As one of the best works on poker as a theme, the 1965 Cincinnati Kid was rated Steve McQueen. The flick takes place in the 1930s in New Orleans, where “The Kid” challenges the poker champion “The Man” in the game of stud poker.
The Gambler was released in 1974 with James Caan . This exciting thriller is about the constant loser and gambling addict “Axel Freed”, who has a money shark on his neck. In 2014, the remake of the same name appeared with Mark Wahlberg in the lead role. Many poker fans, however, rate the original as clearly more exciting.
In California Split (1974) is about friendship and excitement of poker. Two men, poker, gambling, winning streaks and losing streaks as well as lots of funny scenes make this film very entertaining.
The always funny and charming Adriano Celentano played a poker player in the Italian comedy Asso – Ace in 1981 , who is murdered and ultimately plays poker against God in heaven.
It took 25 years for a real poker movie to hit theaters again after The Gambler. In 1998 the film Rounders was released , starring the brilliant Hollywood stars Matt Damon and Edward Norton . The script offers a lot of suspense and drama in the New York underground high-stakes poker world.
A year later, in 1999, The Big Blind was shown. The story tells of 50 poker players trying to make a name for themselves in the poker world. The 12 interlocking storylines are hailed by poker fans as the most realistic representation of game details in a movie.