The thrill of watching a casino movie and seeing the primary character win big is always an exciting experience and even more exciting to watch if you are a gambler yourself.
People love getting the action associated with gambling and casinos, but do not always have the time to get out of the house and go to one. Movies and new online casinos are a great way to get the rush of winning without even leaving the house.
Casino movies have been out since the start of films themselves. Everyone has a love to watch people take risks and win a lot of money.
We feel the anxiety of betting a lot and the drama of losing or getting wrapped up in crime, just like the characters. We can watch and enjoy these sensations without actually causing real damage to ourselves or our bank accounts.
We are going to look at some of the most action-filled and enjoyable to watch casino scenes in movies.
The Hangover
The Hangover is a 2009 American comedy film that stars Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, and a few other celebrities. The movie is based on a group of friends who go to Las Vegas for Doug Billing’s bachelor party, but not everything goes as planned.
Things get a little crazy as their night at Caesar’s Palace goes from good fun to a wild endeavor. One of the most memorable scenes in the movie is when Doug’s friend Alan, performed by Zach Galifianakis, goes to play blackjack. Alan is the weird one out of the group, but also probably the smartest.
Alan learns how to count cards and then wins big. The crazy-eyed character enters the blackjack table with a suit and a very serious face. We see him trying to calculate the cards in his head and leaving the table without getting accused of counting cards.
The group needs the money to pay off the person who took their friend and are successful at doing so with the help of Alan’s new skill in counting cards.
The whole movie is a crazy comedy about bizarre things happening to the group while in Las Vegas, but this scene puts comedy aside and focuses on Alan’s newly acquired skill of counting cards.
21
21 is a 2008 film that stars Jim Sturgess, Laurence Fishburne, and other celebrities. The film follows Ben Campbell, who is studying mathematics at MIT. He is accepted and wants to go to Harvard Medical School but cannot afford the hefty price tag attached to that school.
He applies for scholarships for Harvard but is told that it is very competitive. While Ben is at MIT, his math professor is seriously impressed with Ben’s quick mind and his advanced grasp on mathematics.
The professor invites him to join his blackjack team, who goes to Las Vegas to work together to win big on blackjack tables, although it is illegal. Ben accepts, and the film shows his ups and downs while on the team.
One of the most memorable scenes and quotes of the whole movie is when Ben is playing and wins, and he says, “Winner, winner, chicken dinner!” The team trades different signals and moves from table to table to win. They all dress in costume, and it is exciting to watch as the viewers know they are working together.
“Winner, winner, chicken dinner!” is not a new saying as it was used for a long time in Las Vegas when someone won because there was a dinner special with chicken that was often eaten in the late hours of the night after winning big.
However, the movie and specifically this scene when Ben first uses it, has made the saying known to the public and is now used as a more common saying outside of the casinos.
Ocean’s Eleven
Ocean’s Eleven is a 2001 American movie starring George Clooney, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, and Julia Roberts, to name a few. The film is about Danny Ocean, who is recently out of jail but wants to continue in criminal activity by robbing three casinos in Las Vegas.
Danny Ocean meets up with Rusty Ryan, his partner in crime, to go through with the heist. When Danny arrives, Rusty Ryan is in a group poker class teaching young stars how to play poker and what the rules are. The stars are not good at poker or being discrete.
Danny arrives, and the two play off each other to trick the stars into betting more money. Rusty, their mentor, tells the students that Danny doesn’t have anything, and he is only bluffing. The students trust Rusty Ryan and continue to bet more money.
In the end, Danny has four of a kind with an ace-high, so, in other words, an excellent hand. He wins the money, and he and Rusty Ryan exchange a smirk to each other. This scene is essential to the whole film because it sets up their relationship with each other and their ways of deception.
One can get a good look at the two characters in this scene, and it is fun to watch the other stars get roped into the scam. It shows that even though Rusty Ryan is trying to teach the actors, overall, he wants to take their money and work with Danny in his heist.
The Bottom Line
There are a lot of great casino movies out there on the market, and these are just a few that we enjoy watching. Casino movies include drama, risk, action, and crime and are put together in unique ways for our enjoyment.
The Hangover is a light film that follows a group of friends on their crazy time in Las Vegas. Although a lot of the movie is exaggerated for comical effect, the scene where Alan plays blackjack demonstrates how someone can win a lot of money counting cards.
21 is a great movie showing a star mathematics student getting wrapped up in some illegal business. The famous scene and saying, “winner, winner, chicken dinner,” is now known because of this movie and the scene where Ben starts his counting cards career.
Ocean’s Eleven is another excellent gambling movie. The poker scene when we first see Danny and Ryan interact sets the stage for the whole film, and the movies to come. This scene shows the deception the two can do together to earn money.
These are some of our favorite scenes, but this is just the beginning of the list of enjoyable casino scenes to watch!
