickly reunited, and years of playing help them survive a night of terror.
Conclusion
The featured poker films reflect a fascinating range of stories, from dramatic contests to personal stories of triumph. They invite us on a journey through the fascinating world of poker, showing the psychological intricacies and high tension of the game. Each of these poker movies offers unique entertainment not only for poker enthusiasts, but also for lovers of good movies. Each individual poker film in its own way masterfully combines the art of storytelling with the complexity of the game of poker and leaves the viewer with an unforgettable impression of the ups and downs that this game entails.