The 21 Best Poker Movies of All Time, Ranked.
Not gambling movies. Not heist movies with a card game in them. Poker movies — films where a poker player is the lead, the poker world is the setting, or a game at the table drives the plot. We watched all twenty-one and ranked them from the genre-defining to the genuinely unwatchable.
Start here.
Twenty-one films is a lot to get through. If you watch only three poker movies in your life, make them these — the genre-definer, the best-written, and the original classic.
Rounders
1998The definitive poker movie. Damon, Norton, and a legendary Malkovich performance.
Molly's Game
2017Aaron Sorkin's sharp retelling of Molly Bloom's underground games. Chastain and Elba are excellent.
The Cincinnati Kid
1965Steve McQueen in the original poker classic. Still thrilling 60 years later.
All 21, best to worst.
Grouped into four tiers, ranked within each. Every film carries its Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB scores so you can see exactly where the quality falls off — and it falls off a cliff near the bottom.
Rounders (1998)
Matt Damon plays Mike McDermott, a poker player who dreams of competing at the World Series. He and his friend Worm (Edward Norton) travel the country to pay off Worm's debt, while John Malkovich delivers a legendary turn as Teddy KGB. Unlike most poker films that build to one final hand, Rounders weaves poker throughout the entire story — which is exactly what makes it the definitive poker movie.
Molly's Game (2017)
Aaron Sorkin's adaptation of Molly Bloom's true story about running exclusive underground poker games. Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Michael Cera, Kevin Costner, and Jeremy Strong star. The writing is razor-sharp and the performances are outstanding — the best-written poker film there is.
The Cincinnati Kid (1965)
Norman Jewison directs Steve McQueen as Eric Stoner, who challenges aging master Lancey Howard during the Great Depression. One of the first poker films to gain mainstream success — and it still holds up over 60 years later.
The Grand (2007)
A fully improvised comedy with Cheryl Hines, Woody Harrelson, Chris Parnell, and David Cross. The ending wasn't scripted — the winner was decided by the actual game the actors played on camera.
California Split (1974)
Considered by many the greatest film about gambling ever made. Robert Altman follows a pair of gamblers who strike up a friendship after being robbed — a loose, lived-in slice-of-life with excellent poker scenes.
Mississippi Grind (2015)
Ryan Reynolds and Ben Mendelsohn star in a comedy-drama about a down-on-his-luck gambler who teams up with a younger player for a road trip to a high-stakes game in New Orleans. The critics' favorite of the bunch.
Maverick (1994)
Mel Gibson, James Garner, and Jodie Foster in a comedy-Western about Bret Maverick, who needs to scrape together the $25,000 buy-in for a high-stakes riverboat tournament. Light-hearted, charming, and endlessly rewatchable.
A Big Hand for a Little Lady (1966)
A classic Western with Joanne Woodward and Henry Fonda. An annual high-stakes game takes a turn when a traveling man loses his family's savings — and his wife is forced to step in. Underrated, with a great twist.
Follow the Bitch (1996)
A hard-to-find gem about a group of male friends whose weekly home game is upended when their first female player joins. Surprisingly well-written and genuinely funny.
Poker Night (2014)
Veteran detectives swap investigation war stories during a poker game with a new recruit named Stan. When Stan is later kidnapped, he has to use those very stories to survive. A genuinely creative premise.
Finder's Fee (2001)
Matthew Lillard, Ryan Reynolds, and James Earl Jones in a home-game thriller where every player tosses a lottery ticket into the pot — one of which turns out to be worth $6 million.
Ace (Asso) (1981)
An Italian comedy oddity about a poker player who quits the game for love, gets murdered, returns as a ghost, and receives an invitation from God himself to play poker. A genuinely wild ride and a real cult curio.
The Music of Chance (1993)
Based on Paul Auster's novel, with great performances from James Spader and Mandy Patinkin. An odd, intriguing film for anyone who likes unusual, unsettling storytelling.
Freeze Out (2005)
A man trains in secret to take revenge on his home-game buddies for their constant ridicule. Fun fact: the film was financed entirely by the director's own poker winnings.
Five Card Stud (1968)
More crime film than poker film, but the whole plot turns on members of a local game being murdered one by one. Dean Martin and Robert Mitchum deliver stellar performances.
Lucky You (2007)
The only poker romance on the list. Eric Bana plays a pro chasing the WSOP; Drew Barrymore is a lounge singer. Predictable but watchable — if you've run out of better options.
Western Religion (2015)
Gunslingers from around the world compete in a life-or-death poker match in 1870s Arizona. It sounds incredible on paper — but the execution is very, very poor.
The Poker Club (2008)
A home game interrupted by a burglary spirals into a cover-up. Lackluster performances and a predictable plot sink it on every level.
All-In (2006)
A medical student teams up with classmates to win the WSOP and pay for school. Even with Michael Madsen and Louis Gossett Jr. on board, it's cheesy and poorly acted.
Deal (2008)
Burt Reynolds — who won a Razzie for this — plays an older gambler mentoring a younger player. Cameos from Jennifer Tilly, Phil Laak, and Chris Moneymaker can't save it. Cringeworthy.
Runner Runner (2013)
An online-poker crime thriller with Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake. The premise had real potential — but the film is just bad. Dead last for a reason.
The verdict.
Don't want to read all twenty-one? Here's the whole list boiled down to six you should make time for and six you should actively avoid.
- Rounders The definitive poker movie, period.
- Molly's Game Best-written poker film, outstanding cast.
- The Cincinnati Kid Classic that still holds up after 60 years.
- California Split Arguably the greatest gambling film ever made.
- A Big Hand for a Little Lady Underrated classic with a great twist.
- Maverick Perfect when you want something lighthearted.
- Runner Runner Wasted premise, wasted cast, just bad.
- Deal Razzie-winning Burt Reynolds. Enough said.
- All-In Cheesy and poorly acted despite recognizable names.
- The Poker Club Lackluster on every level.
- Western Religion Amazing premise, terrible execution.
- Lucky You Only if you've truly run out of options.
One night. One film.
New to poker movies?
Watch Rounders. It’s the only poker film that weaves the game through the entire story instead of saving it for one final hand — the reason it defines the genre.
Want the best filmmaking?
Watch Molly’s Game or California Split. Sorkin’s dialogue and Altman’s lived-in realism are the high-water marks for the genre, poker or not.
Just want a good time?
Watch Maverick. And whatever you do, steer clear of the bottom of the list — Runner Runner and Deal earned their place there.