The names of the best five poker movies of all time is the subject of some debate. While not as many movies have been made about poker as, for example, baseball, poker movies are very different. Some poker movies are built entirely around a specific game, while others are about events related to the game. Early poker movies tend to focus on five card stud or draw, while later movies may bring hold’em into the mix. Here is what is generally agreed upon as the order of the best five poker movies out there.

Number One Poker Movie: Rounders

Rounders, the first major motion picture to be centered around the game of hold’em, is considered by many to be the best poker movie of all time. It is known for its accurate depiction of the game, its players, and the atmosphere surrounding it. Released five years before Chris Moneymaker’s historic win at the World Series of Poker, it is credited for being a key contributor to the 21st century poker boom.

Number Two Poker Movie: The Cincinnati Kid

Before there was Mike McDermott, there was “The Kid,” Steve McQueen’s cool poker champ who couldn’t resist a good game. In a plot very similar to that of the epic pool movie “The Hustler,” “The Kid” comes into town to take on “The Man” in a classic winner take all five card stud battle for ultimate poker bragging rights.

Number Three Poker Movie: A Big Hand for the Little Lady

A movie in which little poker is actually played, this one is more about a strange set of occurrences surrounding a poker game. When a traveling farmer gets over his head in the highest stakes poker game in town, he seems confident as he holds what he hopes is the winning hand in a massive pot. In the excitement surrounding his inability to call the final bet, he collapses, forcing his wife to take over the hand. The movie revolves around her efforts to raise enough money to continue the game and win the pot.

Number Four Poker Movie: Maverick

This modern remake of one of the few television shows based on a poker player, Mel Gibson’s Maverick must use his considerable poker sills to win a five card draw tournament championship. He must also use his skills to collect the money needed to buy into the game and to escape with the winnings afterwards.

Number Five Poker Movie: California Split

In a movie that is more about the ups and downs of the gambling lifestyle than it is about poker, there are still some notable poker scenes, including the chaos of an early California card room and a cameo by Amarillo Slim.

For an amateur, I think Don Topel played brilliantly and he was just unlucky that Gavin Smith got the better cards.  Perhaps the one criticism  that I have of Don’s poker game is that he was a little impatient and played a few hands that he shouldn’t have.  He leaked a bit.

Easy to say afterwards.  Also in Heads up play you have to take it to your opponents, which he did, he played nice and aggressive.  Until he got dealt some ordinary hands.

Don is a likable fellow, someone everyone can identify with, even eating pizza whilst playing for a 1 million bucks and in front of millions of viewers!  Now that takes some doing.

What do you think Don did wrong?

Have you watched Face the Ace yet on NBC?

Steve Schirripa hosts an entertaining poker show, featuring heads up play against a poker pro.  Contestants have to win a free qualifying tournament on Full Tilt poker to be eligible for the show.  At the start they get to choose one of the four doors, behind which is a poker pro and thats who they will take on in heads up Texas Holdem poker.

$40,000 for the first round, they can risk it all for the $200,000 on the second round against another poker pro and then go all in for the big prize of $1 million in the final round.

I like the fact that you can see ordinary people playing against the best.  A sort of a David vs Goliath… of course the crowd always supports the under dawg.

Even though play is fairly quick, I miss the banter that goes with a full table of pros playing against each other.