[dropcap]M[/dropcap]ovies rely on stories to convey points and feelings to the audience and direct their focus in a certain direction desired by the director. In many situations, the feelings and states the directors want to generate are of happiness and that can only be made by showcasing entertaining scenes with charismatic people.
In many movies, when it comes to entertainment, the action quickly shifts to a Vegas casino or other fun venue. For that reason, gambling scenes might often appear in movies that are not necessarily gambling-related.
The following five gambling scenes are some of the best and most entertaining in movie history, even if they appear in films that are not all about gambling.
Swingers
Swingers is a classic comedy from 1996 having nothing to do with gambling, and focusing on the lives of single actors looking to make a name for themselves while having fun. The movie is one of the most iconic comedies ever released, and it is responsible for kickstarting the career of Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau, among others.
In their pursuit of entertainment, Vegas represents a go-to location visited by the characters. While in Vegas, gambling is an activity that takes place naturally. One of the most iconic and hilarious gambling scenes unfolds as part of this movie. The main characters, Trent and Mike at first gamble at the “big-boy table” of blackjack, only later to find themselves playing blackjack with grandmas.
Rounders
Rounders it’s a timeless gambling movie focusing on the journey of an ambitious young man into the world of poker. The movie was released in 1998, starring a combination between Matt Damon and Edward Norton. The whole movie is about gambling and Texas Holdem, filled with a large number of epic gambling scenes.
The best scene is the final one. However, that scene is only put into the spotlight thanks to the first scene where Mike, the main character, plays against Teddy KGB. Teddy has a better game, a situation that fuels the tension experienced in the last scene of the movie.
After a lot of trial and error, Mike learns Teddy’s game and manages to improve his poker skills while engaging in an intense and adrenaline-filled poker game.
Next
Next, although not the movie with the greatest gambling scenes, it features a special scenario that might be appealing to a large number of people. The main character of the movie is Cris Johnson (Nicolas Cage) is a magician who can see two minutes into the future. He uses his abilities to gamble before the FBI requests his help in more life-changing situations.
Since the character is able to see into the future, he decides to only play casino games that don’t involve other people. He usually plays games like the free slots you can find online. The online casinos tend to get better each year, closely matching the experience felt in land-based gambling establishments but without the future seeing part.
Although his ability to see into the future might take the fun out of the game, this is a scenario that intrigues everybody, deserving a place on our list.
Conclusion
Movies are all about stories and people. What stories are better to emphasize entertainment and joy than the ones related to gambling and nights out. The three movies mentioned above have some of the best gambling scenes, even if not all of them are gambling-focused.