In a town where high rollers have preceding reputations, two characters stand out: "The Kid" and "The Man"
The Kid is overly confident he can beat Lancey (AKA "The Man") at his own game: Stud Poker. But Lancey is an experienced player who has seen just about everything and won't be scared of any hand thrown at the table.
The Kid is not inexperienced, though. He’s great at remembering and counting carts and he can beat just about anybody. Anybody, except Lancey, that is. In fact, Lancey's words to him are:” You’re good kid. But as long as I'm around, you're second best".
The actual game scenes in this movie are very well created so that the viewer can understand what's going on and how the players think. At the final table, all the players can be analyzed.
For one thing, every player, except The Kid and Lancey shows a few nervous ticks. One guy is calculating all the odds like an accountant. There's a shaky sweaty nervous guy, too, called Pig. And there's a guy who seems to be more relax - but folds consistently. The two men left standing are The Kid and The Man. They both go all in. The Kid shows his hand: 9 to A straight. With a high hand like that, he's eager to take the pot, when Lancey puts his cards down: full house, nines and aces. The Kid walks away and Lancey keeps his reputation undefeated.
What you can learn: When playing poker, keep it together. By being too confident and underestimating your opponent, you can become your own worst enemy.
Rounders (1988)
"Why do you think the same five guys make it to the final table at the word series of poker every single year? What are they?! The luckiest guys in Las Vegas? It's a skill game. People insist on calling it luck."
A young man, reformed gambler, must get back into playing poker intensely to help a friend pay off his debts. Unlike his reckless and cheating friend, Mike plays fair, bets smart and "reads" the other players.
Mike: "They wear their "tell"'s like signs around their necks... facial ticks, nervous fingers, a hand over the mouth, the way a cigarette is smoked, little unconscious gestures that reveal the cards in their hand. We catch everything."
In the final and most important game, he has to win against KGB, the big player he once tried to beat, but failed. He approaches the game with a newfound confidence after he figures out KGB's "tell" and wins fair and square. What you can learn: When playing poker, there are a few signs you can give to the other players. Even a dilated pupile at the sight of a good hand can be spotted by a composed and experienced player.
This movie won't teach anyone how to play poker, but it is a fun film that captures the old-west image of back-alley bars, cowboys, and cards. Maverick, played by Mel Gibson, travels with the original Maverick, James Garner, and Jodie Foster to the biggest poker tournament of the day -- a riverboat five-card draw winner takes all contest.
Maverick is recreated from the character James Garner created in the 1950s TV program. Maverick is a gambler who would rather con someone than fight them. He needs an additional three thousand dollars in order to enter a Winner Take All poker game that begins in a few days. He tries to win some, tries to collect a few debts, and recover a little loot for the reward, all with a light hearted air. He joins forces with a woman gambler with a marvelous, though fake, southern accent as the two both try and enter the game.
Maverick rides into the fictional town of Crystal River intending to collect money owed to him, as he is $3000 short of the poker tournament entry fee of $25,000. His efforts to make up this $3000 provide some plot motivation, as well as diversions caused by, and in the company of, three people he encounters at Crystal River-an antagonist named Angel (Alfred Molina), a young con-artist calling herself Mrs Annabelle Bransford (Jodie Foster), and legendary lawman Marshal Zane Cooper (James Garner, who played Bret Maverick in the original TV series). The first two are also rival poker players.
A Big Hand for a Little Lady
The biggest high-stakes game in the West draws the attention of a man named Meredity, who stakes his whole family fortune to get into the game. His wfe, Mary, a tightwad, is none too happy about it, but when her husband suffers a heart attack during the game, Mary steps in and takes up his hand.
It was produced and directed by Fielder Cook from a screenplay by Sidney Carroll, adapted from their TV play Big Deal in Laredo which aired on the DuPont Show of the Week in 1962.
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