Top Three Poker Scenes in Films

Over the years various casino games have played an integral part in movie plots. Of these casino related themesthe game of poker is probably the most widely used. Poker has a long history which makes it work well in a variety of time periods and settings used in films. The manner in which the game is played can contribute some intense action as well as drama for these films.

Among the top three best poker scenes in film would include the 1994 film, Maverick, which stars Mel Gibson, Alfred Molina and James Coburn. A scene in this movie finds title character, Bret Maverick (Gibson), in the throes of a massive poker tournament. Maverick makes it all the way to the final table which pits him against Angel (Molina) and Commodore Duvall (Coburn). The drama in the film has built to this one scene to resolve the conflict.

A second film that belongs in this top three list would be Casino Royale - a James Bond film. This flick was released in 2006 and features Daniel Craig in the starring role as the infamous spy. The plot involved Bond travelling to the Casino Royale in his quest to defeat a terrorist named Le Chiffre. The two meet up in a high stakes poker game in which Bond must defeat Le Chiffre to prevent him from continuing to finance acts of global terrorism. In this particular scene the film makers have done a remarkable job of showing the mental aspect of poker as the two players try to reach into one another’s psyche.

Probably the top poker film would be the 1965 classic The Cincinnati Kid. This film is the story of Eric Stoner played by the legendary Steve McQueen. Stoner was one of the best stud poker players in the City of New Orleans. The premise of the film has Stoner trying to usurp the title of best poker player. However, unlike many other films this film has him fail in his quest. This game accurately depicts the emotional consequences of poker playing.