When the chips are down, gambling movies have always been the best backdrop for intrigue from heists to heartache. Here is SPYSCAPE’s countdown of the top 10 gambling scenes from memorable movies you’ll want to stream right now. 

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10. Lost in America (1985)‍

David (Albert Brooks) and Linda (Julie Hagerty) are Los Angeles yuppies who leave well-paid jobs to drop out of society ‘like Easy Rider’ - except they get their motor runnin’ and head out on the highway looking for adventure in a Winnebago. After they roll into Las Vegas with $100,000, Linda’s tango with ‘22’ is a must-watch meltdown. It’s from the golden 80s movie archives but Lost in America stands the test of time.

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‍9. Casino (1995)

Does anyone play a murderous mobster better than Joe Pesci? He’s brutal, flamboyant, and absolutely mesmerizing in Casino, particularly in the Blackjack scene where Nicky (Pesci) proves himself to be not just a tough-talking gangster but a vicious, unpredictable crook.

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8. Run Lola, Run (1998)‍

This German thriller is a crime drama with a ticking clock - a money delivery goes wrong and Lola (Franka Potente) has 20 minutes to come up with 100,000 Deutschmarks ($60,000) to save her partner’s life. It’s gritty, surreal, and the casino scream is one of the most memorable movie shrieks in history. (German with English subtitles)

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7. Swingers (1996)

Trent (Vince Vaughan) and Mike (John Favreau) are so ‘money’ in Swingers they don’t even know it. Their ‘Vegas baby, Vegas’ road trip is effortlessly cool and Trent's pep talk to Mike in the casino is a classic. From a low-budget film to a cult favorite, Swingers is a must-stream film.

6. Rain Man (1998)

The chemistry between spoiled, abrasive L.A. yuppie Charlie (Tom Cruise) and his autistic brother Ray (Dustin Hoffman) in Rain Man is at the very heart of this ‘buddy film’ with a gambling twist. Hoffman steals the movie with the now legendary card counting scene.

5. The Hangover (2009)‍

The Hangover’s casino scene is a sly tribute to Rain Main, particularly as (Alan) Zach Galifianakis and Phil (Bradley Cooper) descend the escalator into their Rain Man chic suits. The card counting scene is just one of the many highlights in this road trip set in - where else? Las Vegas. 

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4. Ocean's 11

The vault robbery in Ocean's 11 (2001) is one of the all-time greatest heists in movie history. George Clooney is ringleader Danny Ocean with Brad Pitt as his sidekick Rusty. The plan is to steal $150m to be divided among the 11 thieves. What could possibly go wrong? 

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3. Casino Royale (2005)

Film students have analyzed the legendary poker scene in Casino Royale from every angle, bluff, and tell. It’s an edge-of-your seat drama that sees Bond at a $10m Texas hold ’em tournament at Montenegro’s Casino Royale playing his villainous rival Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen). It is must-watch movie magic that rebooted the entire franchise and guaranteed Craig’s 15-year reign as 007. 

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2. Uncut Gems (2019)

Adam Sandler stars as a hopeless gambling addict seemingly bend on destruction so why are we on board for his crash? Because he may actually be able to pull off an insane caper and redeem himself. Or are we just too far gone to think clearly? Uncut Gems took 10 years to make as the Safdies brothers couldn't get financing but this was their passion project. They kept hope alive. Things finally fell into place when Martin Scorsese came aboard as an executive producer.

1. Rounders (1998)

Mike McDermott (Matt Damon) has us in the palm of his hand from the start of Rounders when he too sits down at a Texas hold’em table for a no-limit game with a minimum buy-in of $25,000 - the Cadillac of poker. There are several memorable scenes (you don’t want to miss John Turturro’s brilliance) in what has to be the best poker movie in history but we don’t want to give away too many spoilers so ante up and remember to defend your big blind. 
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Honorable Mention

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‍1. Goodfellas (1990) ‍

Goodfellas is a breathtaking movies about gangsters and gambling. Spider (Michael Imperioli) finds his voice while working as a gangster gofer but nobody crosses Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci) and his shine box. Spider only has a small but very memorable part in Goodfellas. The character was actually based on a real-life character. According to Henry Hill, whose life inspired Ray Liotta’s Goodfellas character, Spider’s fate in the movie happened just as it did in real life - and it was equally as shocking.