Distinguishing Fact from Reality in Casino Films

Updated on July 26, 2020

As with all films, some are portrayed in a better light than others, and the same can be said for those set inside a casino. But which casino-based movies have better casino portrayals are not always easy to denote unless you have a keen eye for detail.  But take a look at the films we are going to point out and see if you can spot the mistakes that we have highlighted for you. It actually turns into rather a fun game…! Have a read of the points we have stated, then watch the films and see if you can spot the poker-based errors on gambling that we have made evident to you. Do you think that you would have gotten away with these flaws?

Casino Royale

This 2006 released film made a big impact on the cinema-goers and the majority of the casino-related scenes were rather convincing, especially the way in which 007 is shown to be a talented card player because it is actually rather believable.  But there are a couple of rather ridiculous scenes where both Le Chiffre and Bond himself have such impressive hands but neither go all-in.  This would be impossible to do in a real-life casino game and therefore ruins the overall effect of the illusion that was trying to be created.  There is also some very overly dramatic acting from the villain who completely covers his hand to hide the cards that he is holding during the poker game.

Rounders

Though this is one of the older casino associated films having been released in 1998, it still remains as one of the best and most realistic when it comes to portraying poker.  The acting is not overdone, there is not too much use of the poker lingo and all of the different places where poker is commonly played are all shown in the movie.  There is one area where it lets us down though, and this is where Malkovich’s character uses his snacks as a bad tell-tale sign when he is required to make an important decision.  In a situation like this, anyone who knows anything about casino games and poker, in particular, would suss out this behaviour in an instant!

Ocean’s Eleven

This star-studded film from 2011, may have been a remake of a classic, but it was a major box office hit. Cleverly, it showed the intricate workings of one of the world’s largest casinos, the Bellagio, and the boss is portrayed in a very cool, calm and collected manner.  The only problem with this film is that in real life, the security at the Bellagio is so tight that the situation portrayed in the film would never have been possible for the characters to pull off.  It certainly would not be possible to even attempt in real-life Las Vegas.  Yes, all casino games including poker required a certain degree of luck, but there are simply too many lucky coincidences involved in this blockbuster to make it particularly realistic.

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