Netflix gambling movies

Since Netflix hit out shores, it’s become apparent the only people who still go out are obviously unaware that Aussies can now access the on-demand Internet streaming platform.

For those who are aware, however, it can be hard to find a good movie amongst so many. Gambling movies are some of the most interesting, thrilling, and dramatic films available to watch, so we have found some of the best ones available on Netflix Australia for you to enjoy.

Ocean’s Eleven

Starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon (who also starred in the poker film The Rounders, which isn’t yet available on Netflix Australia), Ocean’s Eleven can be considered as one of the best gambling movies of all time, not only because it features some of the most iconic casinos in Las Vegas, but also because deciding to rob a casino is one of the biggest wagers you can make.

Daniel Ocean (Clooney) travels to meet his friend Rusty (Pitt), immediately after he is released on parole, to tell him his plan to rob three casinos in Las Vegas, namely the Bellagio, the MGM Grand casinos, and the Mirage. Rusty agrees to join, and after recruiting nine other guys to create a group of 11 they set out to pull off the heist, which includes robbing the Bellagio’s vault that is predicted to hold more than $150,000.

While the plan seems foolproof, it isn’t until Rusty figures out that the owner of the casinos, Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), is actually involved with Danny’s ex-wife Tess (Julia Roberts), that things go sour.

With action, scheming, gambling, betrayal, and drama, Oceans 11 will have you hooked and potentially planning a heist of your own – but we recommend sticking to learning poker strategies instead.

Oceans 11 was released in 2001 and has four stars out of five on Netflix. It also has two sequels including Oceans Twelve and Oceans Thirteen, which are both also available on Netflix Australia, meaning you could make it a casino heist marathon.

Additionally, Oceans Eleven features one of the most iconic poker scenes where Rusty and Ocean teach their group how to play poker.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7lrZK21AX4

Rain Man

If you haven’t seen this classic, we recommend you get on to it as soon as possible, and if not for the storyline then for the scene involving card counting. Made in 1988, this movie isn’t necessarily a gambling movie but it involves one of the most iconic gambling scenes.

Rain Man follows the story of Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise) who returns to his home town of Cincinnati after learning his father died. Here, he discovers he had a brother all along known as Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) and that he lives in a mental institution due to being diagnosed with Autism.

Charlie discovers that his father’s entire fortune has been left to this institution for Raymond, so he checks him out and they forgo a life-changing cross-country trip.

While we don’t want to give too much away, we do want to detail the gambling scenes to explain why it’s listed here. During their trip, Charlie learns that Raymond can actually count cards, so they head to Las Vegas to try their luck in a few hands or so of blackjack. We won’t tell you what happens, but the scene is incredible and continues to be the most iconic Hollywood card-counting scene.

There are other card-counting movies, namely 21, but this isn’t available just yet on Netflix Australia, plus Rain Man is a classic, receiving four and a half stars out of five on Netflix. Here is the iconic blackjack scene from Rain Man.

The Hangover

This movie isn’t completely about gambling, though they gamble with their lives a fair bit and it is one of the funniest films available on Netflix Australia. Additionally, there is a hilarious blackjack scene featuring our favourite character Alan (Zach Galifianakis).

The Hangover follows a group of men who go to Vegas for their friends bachelor party, only to lose the groom. The three groomsmen, Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), and Alan wake up the following morning to find that Doug (Justin Bartha) is missing and are greeted with a nice little surprise in their bathroom (it’s not what you think). They try to remember what they did the previous night by tracing their steps in order to find Doug and get him to his bride-to-be.

The blackjack scene we are talking about, however, basically is a reference to Rain Man, which we mention above, since Alan regularly claims to be Rain Man. They reference the Rain Man specifically when Phil and Alan head down the escalator to the casino in grey suits. The pair hit up the blackjack tables and Alan is apparently card counting, while Phil shouts ‘he can’t lose.’

The scene is hilarious, and even more so if you have seen Rain Man. We have included the scene below, but don’t watch it if you want to save it and watch the entire movie on Netflix, where it got four and three quarter stars.

Suits

So this is a bit of a stretch, but the TV series Suits actually has an underlying theme of gambling. However, it isn’t until Season 2, Episode 6, titled All In, that we start seeing casino scenes.

For those who are after a TV series, or those who have the will power to stop the continuation of the next episode before the 15 seconds are up on Netflix, Suits is an incredible drama to get stuck into.

The show follows the life of Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams) who has the ability to remember everything he reads, and his new job at a top law firm. However, Mike got caught up in the wrong crowd prior to this and was actually kicked out of law school.

Somehow, he ends up in the office of a big time lawyer, Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht), on the day Harvey is hiring associates and ends up getting hired. Harvey knows he didn’t attend law school but takes a gamble with Mike and we watch as their professional relationship unfolds, along with the big secret the pair share.

The next part of our article may reveal spoilers, so if you do not want to know about where we found the gambling scenes in Season 2 stop reading; though we try not to give too much away.

In the ‘All In’ episode, Harvey invites Mike to Atlantic City, a casino which Mike was previously banned from due to card-counting. Regardless, Mike goes and they find their client who is playing poker who bets a massive $3 million.

If we continue, we will no doubt spoil the show, but Suits definitely is a good option for drama, a few hands in poker, some life-risking wagers, and even some laughs.

Here is the scene where Mike tells Harvey he’s banned from the casino for counting cards.