Casino shows and TVs have always had high ratings and remain a popular genre to date. Some casino-based blockbusters like Casino will forever top gambling movie lists. While every gambling fan nearly knows Hollywood hits such as 21, there are casino TV shows that are also very entertaining. Here are casino TV shows and movies you should watch or repeat;
Celebrity Poker (2003-2006)
What happens when your favorite celebrities face off in poker? It becomes a high stakes poker game. In this TV show, fans nominated stars who would appear on the show. Most of the games were wild, with the pot hovering around $1 million in a few minutes. This show was a big hit in its run of five seasons.
Caesars Challenge (1993-1994)
This TV show set the pace for reality shows that were to be the rave much later. The famous Caesar’s Palace casino in Las Vegas was the host location for the show. The host would ask questions, and the participant’s answer would light upon a slot machine, marking the participants’ luck. The highest prize was $500.
$500 was a big prize in land casinos back then. Today most online or mobile casinos will offer $500 as a welcome bonus. You can visit CasinoReviews for the top mobile casino recommendations where you can get such bonuses.
Las Vegas (2003-2008)
What happens when a former CIA operative turns into a casino manager? There will be all kinds of intrigues as he knows all about the occasional shady characters who patronize casinos. There is a lot of gambling action, as well as the sideshows that happen in casinos. The filming was also in Las Vegas for authenticity purposes. Big TV names such as Josh Duhamel and James Caan lit up the show.
Poker after Dark (2007-2011 & 2017-2019)
Amateur poker players never missed this TV show. It was a chance to see how world-class poker players strategize. The players would buy-in with $20,000 for a prize of $120,000. The game was played for five days, starting with a blind of $500 and building up to high stakes as the week progressed. The winner took the prize on the sixth day when the narrator explained different players’ strategies.
Tricheurs (1984)
The French title made many people miss this movie. Film critics said that it was perhaps the greatest gambling movie of all time that never was. It is a thrilling but tragic story of a man who has given up hope of battling his gambling addiction. He gambles without care for tomorrow or his fate. He meets an exploitative shady character who introduces him to cheating. The gambling scenes in this movie are epic. It is a movie that takes the viewer on an emotional rollercoaster.
The Sting (1973)
This movie was one of the biggest hits in the 70s,’ and it still is one of the top thrillers of gambling heist movies. Shaw (Paul Newman) and Kelly (Robert Redford) are small-time hustlers who decide to take on the local gangster. They decide to do it by washing him out in cards and horse racing. The movie is thrilling as the story follows the two cons make gaffes, get lucky, and eventually achieve their nefarious if noble goal.
Rounders (1998)
Film critics say this is almost a must-watch movie for amateur poker players. The movie came out before the poker boom of the 2000s and was a big inspiration for many poker newbies. The story follows two rounders (gamblers who move around looking for high-stakes underground poker games).
The two rounders Mike McDermott (Matt Damon) and Lester “Worm” Murphy (Edward Norton), have run up a gambling debt due to dangerous characters. They are on a run of high stakes poker games to pay off the debt in five days. The story is thrilling, and a peek into the sometimes self-confidence that is the downfall of gamblers.
Croupier (1998)
This movie is about the other side of gambling, seen by those who witness the show from the sideline. Croupiers (table dealers) have seen it all. They have seen big winners as well as hopeless losers. They also hope to hit it big sometime in the future. The movie follows Jack Manfred (Clive Owen), a croupier tired of being a loser. He tries to plan a robbery of the Casino with mixed results.
Have you watched any or all of the above casino TV shows and movies? If you haven’t, make sure to have them on your movie list this weekend.
