#1. Swingers (1996)
Country: United States Director: Doug Liman IMDb Rating: 7.2/10
Swingers is a 1996 American cult film about the lives of several single, unemployed actors living in Hollywood, California during the revival of the swing in the 1990s. The film quickly became a hit and introduced Vince Vaughn, Heather Graham and Ron Livingston to the stardom. In a nutshell, the plot revolves around Mike Peters – a struggling comedian who decides to come to Los Angeles to seek success. Unfortunately, not everything goes as expected. His girlfriend Michell breaks up with him, and his friend Trent and other aspiring actors help him to get back on his feet.
What is the best place to do that, you may ask? Las Vegas, of course! The group of friends organises an impromptu trip to Sin City, where they get into several unexpected and funny situations. One of the most emblematic Vegas scenes of the movie also portrays two of the friends arguing whether they should double down on 11 each time they get the opportunity. If you feel really related to the scene, we advise you to go through our article about blackjack odds. Ready to watch one of the most famous movies about blackjack? You can find its trailer below:
#2. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)
Country: United States Director: Jay Roach IMDb Rating: 7.0/10
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) is the first of the three Austin Powers movies. The story starts back in 1967 when the British agent Austin Power is cryogenically frozen together with his nemesis Dr Evil. Thirty years later, both Austin Power and Dr Evil are unfrozen and have to adapt to the modern world. As you probably know, the film is full of hilarious scenes, and many laugh-out-loud scenes, but what makes it one of the funniest blackjack movies of all times?
Though the film is not specifically about gambling, there is one particular blackjack scene that many fans of Austin Powers still remember. In it, Number Two ignores his dealer’s advice and insists on hitting on 17. Of course, no one knows that his X-ray vision allows him to see that the next card is 4, and he would win. Eager to compete with him, Austin Powers decides to follow Number Two’s risky move and stay on 5, regarding of his dealer’s suggestion that he should hit. As anyone who knows the blackjack rules would expect, the British spy loses. Still not sure whether you should watch the movie? Maybe its trailer will help you decide:
#3. 21 (2008) – Among the Best Movies About Blackjack
Country: United States Director: Robert Luketik IMDb Rating: 6.8/10
21 is a fact-based American heist drama about six MIT who become experts in card counting and decide to try their skills at the Las Vegas casinos. It all starts when Ben Campbell (Jim Sturges), a gifted student is accepted into Harvard Medical School but cannot afford the $300,000 tuition fee. He applies for a scholarship but faces fierce competition, and his professor tells him that the scholarship would go to the student that impresses him the most. By now you should know that the movie is going to involve complex mathematics and card counting – something that won’t be of much help at the best slots casino operators for Filipino players.
Meanwhile, back at MIT, Professor Micky Rosa challenges Ben with the Monty Hall Problem, which he manages to solve successfully. After looking at Ben’s latest test Scores, Professor Rosa decides to invite him to his blackjack team, which consists of a few of his fellow students. Using card-counting and covert signalling, the team increases its probabilities to win and manages to collect significant rewards. The blackjack team starts going to Las Vegas regularly, where Ben gets quickly adjusted to a new, luxurious lifestyle. We will not give you any more spoilers, but if you want to learn more about the blackjack movie, please read our article about the 21 movie real story. If you are still uncertain whether 21 is the right film for you, please watch its trailer below:
#4. Croupier (1998)
Country: United Kingdom Director: Mike Hodges IMDb Rating: 7.1/10
The 1998 British neo-noir film tells the story of Jack Manfred, an aspiring writer who takes a job as a croupier in London. The protagonist quickly finds himself drawn to the casino world, and his job starts affecting his life. Jack befriends his fellow croupier Matt and goes out with Bella – one of the other dealers at the casino. As expected, his relationship with his girlfriend Marion also starts to fall apart, especially after he lets her read a part of his book about a cold, cynical croupier, who enjoys seeing gamblers lose. The main character is quickly based on Jack himself and reflects the way he sees his job.
The blackjack movie looks at the casino world from a new perspective and reveals the not so glamorous part of gambling. We do not want to spoil the film for you, so we will not reveal more details. Once you watch it, however, we advise you to take a look at our complete article about The Croupier (1998). Still not sure whether you would enjoy watching the movie? Maybe its trailer will help you decide:
#5. Rain Man (1988) – A Classic Blackjack Movie
Country: United States Director: Barry Levinston IMDb Rating: 8.0/10
Rain Man is an American comedy-drama, which tells the story of two entirely different brothers. After Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise) learns that his estranged father has passed away, he and his girlfriend Susanna travel to Cincinnati, Ohio to settle the estate. There, he finds out that his father has left $3,000,000 inheritance to his older brother Raymond Babbitt (Dustin Hoffman), who he was previously unaware of. Decided to receive at least a part of his father’s inheritance, Charlie travels to a mental institution where his brother his recruited. Following certain events, the brothers go on a road trip, which includes Las Vegas, where Charlie plans to win money at blackjack by counting cards.
Rain Man reveals an intriguing story about family, ambition, and of course, card counting. Of course, we will not reveal how the movie ends but will advise you to take a look at its trailer. Meanwhile, shall you wish to learn more about the available blackjack systems before you watch the movie, please read our article dedicated blackjack strategies.
#6. The Last Casino (2004)
Country: Canada Director: Pierre Gill IMDb Rating: 7.1/10
The Canadian movie The Last Casino is often referred to as the predecessor of the famous film 21, which comes as no surprise, considering that their plots are almost identical. The story revolves around the Mathematics Professor Doug Barnes, who is used to winning at blackjack by counting cards. One day, however, Wilson, the security manager, captures his face on the cameras and blacklists him from the casino. After he discusses the situation with his usurer Orr, Barnes decides that he should create a blackjack team of card counters. His university students are the best candidates, and the Professor recruits three of them. He convinces them that his plans involve low risks, and teaches them how to count cards. Barnes gives all team members new identities, and they soon dive into a new life full of gambling and luxuries.
Though it is quite similar to 21, The Last Casino also has a captivating story and is worth watching. It reveals not only the glamorous side of gambling but also the risks of cart-counting and losing control of the game. We believe that it is also interesting to see the gambling world in Canada and compare it to the one depicted in many Las Vegas movies. For your convenience, we have provided the trailer for The Last Casino and sincerely hope that you will enjoy watching one of the best blackjack movies.
#7. The Hangover (2009)
Country: United States Director: Todd Phillips IMDb Rating: 7.7/10
The Hangover (2009), is, without a doubt, one of the most popular American comedies. The plot revolves four friends, who go to Las Vegas for a bachelor party. When things unexpectedly get out of hands, three of them wake up in a hotel room with no memories of the previous night. They are then forced to retrace their steps and find their missing friend before his wedding. Wondering why we have included The Hangover in our blackjack movies list? The reason is one particular scene.
After Alan (Zack Galifianakis), Stu (Ed Helms) and Phil (Bradley Cooper) are tricked into believing that their friend Doug (Justin Bartha) is being held hostage by the Asian gangster Chaw, they have to raise $80,000 ransom money. Alan then suggests putting into practice the skills he acquired from “The World’s Greatest Blackjack Book” and win at blackjack by counting cards.
The three friends then head to the casino, where Alan indeed manages to win all the money they need. The scene is of the referred to as one of the funniest moments of the film and is definitely worth watching. However, implementing such skills and cheats at the best blackjack online sites PH is practically impossible. Meanwhile, if you want to learn more about The Hangover, please watch its trailer below:
#8. The Gambler (2014)
Country: United States Director: Rupert Wyatt IMDb Rating: 6.0/10
The American crime drama The Gambler (2014) tells the story of the Literature Professor and regular gambler Jim Bennett, whose debt lead him to borrow money from his mother, and a loan shark. His creditor gives him seven days to pay off his debts, or suffer severe consequences. Interestingly, Jim’ two favourite games to play at the underground casinos are roulette and blackjack. Even though the Literature Professor seems to have decent blackjack skills, and is doing well at the game, he decides to bet it all on a single roulette spin. Logically, his decision leads to more problems, and his decision follows him as he tries to resolve them.
The Gambler depicts the negative effects that gambling could have on a person’s life in an untypically amusing way. The movie is definitely worth watching and has been praised by many critics. Eager to learn more about the film? For your convenience, we have placed its trailer below:
#9. The Cooler (2003)
Country: United States Director: Wayne Kramer IMDb Rating: 7.0/10
The popular American romantic drama film The Cooler tells the story of Bernie Lootz (William H. Macy). The main character lives in a dreadful studio apartment in a motel near the Las Vegas Strip and is indebted to the Shangri-La casino boss Shelly Kaplow. Interestingly, years ago, Kaplow also helped him to cure his gambling habits by breaking his kneecaps. Tired of the living in Sin City, one day Lootz informs Shelly that he is planning on leaving Las Vegas. As Kaplow has other plans for him, however, he hires Shelly to seduce Bernie and convince him to work at his casino.
Lootz’s role at the casino involves targeting players winning huge amounts of money, especially at games like blackjack. His job is to “cool off” the situation by posing as another player at the table and giving the casino an edge. Did the plot manage to catch your interest? If so, we recommend you to watch the trailer below:
#10. Casino (1995) – One of the Most Epic Blackjack Movies
Country: United States Director: Martin Scorsese IMDb Rating: 8.2/10
Martin Scorsese’s masterpiece Casino is a tale of greed, ambition, money and power. The film tells the story of Sam “Ace” Rothstein (Robert De Niro), a gambling expert handicapper, who is asked by Chicago Outfit to oversee all activities and operations at their Tangiers Casino in Las Vegas. Sam quickly manages to double the casino profits and is soon joined by his friend Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci), who due to his temper, does more harm than good.
What is interesting about this character, however, is that his tough personality allows him to catch gamblers cheating at the blackjack tables at Tangiers Casino. In the scene in question, the players are caught “spooking”, which is a form of cheating, in which one person stands behind the dealer and conveys the information to his associates at the table. In the film, Nicky grabs the cheater and gives him the option to either forfeit his winnings or walk out with them but face serious consequences. Eager to learn more about the film? We will not give you more spoilers, but you can read our full Casino movie review for more detail. If you are still uncertain whether you should watch the film, please watch its trailer below:
Enjoy Even More Blackjack Movies
We hope you found our blackjack movies list useful, and that you have managed to find the right film for you. Meanwhile, if our selected movies have inspired you, we also have a whole page with the top places to play blackjack. On it, you will find the best online blackjack casinos, plenty of games and special bonuses! And if you want to step it up a notch and play against a real professional dealer, you can do so at one of our recommended best live blackjack sites or the best blackjack apps. But always remember to play responsibly, and do not follow the reckless behaviour of some of the characters from our recommended films.
If you need more titles to choose from, you can also consult our list of the best blackjack movies of all time. Planning to stream your favourite film on Netflix? You may find even more interesting titles in our article about blackjack movies on Netflix. We remind you that we are also open to suggestions. Feel free to can contact us on Twitter, and tell us what other movies you want us to include.
