Poker world
Poker movies & animations
From Hollywood classics to Hong Kong gambling films and a brand-new Texas Hold'em anime: the poker stories worth watching.
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Poker makes great drama: bluffs, big reads and everything on one card. These are the poker movies and animations most players recommend, plus a new Texas Hold'em anime from Hong Kong.
In short
- New: ONE OUT 撲克之魂, a Hong Kong Texas Hold'em anime, free on YouTube.
- Start with: Rounders, the poker players' favourite.
- Hong Kong classics: 賭神 (God of Gamblers), 賭聖 (All for the Winner) and 撲克王 (Poker King).
New: ONE OUT 撲克之魂
ONE OUT 撲克之魂
Texas Hold'em anime and comic · Hong Kong originalA poker story about holding on and letting go. Two poker novices, Agis and Allen, set out to become pros and are drawn into a conspiracy at the Reino Casino. It is a Hong Kong original built on real poker technique: the team includes a poker consultant, and the creator, 梅溢倫 (Joe Mui), is a finance entrepreneur who plays Texas Hold'em around the world.
- Anime season 1 premiered on YouTube in September, with more languages announced: English, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai, Indonesian, Korean and French
- The comic runs on WEBTOON in Chinese and English, and as printed volumes in Hong Kong
- First shown at the Hong Kong Comics & Animation Festival in July 2024
- Where to watch
- Free on YouTube (ONE OUT 撲克之魂 channel)
- Best for
- Hold'em fans who like anime, and new players: the hands are real poker
Poker movies
| Film | Year | Starring | Why watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rounders | 1998 | Matt Damon, Edward Norton, John Malkovich | The poker players' favourite: a law student wins and loses at Texas Hold'em in New York's underground clubs. It inspired a generation to play. |
| Molly's Game | 2017 | Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba | The true story of Molly Bloom, who ran high-stakes private games for celebrities and businessmen. Written and directed by Aaron Sorkin. |
| Casino Royale | 2006 | Daniel Craig | James Bond plays a huge Texas Hold'em game in Montenegro. Thrilling, though the final hand is pure movie poker. |
| The Cincinnati Kid | 1965 | Steve McQueen, Edward G. Robinson | A young stud player takes on the old master in 1930s New Orleans. A classic with a famous final hand. |
| Maverick | 1994 | Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, James Garner | A light-hearted western that ends in a big riverboat poker tournament. |
| California Split | 1974 | Elliott Gould, George Segal | Robert Altman's portrait of two gamblers in Los Angeles card rooms: funny, loose and true to the life. |
| Lucky You | 2007 | Eric Bana, Drew Barrymore, Robert Duvall | A Las Vegas pro faces his father at the World Series of Poker. |
| The Grand | 2007 | Woody Harrelson | A largely improvised comedy about a high-stakes tournament, with real poker pros in the cast. |
| Runner Runner | 2013 | Justin Timberlake, Ben Affleck | A student goes to work for an online poker boss in Costa Rica. |
| Mississippi Grind | 2015 | Ben Mendelsohn, Ryan Reynolds | Two gamblers on a road trip down the Mississippi to a big game in New Orleans. |
| High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story | 2003 | Michael Imperioli | The life of Stu Ungar, three-time WSOP Main Event champion. |
Hong Kong classics
| Film | Year | Starring | Why watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| 賭神 God of Gamblers | 1989 | Chow Yun-fat, Andy Lau | Wong Jing's legendary gambling film, with its famous card showdowns. It started a whole wave of Hong Kong gambling movies. |
| 賭聖 All for the Winner | 1990 | Stephen Chow | Stephen Chow's comedy answer to God of Gamblers, with card battles and supernatural powers. |
| 撲克王 Poker King | 2009 | Louis Koo, Lau Ching-wan | A Hong Kong comedy built around Texas Hold'em, made when the game was booming in Asia. |
Documentaries
| Film | Year | About |
|---|---|---|
| Bet Raise Fold: The Story of Online Poker | 2013 | The online poker boom, told through three players, up to the 2011 "Black Friday" shutdown in the United States. |
| All In: The Poker Movie | 2009 | How poker grew from smoky back rooms to the 2000s boom, with interviews with famous players. |
Poker animations
ONE OUT 撲克之魂
Texas Hold'em anime · Hong KongThe anime about poker itself: real hands, real strategy, and two novices on the way to becoming pros. More above.
狂賭之淵 Kakegurui
Gambling anime · Japan · 2017At an elite academy where students are ranked by their gambling, a transfer student takes on the school's best players. The games include Texas Hold'em. Made by studio MAPPA and shown worldwide on Netflix.
How to watch like a poker player
- Count the outs. When a hand is all in, stop and work out who is ahead and how many cards save the other player. Our Win Rates & Outs tool checks your answer.
- Spot the movie hands. Four of a kind against a straight flush happens in films all the time and almost never at a real table.
- Watch the people. The best poker films are about patience, bankroll and nerve as much as cards.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best poker movie?
Rounders (1998) is the favourite of most poker players: it is about Texas Hold'em, the poker is realistic, and it inspired many people to start playing.
Is there a Texas Hold'em anime?
Yes. ONE OUT 撲克之魂 is a Hong Kong poker story about two novices, Agis and Allen, becoming pros. It started as a comic on WEBTOON, and its anime season 1 premiered on YouTube in September.
Is the poker in movies realistic?
Rarely. Films show huge hands like four of a kind against a straight flush because they are dramatic. Rounders and Molly's Game are closer to real games than most.