Gambling has become a part of the movies, and indeed television as well. In a recent episode of the new HBO TV show Vinyl, which is executive produced by filmmaking legend Martin Scorsese, Terence Winter and none other than Mick Jagger, the show’s protagonist Richie Finestra (played by Bobby Canavale) was seen pushing $90,000 onto the roulette table after selling the company’s private jet.
It’s quite a powerful and brave scene, but of course film and television content have had a long relationship, and with free online pokies featuring famous properties, including Game Of Thrones and even the classic Hitchcock film Psycho, their tie is becoming even greater. The worlds of gambling and film and TV are becoming more aligned.
Vinyl may be the latest TV show to feature gambling, but it certainly wasn’t the first. Here, we take a look at our favourite gambling scenes from the movies, separated by the type of gaming; poker, roulette, and of course, blackjack.
Poker
Our favourite poker scene is from a fairly recent film, the first Daniel Craig Bond film Casino Royale. We love the scene because of the sheer intensity of this high-stakes Texas Hold ‘Em card game between Bond and the villain of the piece, ‘Le Chiffre’, played by Hannibal actor Mads Mikkelson. Producers of the Bond film, the first since Brosnan’s last appearance as the character in Die Another Day, saw the British super-spy switch from his preferred game of Baccarat to the popular hold ’em to connect with modern audiences. Halfway through the intense game, the game sees Bond get poisoned, lose his initial $10 million buy-in, re-buy with $5 million belonging to the CIA, and eventually beat Le Chiffre with a straight flush. The Martin Campbell directed scene is one of the best in all of the latest series of James Bond films.
Roulette
Casablanca is perhaps the most famous movie to feature a scene involving the game of roulette. The scene we’re thinking of is where cafe owner Rick (Humphrey Bogart) fixes the table so that his former love and her husband can win. The pair use the game to outsmart a police chief to secure their safe passage. Rick fixes things so that the number 22 comes up trumps, setting the couple free.
Blackjack
We return to the world of Martin Scorsese and his 1995 movie Casino for our favourite blackjack scene. The scene in question is where Robert De Niro’s character Sam ‘Ace’ Rothstein is alerted to a problem at the casino he is running. Joe Pesci’s Nicky Santoro is at the table. After being refused a stake raise at the table, Santoro begins to lose his temper and the scene culminates in him beating Don Rickles’ Billy Sherbert with a pay phone.
