There are some things that that the Online Casino Review crew absolutely see eye-to-eye on: we love gambling (especially the online casino kind) and we love movies.

And we absolutely adore movies about gambling.

But, being kids of the digital age, we crave variety. This is why we are fans of online casinos and online gambling – the immense variety and ever-changing range of games and options out there. And also why we get really excited when a movie comes out that doesn’t feature gambling in Las Vegas.

Sin City might be the poster child for gambling and, rightly, the most famous gambling city in the world but there are other gambling cities and other places where gambling can take place on the silver screen that doesn’t always involve the neon and grimy glitz of Las Vegas.

We put our movie heads together to bring you a short and by no means critically evaluated list of our favourite gambling movies that are not set in Las Vegas.

Bob le flambeur (1956)

This French noir film by director Jean-Pierre Melville deserves to start off our list. While not well known in Western theatres, Bob Le Flambeur (Bob the Gambler) was the precursor to the far more famous 1960’s Rat Pack hit Ocean’s 11 and the blockbuster Clooney-helmed 2001 version.

Bob le flambeur’s major gambling moments are set in a casino in Deauville in north-western France and the film is a delightful casino heist movie. Apart from being a major influence on Ocean’s 11, it was also remade in 2002 as The Good Thief starring Nick Nolte and set in Monaco and Nice.

The Cincinnati Kid (1965)

The ultimate action man, Steve McQueen, stars in this poker drama set in New Orleans. Set in the depression-era 1930’s it follows Eric “The Kid” Stoner as he attempts to take on the title of The Man, the best poker player in town.

Full of drama and great performances, The Cincinnati Kid is a classic poker movie with all the twists and turns a good Five Card Stud game can pull out.

Casino Royale (1967, 2006)

We’ve included both versions of Casino Royale on our list just because the original (1967) version starring David Niven and Peter Sellers is the most hilariously insane 007 movie you will ever watch. There are about seven actors who all play James Bond, including David Niven, Peter Sellers, Ursula Andress (and not in her famous Dr. No bikini scene!) and Daliah Levy. Woody Allen plays Jimmy bond, James’ nephew. Joanna Pettet plays Mata Bond/James Bond, Bond’s daughter with Mata Hari. There is a scene where they are taken by flying saucer to a casino on top of an underwater villain’s lair.

It is beautiful insanity!

The more famous version with Daniel Craig features a famous poker game between bond and Le Chiffre. This high-stakes Texas Hold’em poker tournament is set in a casino in Montenegro, a Balkans country in southeast Europe.

While the scene is famous (picture the bleeding eye) and the movie is action-packed and excellent, we urge to give the original a watch just to laugh your ass off.

The Gambler (1974)

A dark and sometimes depressing movie starring James Caan in the critically acclaimed role of Axel Freed, an English professor in New York with a bad gambling addiction.

The movie shows his descent from the hallowed halls of academia into the dark world of loan sharks and rigged sports as we see a very dark side of his character.

There was a remake made in 2014 starring Mark Wahlberg. Give it a skip.

Run Lola Run (1998)

1998 was a great year for gambling movies and Run Lola Run is one of our favourites.

This German movie, set in Berlin, is a quirky, innovative cinematic masterpiece that explore themes like free will versus determinism and the role of chance in our destiny. There are three different endings that take place to show how small things can have huge implications with the final ending revolving around a game of roulette.

Watch it. Now.

Croupier (1998)

Another gambling movie with a critically acclaimed role by the lead actor. Croupier is set in the casinos of London and follows the journey of aspiring writer Jack Manfred (Clive Owen in a breakout role) as his South African-based father sets him up for a job as a croupier.

The movie evolves into a crime caper as the casino is set up for a robbery with Jack’s involvement and we follow the plans and relationships of the characters in a very well-written, directed and acted British neo-noir film.

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)

Continuing our British theme is the Guy Richie classic Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

A lot of people forget that this crime comedy starts off with a main character losing a ‘sure bet’ at a high-stakes three -ard brag (an old British version of poker) game. What follows is a glorious ode to understated British gangster films with roles for Vinnie Jones (ex-footballer) and Jason Statham (ex-diver) that shot them to fame.

Lock, Stock… is just one of Guy Richie’s films that feature gambling. Snatch has underground boxing and dog fighting while Revolver centres around illegal gambling of all types and on the elusive ‘The Formula’ – a gambling strategy guaranteed to pull in the wins.

Rounders (1998)

One of the most popular gambling movies out there, Rounders starring Matt Damon and Ed Norton is a classic poker film.

Set in New York City it follows the path of Mike McDermott (Damon) as he sets out to win the World Series of Poker despite the setbacks of having a muppet best friend Lester (Norton) and a bloodthirsty Russian mobster (an awesome John Malkovich).

Rounders is the movie that every aspiring poker player watches to see the nuances of the game, from the blind to the bluff to the sure thing – and what happens when you get it wrong.

Owning Mahowny (2003)

Owning Mahowny swings between Toronto, Canada, and Atlantic City, USA. It’s a stark and unforgiving film about the dangers and consequences of gambling addiction as the titular character Dan Mahowny (the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman in yet another incredible role) embezzles larger and larger sums of money from the bank he works at to feed his gambling addiction.

Owning Mahowny avoids the glitz and glamour of flashy big city casinos and multimillion dollar heists to focus on Mahowny’s relationships and how his addiction affects those around him.

A brutal but brilliant movie.

Molly’s Game (2017)

This Aaron Sorkin directed film (based on a true story) follows Molly Bloom, an Olympic skier hopeful, from LA to New York as she learns the ropes in high-stakes poker games. She begins to host her own poker tournaments and entice the whalest of the whales to play for big cash. Her efforts are initially quite successful but, as she becomes more and more involved in the gambling world, she begins attracting the attention of the criminal underground.

As with most Sorkin projects (The West Wing, A Few Good Men) the movie is strongly reliant on dialogue and character development rather than action and flashy shots but it is an excellent window into the world of private poker games and the running thereof.