As the casino industry has been around for some time now, it has developed a community of its own where people can share experiences and tips. The casino atmosphere has also been the center of dozens of movies over the years and it has become a popular theme for directors to tackle. And how could they not? The thrill of throwing the dice, the excitement behind placing your first bet, the luxurious resorts and the fancy black-tie suits had to be captured on-screen to paint the casino atmosphere to a wider audience.

The next time you’re in search of an entertaining movie to watch with your friends while you stuff your mouth with endless amounts of popcorn, you can choose a thrilling gambling movie. That way, you’ll enjoy some quality time with friends and maybe even learn a thing or two about how to gamble. We’ve decided to save you the trouble of looking up the movies by yourself and so we’ve compiled a list of several must-watch movies.

Ocean’s Eleven

Whether you’re a casino player or not, you must have heard about this movie directed by the well-known Steven Soderbergh. Not only does the movie star some of the most famous names in the industry such as the charming Brad Pitt, the handsome George Clooney and the ever lovely Julia Roberts, it also has an intriguing plot that draws you in immediately.

Danny Ocean and his crew devise a master plan of robbing three different Las Vegas casinos and getting away with 150$ million. Sounds easy, right? Their goal is to attempt to pull off the biggest heist ever. However, to see whether they succeed, you’ll just have to watch the movie.

Molly’s Game

Most of the time, we’re used to seeing male gamblers as the lead characters in gambling movies. However, that’s not the case when talking about Molly’s Game. Plus, the story is based on true events. The main actress is the fabulous redhead Jessica Chastain who plays the role of Molly Bloom, an Olympic class skier by day, illegal poker party hostess by night.

Naturally, soon she came to be on the FBI’s radar and became their target. Whether she managed to escape and get herself out of this entire mess will remain a mystery until you see it for yourself.

What Happens in Vegas

You’re probably surprised to see this one on the list. Essentially, this movie is your typical romantic comedy starring Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher who come across a few stumbling blocks before they can get their happy ending. Nevertheless, the beginning sequence of the movie shows the two partying in Vegas and trying to figure out how slot machines work so they could hit the jackpot.

WIth a little help from Lady Luck, they manage to win a large amount of money and yet they can’t agree how to split the money. That’s where the drama begins and the two have to find a way to work it all out.

Casino Royale

We can’t help but mention this movie from the Bond saga as it’s one of the most famous movies featuring casinos even though the plot doesn’t strictly revolve around gambling itself. Daniel Craig plays the role of 007 agent James Bond whose mission is to defeat a private banker and stop him from funding terrorists.

The movie takes place at Casino Royale in Montenegro where the characters dive into a thrilling game of poker. The movie is a bit long, two and a half hours to be precise, but the tense scenes and action will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Rounders

This 1998 movie starring Matt Damon and Edward Norton is considered to be one of the most realistic movies on gambling that perfectly captures the details of a poker game. It has it all—the little psychological tricks, different strategies and a good game face. The main character is Mike, played by Matt Damon, a law student who is drawn yet again into the world of gambling by his old buddy Worm who’s just been released from prison.

Will Mike manage to resist the urge to partner up with Worm once more? Or will he spiral out of control? You’ll just have to watch and see.

The bottom line

Hopefully, some of these movie titles have caught your eye and you’ve added them to your watchlist. Whichever one you pick, you won’t be making a mistake as each movie tackles a different aspect of the casino scene.