Gambling has long been popular in a great many countries in the world. Even in countries where the laws are stricter, players wishing to wager on sports, casino games, and more have simply taken the activity underground so they can indulge in the activity they enjoy.
One activity people enjoy is poker, which players consider more a game of skill than luck. According to figures on the website of consumer and market data company Statista, 10,366 poker tables in gambling locations worldwide were used in 2024. Approximately 7,000 were in North America, and more than 2,700 were found in Europe.
The rise of gambling scenes in film and TV
The arrival of the internet has triggered an increase in gambling by making gambling services more accessible. Suddenly, people no longer have to head out to a sportsbook or a casino to wager on an event or to play casino games, and the free demo versions a lot of online gambling operators provide allow players to test out games such as poker and learn how they work before laying any money down.
Film- and TV showmakers have sensed this greater popularity of gambling and started to incorporate more and more gambling scenes into their work. The drama and tension gambling entails make it perfect for scenes on silver screens big and small.
Poker and the silver screen
Poker offers a compelling narrative in film and on TV and provides an excellent backdrop for character development or key plot points. In movies especially, poker depicts themes relating to risk, decision-making under pressure, and life’s general unpredictability. In fact, Hollywood has portrayed poker in all sorts of scenarios, from smoky rooms to casual poker evenings, to capture the audience’s attention.
The benefits poker scenes bring to a film or TV production are too good to resist for the makers, who have created some memorable silver screen moments.
The Sting (1973)
“The Sting” stars Paul Newman and Robert Redford as a pair of conmen who pull off the ultimate con on a ruthless gangster. In a tense scene aboard a train, Newman acts as an obnoxious drunk and annoys everybody in the game. Eventually, only Newman and the gangster remain playing. Newman has the gangster on the ropes, forcing him to cheat. What he doesn’t know is that Newman is also cheating. Newman then outcheats him, taking more than $15,000 off his hands.
The Cincinnati Kid (1965)
“The Cincinnati Kid,” starring the legendary Steve McQueen, is another movie featuring tense poker scenes. McQueen plays an up-and-coming poker player accused of marking cards. When he hears a seasoned poker player is in town, he sees his chance to prove his skills.
In one famous scene, the one which sees him accused of cheating, after he clears up and explains he doesn’t need to cheat. His opponent doesn’t take the loss too well and tries to rob him to get his money back.
Casino Royale (2006)
“Casino Royale,” starring Daniel Craig as the iconic British secret agent James Bond, features one of the most dramatic poker scenes in movie history. The film is set around a high-stakes poker game at a Monte Carlo casino. Bond is tasked with outplaying a villain suspected of financing international terrorism. During a break in the game, Bond almost dies after his drink is poisoned. However, he manages to resuscitate himself and return to the table, much to the villain’s surprise.
The Office
The US version of the British mockumentary “The Office,” a TV show about the employees and day-to-day goings-on at a paper company, features a funny poker scene that involves sales reps Dwight and Jim. While out playing poker at a company casino evening, Dwight, talking to the camera, boasts of his skills at reading “tells.” He explains that Jim coughs whenever he has a good hand, he coughs. A clip shows this happening and Dwight folding dramatically. Jim, in an interview, comments “It’s the weirdest thing: every time I cough, he folds.”
Friends
In the hit sitcom “Friends,” fans of the show and of poker will appreciate episode 18 in the first series, an episode which defines much of the dynamic between Ross Geller and Rachel Greene. In the episode, the men are planning a game of poker, when one of the girls asks if it’s some sort of sexist thing that only the guys are planning. They reply they just don’t happen to know any women who play poker. The guys teach the women, and Rachel becomes exceptionally good at the game.
The popularity of gambling has triggered an increase in the amount of gambling scenes audiences see in TV shows and movies. Poker is especially popular and has led to some highly memorable moments. Other productions that have featured well-known poker scenes include the movie “Cool Hand Luke” and “Maverick.”