Top 10 best blackjack movies of all time

Rain Man stars Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise at the Golden Globe Awards. (Photo by Jean Cummings/Shutterstock)

August 15th, 2024

Is it any surprise that one of the world’s most popular casino games has featured so heavily in some of the most famous movies of all time? Being so easy to understand, blackjack is ideal for the big screen because it doesn't leave viewers scratching their heads, wondering what on earth is going on.

We got to thinking about the best blackjack movies, and have compiled a list of our top 10 favorites. Take a look, and then try your luck afterwards at YouBet Casino.

10. The Hangover (2009)

Our blackjack movies list begins with a classic comedy where four friends head to Las Vegas for a bachelor party. Things go horribly wrong, as only things can in Sin City, and the boys find themselves owing a large sum of money to an oddly lovable gangster. Unsure what else to do, they try to win it all back by counting cards at blackjack.

9. Swingers (1996)

Las Vegas is the scene again, this time for a group of unemployed actors who have fallen on hard times. As you might predict, things don’t go exactly as planned, and one of the memorable scenes involves an argument over whether you really should double down every time on 11 (yes, you should, by the way).

8. Rain Man (1988)

This is an iconic movie starring two iconic co-stars in Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman. Cruise discovers his deceased father has left his millions to a brother he knew nothing about – the autistic Hoffman. Spotting an opportunity, the pair head to the blackjack tables where Hoffman’s amazing powers of recall help with card counting. It’s truly one of the best movies about blackjack.

7. The Gambler (2014)

Gambler Jim Bennett is deeply in debt to his mother and a loan shark, trying to play his way out of trouble at the tables. He’s accomplished at blackjack, but in the end, he turns to a huge gamble on roulette, which doesn’t end well. We then follow his unraveling situation as he tries to turn things around.

6. 21 (2008)

A scientific exploration around blackjack theory as the professor (Kevin Spacey) teaches his students how to beat the house. Based on the real-life exploits of the MIT Blackjack Team that were chronicled in Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich.

5. The Last Casino (2004)

In a remarkably similar plot to 21, a professor is banned from the casino for card counting, so he builds his own blackjack team consisting of three bright students and takes them on a high-roller journey to win a fortune from the house. Blackjack films don’t come much better.

4. The Cooler (2003)

Coolers are associated with bad luck, and in this case, the cooler is a Las Vegas downbeat named Bernie Lootz, recruited by a casino boss to muscle in on the games where a lot of cash is being won. His task is to pose as a player at blackjack tables and manipulate the fortune back in the house’s favor.

3. Casino (1995)

In this Martin Scorsese classic, the mob asks Robert De Niro to oversee all gambling operations at a Las Vegas casino. He doubles profits and catches many cheats, including a team trying to cheat at the blackjack tables—Sharon Stone co-stars in this blockbuster about money and power.

2. Croupier (1998)

This dark British movie follows the fortunes of writer Jack Manfred who takes a job as a croupier. He loves to see gamblers lose and is quite the cynic about the gambling industry. It’s a refreshing, if a little depressing, take on blackjack and casino life. It deserves a place as one of our best blackjack movies.

1. Licence to Kill (1989)

No top movie list would be complete without an appearance from James Bond. Usually, we associate the suave British spy with poker (Casino Royale) or baccarat – or even with the James Bond roulette strategy – but it’s blackjack that Bond plays in this film, and at eye-watering high stakes.

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