Gambling is not an uncommon theme used in movies. You have probably seen countless movies that featured gambling in them. It could be a movie about a casino tournament, sports with wagering involved, or an action flick with gambling as an essential component of the plot. If you are looking for a gambling-themed movie you want to enjoy over the weekend, consider the following options.

10. Rounders

Starring Edward Norton and Matt Damon, this American crime drama film released in 1998 explores underground high-stakes poker. It follows the life of two friends who are in desperate need to obtain enough money to pay off a large debt. The film offers a good plot about risk taking, addiction, and being able to rise up from a fall. The title of this film, by the way, refers to persons who travel from one city to another to play at high-stakes cash games.

9. The Color of Money

Helmed by renowned director Martin Scorsese and starring Tom Cruise and Paul Newman, The Color of Money is a 1986 drama film that explores the story of a pool hustler and his cocky but talented protégé. The two, together with the protégé’s girlfriend, embark on a tour throughout the country (United States) to work the pool halls. The protégé has a tendency to show off his skills, which results in unwanted consequences, and eventually leads to a confrontation with his pool hustler mentor.

8. Rain Man

This 1988 American drama movie featuring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman is about Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise) a selfish and rude young wheeler-dealer, who learns that his father, from whom he was estranged, died leaving his multi-million-dollar estate to another son, who happens to be an autistic savant. Charlie’s inheritance was reduced to a mere rose bush collection and his father’s car. This naturally results in a conflict, leading Charlie to kidnap his autistic stepbrother and take him on a trip to the west coast.

7. 21

A 2008 heist drama film by Robert Luketic, 21 stars Kevin Spacey, Jim Sturgess, Laurence Fishburne, and Kate Bosworth. The film derives inspiration from the true-life story of the MIT Blackjack Team as relayed in the Ben Mezrich bestseller “Bringing Down the House”. It tells the story of MIT students who were trained to become card counting experts. Armed with their card counting skills, they raked in millions in winnings at casinos in Las Vegas. Despite its casting controversy and the mixed reviews, the film turned out to be a box office success.

6. Ocean’s Eleven

Of course, this list wouldn’t be complete without this early 2000s classic. Ocean’s Eleven is a comedy heist featuring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Julia Roberts. It is a remake of the 1960 eponymous Rat Pack film directed by Steven Soderbergh. It became a commercial and critical success that merited sequels years later. The film features the story of an eleven-member group that plans to steal from three casinos with the same owner: The Bellagio, Mirage, and MGM Grand. The goal was to secretly get in and out with $150 million. It does not feature actual gambling but it’s an exciting film that should be interesting enough for gambling enthusiasts.

5. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

This 1998 British comedy thriller written and directed by Guy Ritchie is arguably among the best poker movies of all time. It is considered as Ritchie’s crown jewel. It features the story of four friends who decide to rob a small-time gang to help a friend who lost money to a rigged game of poker (three-card brag in particular). It stars Sting, Dexter Fletcher, Jason Flemyng, Steven Mackintosh Jason Statham, and Vinnie Jones.

4. Freeze Out

This 2005 independent film is relatively unknown but if you are looking for a poker film that stands out for its excellent portrayal of poker players, consider Freeze Out. There’s even a rumor that the film was funded entirely by the money won by the film’s director from playing poker. Freeze Out is about a man who regularly plays 25-cent poker games with his friends. He feels he is being disrespected or harassed by his friends, so he decides to secretly hire a pro poker coach to become better at the game. He then plans a winner-take-all Freeze Out game with his friends, not realizing that winning would mean losing his friends.

3. Casino

Sharon Stone, Robert De Niro, and James Woods star in this acclaimed drama that bears the catchphrase “no one stays at the top forever”. A 1995 Martin Scorsese film, Casino is based on the nonfiction book “Casino” by Nicholas Pileggi. It is a story of deception, money, power, greed, and murder delving into the fierce competition between a casino executive and a mafia enforcer, who happen to be best friends. Here’s a warning, though: the film depicts brutality, violence, sexuality, and strong language so if these don’t appeal to you, consider the other film options here.

2. A Big Hand for the Little Lady

This is a Wild West classic released in 1966. It is a comedy film featuring Henry Fonda, Jason Robards, and Joanne Woodward. The film is about a family (father, mother, and a child) who went to Texas to buy a farm. Incidentally, there is a poker game in town and the father learns about this. He decides to play but he is a terrible poker player, so he ends up losing all of the money his family allocated for the purchase of the farm. While playing, he suffers a heart attack, so his wife has to take over his place at the table. The wife, however, knows nothing about playing poker.

1. Casino Royale

Arguably the best-known gambling movie on this list, Casino Royale stands out for being a box office success as well as for earning good reviews. It’s a 2006 James Bond film that debuted a new actor for the character (Daniel Craig). This exciting movie features Agent 007 on a mission to take down Le Chiffre, a banker to global terrorists. Here, Agent 007 needs to become a topnotch poker player to enter an important poker game where he needs to stop Le Chiffre from winning (and getting his money in the process).

Many of the movies featured here may not have the most realistic settings and stories. Most of them also don’t serve as good resources if you want to learn tips or tricks on gambling. However, they offer interesting plots and some great acting that should let you enjoy a good movie that is related to gambling.