Matt Damonhas starred in many memorable movies over the decades, including one of the best poker movies ever made. After making his movie debut inMystic Pizzain 1988,Damon burst onto the sceneby winning an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for co-writing 1997’sGood Will Huntingwith Ben Affleck, in which they both starred. In the following years, Damon saw an insurgence in roles, including, in 1998, playing the titular character in Steven Spielberg’sSaving Private Ryan, one of the best war movies ever made.
Since the 1960s, the game of poker has been dramatized in movies, capturing audiences with its unique blend of strategy, psychology, and high-stakes drama. The game’s inherent tension, with every hand presenting new cards and a potential turning point, lends itself perfectly to suspenseful storytelling. Whether it’s the bluff, the all-in bet, or the final river card, poker provides fertile ground for character conflict and clear emotional stakes.Classics like 1965’sThe Cincinnati Kidstarring Steve McQueenstand alongside modern entries like the 2006 James Bond movieCasino Royale, Aaron Sorkin’sMolly’s Game, andMississippi Grind.
Rounders Is “Almost Unanimously The Best Poker Movie Ever Made”
An Expert Has To Nitpick The Issues
Roundersis “almost unanimously the best poker movie ever made,” according to an expert. The 1998 film, set in the underground world of high-stakes poker, starsMatt Damon as a law studentwho must win several games to quickly pay off a large gambling debt, with the titular term “rounders” referring to players who roam from city to city in search of high-stakes card games. In addition to Damon, the cast also includes Edward Norton, John Malkovich, John Turturro, Famke Janssen, Gretchen Mol, Martin Landau, and many more.
In anInsidervideo,four-time World Poker Tour champion Darren Elias rated poker scenes in movies and television for realism,including the underground poker scenes inRounders. The expert praisesRoundersas the most realistic and well-portrayed poker movie, especially for capturing the underground poker scene so authentically. His only real critique is the unrealistic bet sizing in some scenes, which doesn’t align with how skilled players would typically play. Read his full comments or watch the portion of the video below:
Rounders is almost unanimously the best poker movie ever made. So these guys are playing no-limit Texas Hold ‘Em, which is the most common poker game played these days. Each player’s dealt two cards. You’re trying to make the best five-card poker hand. So using your two cards in combination with the five community cards to make the best hand. Mikey McD laying down ace-five there, I could see recognizing a tell and folding a good hand. That probably wouldn’t be as obvious as a guy only eats his Oreos when he has the best hand. It would probably something a little more subtle.
The only knock on Rounders would be bet sizing, I think, where there’s $400 in this pot and Teddy KGB bets $2,000. So for a player to bet $2,000, five times the pot, on the flop, pretty uncharacteristic, doesn’t happen very often. And you would think a player who, Teddy KGB, although fictional, is regarded as a decent player, probably wouldn’t be betting five times the pot here. Also, they would probably have a dealer, is the only other unrealistic aspect, where they probably wouldn’t just be dealing to each other.
So a lot of the scenes in Rounders are underground games, and this is a real thing. While it’s not necessarily illegal to play in the game, it is illegal to run the game and to take a rake. Playing an underground game comes with a lot more risk than playing in a casino, where if you’re playing in a casino, there are some safeguards where you know the dealer’s probably not cheating you. There are cameras. You know that you’re always going to be able to cash your chips after you win. In an underground game, you don’t really have the security. I generally tend to avoid the private games because of all these pitfalls that could happen.
And Matt Damon’s character here probably had in his mind that he was going to trap Teddy KGB the whole way. So just check and then call and not put in a raise, not reveal the strength of his hand. So being a bit cagey here and looking to trap. And I think if you are playing an opponent who’s making big bets like that, the chance, the likelihood that they’re going to continue betting like that is pretty high. So I think he probably chose a good line, as we would say here, in check-calling and trapping Teddy. Teddy KGB definitely seems a bit rattled in this scene and it’s towards the end of the heads-up match. These emotions may be starting to creep into his play. And that’s really when you can win the most money from a player, when they’re tilted, when they might not be on their best game. So I think that’s what’s happening here. I would give the scene in Rounders an eight out of 10. Tough to be too harsh on Rounders. I think the only nitpicking thing that is wrong with Rounders is bet-sizing issues.
My favorite poker movie is Rounders, just because I think it portrays the poker scene in the best light, in the most realistic light, the underground poker scene. I really aspired, I watched that as a kid, and I wanted to play for that much money, and I think it’s awesome.
What The Expert’s Comments Mean For Rounders
It’s Highly Regarded Among Professional Poker Players
Roundershas received rave reactions from critics and audiences for its rich atmosphere and lively performances, which contribute to the movie’s overall entertainment value. However,Roundersis even more highly regarded among actual poker playersfor its accurate portrayal of the game. Several professional poker players credit the film for inspiring them to take up the game, including Brian Rast, Hevad Khan, Gavin Griffin, Dutch Boyd, and Vanessa Rousso. While many movies portray poker,Roundersis the only one that truly captures the game’s intensity and excitement, making it almost unanimously thebest poker movie ever made.
