Everybody needs a role model. Even we gamblers are looking at the silver screen trying to find a hero worth looking up to. And not even the best online casino could help it. We want to see a decisive person able to make their own luck, someone, who takes a casino by a storm. These five movies are about this type of heroes.

Casino

This movie just had to make it to the list. It’s a classic gambling flick. No wonder, with Martin Scorsese directing the movie and Robert De Niro starring as the protagonist. The scene of Robert De Niro as a mob boss towering in the center of his brightly lit establishment probably shaped the way we see a casino today. The protagonist is the epitome of power and self-confidence.

The story follows a casino controlled by mobsters, as you would expect from a Scorsese film. Performances by Joe Pesci and charming Sharon Stone add so much to the mix that this movie will make a lasting impression on you.

Casino Royale

If you’re looking for someone to look up to, why not go with arguably the most confident man in the history of filmmaking, James Bond himself. The movie is set in the European gambling capital, Monte Carlo. Mr. Bond walks in Casino Royale nonchalantly to beat the bad guy in the game of poker, sipping on his dry martini.

The movie is packed with action scenes, chases and epic fights, as a Bond flick should be. But for a gambler, the best scene is James Bond showing his mastery at the casino table. If you are one of those rare people who didn’t watch Casino Royale back when it was released, you should definitely do it now.

Rounders

Rounders has the main hero we can all relate to. He is a simple man, a student seeking to pay his university fees. The way he does it, however, is unorthodox, to say the least. The protagonist played by Matt Damon earns money for his education by winning at the poker table. Now that’s knowledge applied right!

The screenplay and great performances by John Malkovich and Edward Norton make it a marvel to watch.

21

Probably the best thing about this story is that it is based on real-life events. It follows a story of a maths professor who takes up a quest to beat the casino in Vegas and earn a fortune. He teaches a group of prodigies from his class to count cards and go around the casino odds to win.

The story is packed with dramatic events. Youngsters struggling to go rich, betrayal, people confronting machines, it’s all in there. Overall, an unforgettable experience.

Maverick

Maverick typically doesn’t pop up in the list greatest gambling flicks. It doesn’t even make it to the IMDB’s list of top 25 casino films. It deserves a place there.

It’s all in the name. A maverick, a truly independent-minded man, Mel Gibson sets out to prove he’s the best poker player in the Wild West. However, he is not a maths genius, nor is he an action hero. He doesn’t even have enough money to enter the tournament at the beginning of the film.

He’s just a simple man, a confident gambler who walks towards his goal. And just like any other man he fails, he worries, but in the end, he pulls the Ace of Spades that makes him a legend.