What is better than watching a gripping, well-produced movie?
What else but watching a gripping, well-produced poker movie!
With all of the movies available online, you may have trouble finding great movies about poker.
Jan 29, 2018 'the poker house' also known as 'behind closed doors' is a very well written and well acted realistic story about the life that children so often face when one or both parents drinks too much alcohol or comsumes other drugs. Also it touches on the sad reality that some church leaders are very different at home than what they portray at church. Last scene from The Poker House starring Jennifer Lawrence. No copyright intended. One of my favorite scenes ever. Ain't No Mountain High Enough - The Poker House Maria Medina. House of Games (1986) The movie is famous for the poker scene where Mike (Joe Mantegna) plays against his rival George with the help of a psychiatric Dr. Ford (Lindsay Crouse). Mike is a conman who forces Dr. Ford to accompany him to a poker game and analyse opponent’s body language and expressions to infiltrate his mind. This scene balances with the poker game in Scene 3. But where Stanley was losing in the earlier game, he is now the winner, suggesting that he is once again the undisputed master in his own house.
That is why we would love to give you a helping hand!
Get it?
Because the movies are about poker and in poker we deal with hands…Okay, we promise you that the movies are better than our lame puns.
If you have some spare time this week, grab some beers, lay down and watch a great film. So brace yourselves, my fellow poker players who have good taste with movies. Here they are!
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1. The Sting
This is a must watch not only for poker players but just everyone in general. This is about two grifters (con artists) who cons $11,000 (around $189,000 today) from a victim.
The victim turns out to be a footman for a crime boss (this is the Great Depression of the 1930’s after all) and what ensued is a great story about revenge and intrigue. There is a high stakes poker game here which you should not miss.
2. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
For those in the mood for a much more stylized film, this is the right one for you.
Four friends lost quite a bit of money in a game (which turns out to be highly-rigged).
They then try to acquire the money to pay their debt, legally or illegally. The gambling part is just the icing on the blood-stained, highly stylish cake that this film turns out to be.
3. Casino
With A-list actors like Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Sharon Stone as cast, and with director Martin Scorcese at the helm, you can bet that the movie is going to be great!
This is a great story of what happens if the gambling sector is run by the old ones (crime groups and mafia) to the new ones (capitalists and big corporations). Seen through the eyes of the characters, this action-packed tale will definitely be a great movie to watch!
4 Cool Hand Luke
One of the classics, this 1967 film is about Luke, a war veteran, who one night decided to cut electric meters off their poles and then was sent to prison.
This has the air of the cool guy rebellion and is a good pick me up story from the 1960s.
The poker game he played in the prison is an example of a great bluff, which earned Luke a win and the moniker “Cool Hand Luke”. A good watch, if you ask me.
5. The Hustler
Another classic that does deserve the rave reviews, The Hustler is a story about “Fast Eddie”, a small-time hustler who feels he is a big fish in a small pond. He wants to be an even bigger fish in an even bigger pond.
It shows the effects of winning, losing and learning all poker players cycle about. This story is much more compelling than what my summary is, so please watch this great, great film.
6. Rain Man
Everybody should have watched this at least once in their life.
For those who want a more touching and heartfelt movie, this one is for you.
Their journey is a great story to watch, and the card counting done here is really good (and of course anybody can do this, not only Savants like Raymond.
Card Counting is not illegal, but casinos do ban counters though so play it safe).
7. Casino Royale
Another action-packed film, this is Agent 007’s first mission and it is perfect for those who want to have the adrenaline kick.
The poker game is genuinely exciting and of course, the action scenes are great.
A good movie to start your day; it gets you pumped up to just win everything.
8. Freeze Out
Freeze Out is an interesting movie, not only because of the comedy but also because of this movie was financed by the director’s own poker winnings!
Plus, it is the all too familiar friendly poker game that escalated so hard, where friendships are questioned (kinda like a normal monopoly night). A great movie to watch with your poker friends. No trailers though, but your own friendly poker games should be a good sneak peek.
9. Bob le Flambeur
For those who like the taste of French films, Bob le Flambeur is an excellent film how old habits die hard; Bob is an ex-convict who is now broke and is now planning to rob a casino.
I will not spoil you on how it turns out, but it is a great film all in all. Not only does he have an excellent poker face, the equal parts tragic and comic ending is something to be seen.
Where to sit blackjack table. Apr 08, 2014 If a pro player suspects that a careless dealer is more susceptible to giving away a glimpse of the card to the sides of the table, then the player will sit either on the first or third base. Just like in life, often we will take anything that is given to us. Where To Sit at the Table Most blackjack players think that the most important position at the table is the one that’s last to act. At a full table, that’s the seat farthest left as you face the dealer, or the “third base” position.
10. The Game
A Drama, Mystery and Thriller, The Game is a thrilling story about an investment banker who has his life drained out of his job and relationships.
The direction and writing are second to none for the middle part.
Plus, there are a lot of games here where you might learn a thing or two, and not just about poker or gambling.
11. Ocean’s Eleven
With a cast that has stars that put the evening sky to shame, Ocean’s Eleven is a well-loved film about a bank heist. There are so many A-list stars on the cast which makes this film, even more, fun to watch.
This is an underwhelming review of an overwhelming film, so please do yourself the favor of watching this, or rewatching this, a great masterpiece. There is a great poker game sequence too and the ending is just a treat to the eyes.
12. The Hangover
Not exactly Poker-related, but is just a great laugh trip. With the setting in Vegas, we follow three friends (we can call them idiots as well) as they try to find their friend before he gets married.
I find the Blackjack scene really funny as well as a great jab towards card counting.
13. McCabe & Mrs. Miller
The Timeless McCabe & Mrs. Miller is a must watch for everyone. It is about a gambler and a prostitute who made a business. They rejected an offer to be bought and the capitalists sent bounty hunters to take care of them.
The ending is so bittersweet, and McCabe is implied to be a great gambler and is respected by other poker players in the town. This must be required viewing for everyone.
14. Regalo di Natale
Regalo di Natale, or the Christmas Present, is a great Italian drama-comedy about how four friends gathering and playing poker actually reveals their true nature, both the good and the bad.
The poker game is the highlight and the plot device; it is really like a good hand being slowly unfolded. If you can understand Italian or have no problem with subtitles, then this is a movie you should watch.
15. Leaving Las Vegas
Nicolas Cage does a great job in this film as an alcoholic scriptwriter who met a prostitute and then hit it off and forms a relationship. It is a great drama about two dysfunctional people who finally found a great companion perfect for them.
Around more than an hour into the movie, they were playing at a Caribbean Stud Poker table, which is a poker variant where you play against the house.
16. The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
An action and crime film, this 1976 movie shows a darker side to the poker world, when it was being ruled over by crime syndicates.
A man, due to losing a lot of money in a poker game, was forced to kill a small-time Chinese bookie.
Said Chinese Bookie turns out to be the boss of the Chinese Mafia. This is a great action-packed film.
17. Follow the Bitch
A good film for getting laughs, the bitch here means less of the “nasty girl” we are thinking but is actually about the “queen” in a game.
It is deeper than it sounds and it also shows how one man tries to keep this poker night tradition with his friends from being forgotten.
Watch this with a glass of water at hand, you do not want to be choking while laughing.
18. Atlantic City
A 1980 Crime Drama, Atlantic City is about a gangster and a pot dealer’s wife who tries to make this corrupt city to their own little piece of heaven.
The wife is taking classes on how to be a blackjack dealer, so you might want to follow her journey (and not what she ends up doing at the end).
A great watch if you are feeling more introspective.
19. God of Gamblers
If you want a wacky movie to watch and do not mind subtitles, then God of Gamblers might tickle your fancy.
This Hong Kong film is funny (I love slapstick humor) and the supernatural elements add more fun.
There is also this fun poker game which is a treat to see.
20. A Big Hand for the Little Lady
This is a 1966 Poker classic.
Not only is it funny, it has a great plot twist which I will not spoil.
Let us just say that the little lady is definitely not so little!
Just watch it, how she plays poker is half cute and half cool, and wholly awesome to watch!
21. Rounders
With Matt Damon as the lead actor, Rounders is a great movie, not just for poker fans, but for everyone!
The Texas Hold’em shown here is really great and just the poker games in general, you might just pause the game to take down notes (I did a couple of times).
22. House of Games
Boy oh boy, where do I start?
A psychiatrist is trying to help her patient out of a debt he owes. The creditor runs poker games for a living.
The creditor accepts with a condition, the psychiatrist must look at the other player’s’ body language and help him win.
Watch it. It is great.
23. The Gambler
We can be are our own biggest enemies to ourselves. A professor who has a gambling problem. Fed up, his family no longer helps him after a big loss.
The ending is just so good to be missed out.
24. The Cincinnati Kid
Prepare yourself for the timeless film about poker, risks, and pay-offs.
The final poker game is a classic. It might have been released at 1965 but there is a lot you can learn.
25. California Split
A 1974 Comedy and Drama film about how gambling veteran Charlie and poker newbie Bill have fun, winning some and losing some and finally do their split.
It talks about the so-called beginner’s luck, excitement, and apathy found in poker.
A great educating movie.
26. Croupier
For those who want a more technical take on poker which is at the same time an exciting film, look no further than Croupier.
There is also two distinct phases seen in the character, which you can argue is present to all of us, the Gambler and the Croupier.
An amazing treat to watch.
27. Maverick
To end on a lighter note, Maverick is a great and enjoyable take on the poker world.
Maverick is like your poker game with friends where you are not really betting anything and is just a lot of fun.
You will find hot-headed gamblers, wisecracking gamblers, and just funny players in this journey of Maverick to a five-card draw poker contest.
There are still a lot more films about gambling and poker, but I can say this list here is the cream of the crop.
In the meantime, enjoy these movies, these are all great (or at least better than our puns).
If you have any recommendations or any other comments or suggestions, or you want to tell us how wrong or how right we are, just leave a comment or send us DVD box sets, you do you.
The Poker House | |
---|---|
Directed by | Lori Petty |
Produced by | Stephen J. Cannell Michael Dubelko |
Screenplay by | Lori Petty David Alan Grier |
Story by | Lori Petty |
Starring | Jennifer Lawrence Selma Blair Chloë Grace Moretz Bokeem Woodbine David Alan Grier Sophi Bairley |
Music by | Mike Post |
Cinematography | Ken Seng |
Edited by | Tirsa Hackshaw |
Distributed by | Phase 43 Films |
Release date | |
Running time | 93 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
The Poker House, subsequently retitled as Behind Closed Doors, is a 2008 American drama film written and directed by Lori Petty, in her directorial debut. The film depicts a painful day in the life of a teenaged girl who is raising her two younger sisters in their mother's whorehouse. The story is based on Petty's own early life during the mid-1970s.[1]
Poker House Movie
- 3Reception
Plot[edit]
The film focuses on one single day in the life of three abused and neglected sisters, Agnes (age 14) (Jennifer Lawrence), Bee (age 12) (Sophi Bairley), and Cammie (age 8) (Chloë Grace Moretz). Their mother, Sarah (Selma Blair), addicted to alcohol and drugs, has been coerced into prostitution to support her pimp, Duval (Bokeem Woodbine). Sarah is unable to care for the girls, forcing Agnes to take responsibility for her two younger sisters. Sarah’s house has become known as the Poker House, where neighborhood pimps and criminals gather to play poker, as well as buying sex. Agnes believes Duval loves her, as a boyfriend would, despite his abuse towards her mother.
Agnes arrives home very early one morning to tidy the house and wakes Bee, after preparing her paper route for her. As Bee gets ready to leave they reveal that Cammie often stays the night at her friend Sheila's house, and before they left their father, who was a preacher, he used to beat Sarah and the girls. The four fled, and Sarah, struggling to take care of the girls on her own, became a prostitute after meeting Duval.
The day shifts from girl to girl. Little interaction occurs among the three. Bee speaks of moving into a foster home, hoping to be adopted. Cammie spends the day at a bar, making friends with Dolly (Natalie West), the bar owner, and Stymie (David Alan Grier), an alcoholic. Agnes rides through town, talking with a few friends, playing a game of basketball, and picking up a couple of paychecks from her part-time jobs.
Towards the end of the day, Agnes climbs through Bee's window, avoiding the living room, which is full of gamblers, pimps, and drunks. Bee has locked herself in her room, and like Agnes, avoids the downstairs chaos. Agnes makes Bee leave the house, telling her not to come back for a while. She then makes her way into the living room, and a stranger begins to talk to her. He asks her why she is there, and she responds by telling him that this is where she lives and that Sarah is her mother. When the man finds out that Agnes is a star basketball player for her high school team, with an important game that night, the man gives her a sympathetic look and tells her to get out of the house and go to the game, but she ignores him.
Later that evening, Duval and Agnes begin kissing again, Agnes narrates over the entire scene, after a few minutes, Duval then rapes Agnes. As Duval releases her, she runs to the bathroom to clean herself, horrified by the thoughts of the violence and possibility of pregnancy. She is completely traumatized. Her mother enters the bathroom, and as Agnes reaches for her in utter distress, Sarah refuses to touch her, and instead tells Agnes to go to the store to pick up alcohol after reminiscing on Agnes being a handful as a young child, showing intelligence even when she was a one-year-old.
Soon after, Agnes overhears Duval telling Sarah that he will begin pimping and selling Agnes, as well. Agnes threatens to shoot Duval, firing a couple of shots to prevent Duval from leaving, screaming to her mother that he raped her and deserves to be shot for what he does to Sarah, too. Sarah only tells Agnes that she will defend him. Agnes leaves for her basketball game.
Agnes scores 27 points in the second half alone, a record that lasts for years to come. However, she falls when she scores the last goal, limps to the car, and has a meltdown. She then wipes her tears and puts the horrific events of the night in the back of her mind. She drives off and finds Bee and Cammie at a nearby bridge. The two get in the car, with Agnes not telling her young sisters of events that took place that evening, and instead takes them to get dinner. Bee reveals that she went to the bar after she went to a friend's house and that she found Cammie. Cammie then plays 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough', and the movie closes as the three girls sing together.
At the start of the film credits, Agnes is revealed to have left Iowa to go to New York and become an actress and artist. Some 20 years later, she is shown to have directed the movie, and the movie is the true story of director and actress Lori Petty's childhood.
The Poker House Full Movie
Cast[edit]
- Jennifer Lawrence as Agnes
- Selma Blair as Sarah
- Chloë Grace Moretz as Cammie
- Bokeem Woodbine as Duval
- David Alan Grier as Stymie
- Danielle Campbell as Darla
- Sophi Bairley as Bee
- Casey Tutton as Sheila
Jennifer Lawrence's father, Gary Lawrence, appears uncredited in the film as the basketball coach of the other team.[2]
Reception[edit]
Critical response[edit]
The Poker House has received mixed reviews from film critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 63% of critics have given the film a positive review based on eight reviews, with an average score of 6.2/10.[3]
Full House Ending
References[edit]
- ^Rosen, Lisa. 'AT THE MOVIES Lori Petty's hard look'. Los Angeles Times. latimes.com. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
- ^'The Poker House (2008) – Trivia'. IMDb. Amazon.com. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
- ^The Poker House at Rotten Tomatoes
External links[edit]
- The Poker House on IMDb
- The Poker House at Rotten Tomatoes
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