Watch Live Poker: Poker in Movies (part 2)
Posted on March 9, 2008
Filed Under Poker General
Some time back I offered you to watch the best poker movies that were ever produced in Hollywood, and take part in our poll. According to various polls on poker movies, there’s no evident leader on the list. There’re not any hidden reasons behind that. The only question: do you like watching live poker or not?
Did you already ask yourself, “How many movies concerning poker can you name?” It doesn’t matter, and I can’t insist on taking a personal interest in poker movies if you opt for other consuming activities. IMHO, movies should make appeal to emotional side of human beings.
Hollywood often uses gambling, but rarely shows realistic poker scenes. Poker playing has always been a popular theme in the American film industry. All movies display big bets and winnings with great hands. Writers and producers have an intention to attract and delight by arousing interest to this kind of activity.
The most important point, however, is that Hollywood should shoot a TV show devoted to gambling. Sure thing the main character is talented and possesses out of the common abilities to play card games professionally. He proves himself every time playing in the high-stakes matches. He creates his own system and has to keep a secret from others (just like Clark Kent).
Besides, main heroes and characters put up a show how they’re skilled at gambling. I picked up a number of movies devoted to the best card playing scenes. I tried to sort out those ones that related to gambling one way or another. Even if some of the Hollywood films are not very good and display poker in a ridiculous manner, watching card games on the big screen is great fun (Most of these movies can be ordered via Amazon.com and imdb.com).
11. Sunset Trail (1939). “There’s no braver man than a scared one when he’s cornered.” One of the classical western poker movies, where we meet well-known Hapolang Cassidy (as William Boyd). This cowboy really was a very talented chap. By the way Francis Nevins devoted his book to this out of the common person, called The Films of Hapolang Cassidy. An unconquerable bumpkin is good at pistols and fists as well as hole cards.
12. The Gambler (1980). You’ve got to know when to hold’em, know when to fold’em, know when to walk away, and know when to run.” Brady Hawkes, The Gambler, receives a letter from his son indicating he needs help. This sends Brady to the rescue. Along the way Brady meets up with Billy Montana, a young man who thinks he knows everything about playing cards. Brady teaches Billy a few lessons along the way and they end up forming a strong friendship and team up together.
13. Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels (1998). “Er, bad breath, colorful language, feather duster… what do you think they’re gonna be armed with? Guns, you tit!” Guy Ritchie is one of my favorite writers and directors. It’s no coincidence that this dynamic film turned out to be part of the list. Surely, the movie is not about poker, but about the high-stakes underground game of three card brag that puts the whole film in the movie.
14. A Big Hand for the Little Lady (1966). The biggest high-stakes game in the West draws the attention of a man named Meredity (as Henry Fonda), who stakes his whole family fortune to get into the game. Great cast elevates film based on TV version of story. A homesteader and reformed gambler passing through town learns of the annual high-stakes poker match about to take place. He recklessly throws the family fortune into the pot but soon must turn over his chair to his wife who manages quite well to handle the cardsharps across the table.
15. Lucky You (2007). “Change your game. Change your life.” A hotshot poker player tries to win a tournament in Vegas, but is fighting a losing battle with his personal problems. Everybody who enjoys the television popularity of poker will like this film due to the doses of the game itself and a WSOP pro.
16. Shade (2003-2004). Shade is set in the world of poker hustlers working the clubs and martini bars of Los Angeles. The tale unfolds as a group of hustlers encounter “The Dean” and pull off a successful sting that results in their pursuit by a vengeful gangster. Fake poker movie. Why? It’s not about poker, but they say it’s NL Hold’em. Anyway, the movie worth a watch if you don’t play poker and don’t know rules. Great actors should learn how to play poker in order to play their parts appropriately.
17. Four Dogs Playing Poker (2000). A group of best friends and amateur thieves steal a valuable statuette for a ruthless black market art dealer. After the thieves botch the delivery of the objet d’art, the art dealer forces them to ‘find’ $1 million by the end of the week or face certain death. The desperate friends concoct a plan whereby each of them takes out a $1 million life insurance policy on themselves. Consequently, if one of the friends die, the others will collect on the policy and pay off the dangerous art dealer. The thieves then enter into a lethal lottery to choose who will be the victim and who will be the killer.
18. Poker Alice (1987). The Wild West is about to get wilder! Alice Moffit, ‘Poker Alice’, has been disowned by her Boston family because of her incurable penchant for gambling. She is travelling the West with her cousin, John, when she wins a house in a poker game on a train. The ‘house’ turns out to be a bordello, which she decides to run until she can sell it. She falls for a bounty hunter, Jeremy Collins, who is about to settle down in California. Marrying him would mean ending the life-long relationship between the two cousins.
19. Città gioca d’azzardo, La (1975) (aka Gambling City). A professional gambler goes to work for a crime syndicate, and becomes a favorite of the organization’s boss because he makes them so much money. However, he falls in love with the reluctant mistress of the boss’ son, who finds out about it and tries to turn his father against the gambler in order to have him killed.
20. California Split (1974). A down on his luck gambler (George Seagal) links up with free spirit Elliot Gould at first to have some fun on, but then gets into debt when Gould takes an unscheduled trip to Tijuana. As a final act of desperation, he pawns most of his possessions and goes to Reno for the poker game of a lifetime. A film set mainly in casinos and races, as the two win and lose (but mainly win), get robbed, and get blind drunk.
Make your selection! An appropriate poker related movie should assist everybody to perfec his skills. Find out more about those card-playing movies that you still didn’t watch. Keep an eye open for the next poker movie selection.
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