When it comes to card games, there are very few that have left as lasting impression in the film industry as poker. Blackjack certainly comes close, but the number of poker movies out there, whether the game is their main focus or plays an important role in the story development is substantial.
If we are being completely honest, not all poker movies are great or even that interesting to watch, but that’s true for almost any topic. However, hardcore poker fans are a fairly niche group, so they often have big expectations for new releases, and the disappointment hits harder than it should.
On the flip side, there are quite a few good poker films that are worth watching and that will leave you wanting more and/or inspire you to play yourself. On this page, we bring you the list of our top 10 poker movies of all time, in no particular order.
#1 Rounders
- Released: 1998
- Cast: Matt Damon, John Malkowich, Ed Norton, John Turturro
- Director: John Dahl
- Genre: Drama
- Running time: 121 minutes
Yes, it is a bit annoying, but it’s impossible to have a well-rounded list of poker movies without Rounders. Leaving it out just to be “cool” or different wouldn’t feel right. To this day, the 1998 film remains the best-known one in its genre.
In case you are somehow yet to see it, Rounders is a story about Mike McDermott (Matt Damon), a poker grinder who has his eyes set on Las Vegas and the World Series of Poker. His path takes him to numerous games, the most notable ones being those played against Teddy KGB, a Russian mobster played by John Malkowich.
Although depictions of poker hands in the movie aren’t exactly true to life and will leave you scratching your head if you know a thing or two about poker, everything else about Rounders is good.
On his way to achieving poker glory, Mike struggles with many issues, quite a few of them caused by his best friend ‘Worm’ (Ed Norton), to whom he stays painfully loyal. The movie Rounders manages to build an atmosphere of suspense and excitement that will keep you interested and entertained all the way to the end.
#2 The Cincinnati Kid
- Released: 1965
- Cast: Steve McQueen, Edward G. Robinson, Ann-Margret
- Director: Norman Jewison
- Genre: Drama
- Running time: 113 minutes
The Cincinnati Kid may feel a bit slow and dragged out to today’s audiences, but this poker movie is quite a masterpiece of his era.
In some ways, the story is similar to that of Rounders, just set in a different time period. Eric Stoner (Steve McQueen) is The Cincinnati Kid, and he embarks on his own path to find poker greatness in the 1930s New Orleans and prove himself as the best player around.
The main game depicted in The Cincinnati Kid is five card stud, a poker variation with four face-up and just one face-down card. This particular variant hasn’t really been played in any official venues for decades, so it’s a fun throwback.
The movie plot certainly has enough intrigue and twists and turns to keep you entertained even if you know very little about poker. It’s a story about one man seeking greatness, and he just happens to be doing it at the poker table.
The ending is also quite interesting, as it’s not exactly what you’d expect, adding an extra layer to the film, and giving you something to think about as you walk away.
#3 Molly’s Game
- Released: 2017
- Cast: Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner
- Director: Aaron Sorkin
- Genre: Drama / Crime Movie
- Running time: 140 minutes
From one of the oldest poker movies around to the one of the more recent ones, Molly’s Game is a film based on true story of Molly Bloom, portrayed by Jessica Chastain, an Olympian skier turned private poker games’ organizer.
The movie follows Bloom’s endeavors as she enters the world of high stakes private games as she becomes involved in running one of these games for her boss, Dean. After that gig goes south as Dean isn’t happy with how independent Molly is becoming, Bloom decides to start her own game.
Things go well for a while, until she decides to start charging rake. This is the moment where Molly’s Game becomes illegal, leading to her run-ins with the law and eventual downfall.
Molly’s Game is a fun and suspenseful biographical drama that provides insights into the world of private games of the highest order where Hollywood stars, rich businessmen, and professional players play for enormous amounts of money, far away from prying eyes of the public.
#4 Runner Runner
- Released: 2013
- Cast: Justin Timberlake, Ben Affleck, Gemma Arterton, Anthony Mackie
- Director: Brad Furman
- Genre: Thriller
- Running time: 88 minutes
If you’re looking for a poker film to pass an odd hour without giving it too much thought, Runner Runner is a good pick. Otherwise, you shouldn’t expect too much from it, despite its promising plot that had potential for so much more.
The movie revolves around Richie Furst, played by Timberlake, who funds his college master studies by referring players to online gambling sites and playing online poker. Things are going fairly well for Richie until he ends up losing all of his money to what he is certain to be cheating.
Determined not to accept the loss, Richie packs his bags and travels to Costa Rica to confront Ivan Block (Ben Affleck), the man behind one of the largest offshore poker and casino empires in the world.
Richie shows Ivan the statistical evidence of cheating, which impresses the mogul and helps him discover that coders actually modified the software so that they could cheat. Impressed by Richie’s skills, Block hires him, and it seems like a start of a promising career. But, there is more to it than it meets the eye.
If this sounds like an exciting plot, you’re not wrong. However, the execution could have been so much better. Runner Runner isn’t as much of a poker movie as some other names on this list, but online poker plays a big enough role in the plot to deserve it a place on this page.
#5 California Split
- Released: 1974
- Cast: Elliott Gould, George Segal, Amarillo Slim
- Director: Robert Altman
- Genre: Drama / Comedy
- Running time: 111 minutes
California Split is a movie that will get you feeling all kinds of feelings. It is a movie about poker and gambling, but also about two people forming a not-so-healthy friendship that takes them on all sorts of adventures culminating in a big showdown at the poker tables.
Charlie Waters (Elliott Gould) and Bill Denny (George Segal) are two men who get connected by their love for gambling and a violent robbery they endure at hands one of the card players they beat. Little by little, their relationship grows stronger, as Charlie, who’s the bigger gambler of the two, pulls Bill deeper and deeper into his world.
Eventually, Bill fully succumbs, and the two embark on what is to be an epic gambling journey to Reno. Once there, Bill takes a seat in a high stakes poker game against the legend Amarillo Slim (played by himself) and emerges victorious, up $18,000.
Emboldened by the newly found bankroll, the two continue their gambling adventure at other gaming tables, running it further up.
Eventually, however, Bill’s enthusiasm runs out, and he decides to take his share ($82,000) and leave the world of gambling decide. His friend can’t comprehend what could possibly lead him to such a decision, but he respects it, and the two part ways.
California Split is a fun movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously and will certainly bring a few smiles and few laughs. The Segal/Gould duo has good dynamics through the film, making up for an enjoyable couple of hours.
#6 High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story
- Released: 2003
- Cast: Michael Imperioli, Andy Glazer, and Al Bernstein.
- Director: A. W. Vidmer
- Genre: Drama / Biography
- Running time: 110 minutes
We are trying not to play favorites too much on this page, but there is no denying that High Roller: The Stu Ungar story is one of the most epic poker movies ever made, going hand-in-hand with the likes of Rounders.
The movie describes the life of Stu ‘The Kid’ Ungar, a three-time WSOP Main Event winner and one of the greatest poker players to have ever lived. The whole story is told by Ungar (played by Michael Imperioli) who finds himself at his deathbed and is prolonging the inevitable by taking the trip down the memory lane.
High Roller is a powerful story about the life on the grind and all the dangers that come with it, especially for people who find their way into the seedy world of gambling at an early age. It is a fairly correct depiction of Ungar’s life and all the struggles that led to his early demise.
Although his story has been told countless times, this is one of those timeless movies that you can always watch with fresh eyes.
Check out our in-depth High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story review.
#7 The Grand
- Released: 2007
- Cast: Woody Harrelson, David Cross, Jason Alexander, Ray Romano
- Director: Zak Penn
- Genre: Comedy
- Running time: 104 minutes
The Grand is an improve comedy movie that was directed by Zak Penn and it is a fun watch if you love poker and want to experience a few laughs. The realism isn’t exactly the main focus of the film and many situations are well beyond “normal,” but that’s where the comedic value comes from.
The main focus of the movie is a Texas Hold’em tournament that takes place at the famed Golden Nugget Casino in Las Vegas. Named The Grand, the tournament features $10,000,000 for the winner, which is what Jack Faro (Woody Harrelson) is after.
The tournament is actually organized by his grandfather, Jiminy ‘Lucky’ Faro, and Jack needs the money to keep a family casino, which he inherited, running.
Jack Faro is a very problematic character, who’s been in and out of rehab, married and divorced dozens of times, and he’s still looking. The rest of the players in the tournament, who won their seats online, are also funny characters with their own quirks and issues.
The Grand has a number of funny moments, but it does feel a bit unusual. This is because actors weren’t given specific scripts; instead, they received general guidelines and were mostly winging it. It is an interesting approach, to say the least.
This movie will certainly not blow you away with its poker realism (or realism of any kind for that matter), but it features appearances from many famous poker-loving comedians, including Ray Romano and Jason Alexander, and Gabe Kaplan is in there as well. It’s a fun, chilled movie to watch without expecting too much, and you might be pleasantly surprised.
#8 Grinders
- Released: 2011
- Cast: Matt Gallagher, Daniel Negreanu, Andre, Lawrence, Danny
- Director: Matt Gallagher
- Genre: Drama / Documentary
- Running time: 75 minutes
While we specifically decided not to include documentaries on this list of the best poker movies, Grinders got a pass, as it has enough of a proper movie vibe to it.
The movie follows Matt Gallagher, an out-of-work filmmaker who is trying to make in poker, playing primarily in underground games in various private poker clubs in Canada. His story intertwines with those of several other fellow grinders and one club owner.
If you’re looking for poker realism and a real feel of what grinding low stakes for a living looks like, Grinders has you covered. It’s not glamorous or over-the-top. Instead, it says it like it is, and if you feel like this movie is “depressing” or “sad,” you’re probably not ready for that life.
This movie is definitely worth an odd hour you’ll spend watching it, especially given several Daniel Negreanu guest appearances.
For more details, check out our full Grinders movie review.
#9 Lucky You
- Released: 2007
- Cast: Eric Bana, Drew Barrymore, Robert Duvall
- Director: Curtis Hanson
- Genre: Drama
- Running time: 124 minutes
As far as poker movies go, Lucky You certainly had potential to be a really good one, but it feels like it tried too hard, spreading the story too wide and covering too many different angles. It feels a bit like a strange mix of several movies.
The main story is that of Huck Cheever (Eric Bana), a fairly successful poker player who has a complicated relationship with his father, L.C., a two-time WSOP champion. Huck wants to get his seat in the WSOP Main Event and prove his worth, but he doesn’t have the $10,000 he needs.
His path to securing the said $10k takes him on a number of adventures, including a three-hour golfing marathon bet and running $500 all the way up to $10,000. Eventually, Huck makes it into the Main Event and ends up at the final table together with his father.
Without spoiling the ending too much, if there is much to spoil, Lucky You doesn’t quite succeed in accomplishing the impact it aims for. The story itself is a bit flimsy, which we could forgive, but poker scenes and table banter just don’t feel right.
Why include Lucky You on this list, then, you might ask? Well, it is a fairly recent poker film, and pickings are kind of slim, so there you go. It’s one of those movies that there isn’t a particular reason to watch or not to watch, but it’ll do on a boring evening.
#10 A Big Hand for the Little Lady
- Released: 1966
- Cast: Henry Fonda, Joanne Woodward, Jason Robards
- Director: Fielder Cook
- Genre: Western
- Running time: 95 minutes
We’ll wrap up our top 10 poker movies list with an absolute classic that’s often forgotten on similar pages out there. A Big Hand for the Little Lady (sometimes also found under the title Big Deal at Dodge City) is a 1996 Western that features old-style poker action.
In the city of Laredo in Texas, five of the richest people in town gather for their annual high-stakes poker game. This is a huge event as they are ready to postpone or cancel important obligations so that nothing gets in the way of the game, which sets the tone for the rest of the movie.
Enter Settler Meredith (Henry Fonda), a poor, common man, who happens to be passing through the city. He and his wife and son are on their way to buy a small farm and start a new life. A wheel on their wagon breaks, and they end up stuck in Laredo just as the game is happening.
Settler is a recovering gambler who can’t resist the allure of the big game, and he ends up entering for $20,000, which is his family’s entire savings. He puts everything on the line, and, as always, things culminate in one huge hand where additionally money is needed to cover all the bets (no table stakes in the Wild West).
I really don’t want to spoil any more of the movie for you if you haven’t seen it, as the ending of the game and what follows are what makes A Big Hand for the Little Lady worth watching. It may be old, but this movie is definitely gold!
