Infamous Casino Scenes From Movies and TV
If you spend some time thinking about it, a casino scene is perfect for movies and television shows. No one wants to watch a program that is predictable and playing in a casino doesn’t fit that category at all. You never quite know what’s going to happen next when playing in a casino. There’s so much tension as you wonder what the next card will be or whether your lucky number will win you a big roulette prize. There have been many movies and television series that have featured scenes in a casino, let’s look at some of the most infamous ones.
Casino Royale
It was inevitable that a James Bond movie would feature in this article. 007 might not be a number in a card game or roulette wheel but Bond regularly visits a casino in his movies. We’re looking at the Daniel Craig version of “Casino Royale” here. It’s far more serious than the 1960s spoof that featured David Niven and Peter Sellers. There will be some humor later in this article though.
“Casino Royale” was the first Bond movie to feature Craig and it features a thrilling game of Texas hold ‘em poker with the villainous Le Chiffre. Featuring a casino game in a movie often includes a bit of underhand play.
Their game is full of bluffs and is a battle of wits with a tension that keeps on building. All of which shows you don’t always need a car chase to have the moviegoers on the edge of their seats. At least the chances of being shot aren’t so high in a posh casino. Mind you, should Bond really be accepting that martini?
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
The Austin Powers movies were a spoof of the Bond films. It’s no surprise therefore that the first of the movies includes a casino scene. This time we’re on the blackjack table and neither Powers or Number Two (who works for Dr Evil) are employing tactics that any decent player would use.
Time for some more skullduggery as Number Two has an eye-patch that has X-ray capabilities. Despite being dealt 17, he shocks the dealer by asking for another card. He says that he likes to live dangerously but he does know the next card is a four and wins the hand.
Austin Powers is never going to become rich through playing blackjack. He also likes to live dangerously but sticking on five is no way to win a hand. It’s unlikely he’d have much success playing live casino games if employing this strategy. To add to this infamous scene, it’s revealed that Number Two’s companion has the name Alotta Fagina! Time to move on swiftly.
Star Trek Deep Space Nine
Now for a lengthy casino scene that is really out of this world. You might not be expecting “Star Trek” to feature on this list. It’s a bit controversial because sci-fi fans would prefer a battle in space rather than their favorites aiming to rob a casino of the night’s takings.
The final couple of seasons of “Star Trek Deep Space Nine” featured 1960s hotel lounge cabaret singer Vic Fontaine. It’s all set in the hologram lounge but when a gangster takes over the hotel it all becomes very real.
The crew needs to get Vic back in charge and decide to rob the casino of its takings for the night. Captain Sisko poses as a high roller, while O’Brien is accused of stealing some chips. Dax and Nog are in on the robbery too and it hits a problem when they can’t initially get the safe open and the boss arrives a day early.
Will the casino heist be successful? It’s not quite what you might expect from a sci-fi show but still very entertaining.
Rainman
Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise were a great partnership in this Best Picture Oscar winning film. It’s another road trip movie and one that sees the brothers head to Las Vegas.
Hoffman plays Raymond who is autistic and his brother Charlie (Cruise) is in deep financial trouble. The pair end up on the blackjack table and indulge in some card counting, which Raymond is particularly good at. They win $86,000 but the casino boss knows what is going on and they are thrown out.
Mississippi Grind
Now here’s a casino scene that shows just why they can be so exciting in movies. It’s Texas hold ‘em poker that is being played again but there are no spies or villains this time.
Gerry (played by Ben Mendelsohn) is a struggling gambler and that is why he’s in debt. Perhaps he’s as good at casino games as Austin Powers. Well that’s a bit cruel and he is pretty good at poker.
He certainly fancies his chances of winning the latest hand. Why shouldn’t he be when he has a full house with Aces and Jacks but is pretty good at hiding his emotions. His opponent goes all-in even though her hand is going to be a losing one at the time of doing so.
The game of poker can change after the reveal of every card. When the “river” card is a Queen, Gerry can’t believe his eyes. That gives the hand to his opponent and he’s a loser again!
