Everyone loves a good gambling scene in a movie. Gambling is, after all, perfect for movie drama. Will James Bond manage to defeat terrorism with his Poker skills? Will the boys in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels manage to hit it big? Will Mel Gibson clean up at the Poker tournament in Maverick? It’s all gold, and all great as far as adding excitement to a script is concerned.
On the other hand, movies tend to depict gambling in completely bizarre ways. Let’s face it, movies need to move along at a rapid pace, and the fact of the matter is that most casino games aren’t very rapid. Games like Poker, while potentially really involving big sums of cash, tend to play out at a snail’s pace. The reality is that if Poker were accurately depicted the film would be boring.
Though, that Poker is really a slow game is just the start of how movies depict gambling incorrectly.
You Can’t Will A Good Hand
In the afore mentioned Maverick it is subtly hinted that the lead character may have supernatural powers. Or does he? Maverick is shown able to draw a specific card from the deck at will. How he does this is left ambiguous, with some suggesting it might just be that he cheats really well.
The fact is though, that even beyond Maverick movies show incredible Poker hands coming up on a regular basis. Great hands add to the excitement, of course, ramping up the tension. But in reality excellent Poker hands are rare. Even professional players are largely working with minor hands, using the power of bluffing to come out on top.
Casinos Are Run According To Law
It is a common trope to have movie casinos run by shady individuals. From mafia bosses, to ruthless psychopaths, to brutal hoodlums. In real life it has been a very long time since the mafia was involved in any casino activity.
There was a time, decades ago, when the mob did have ties to casinos in Las Vegas. But these days casinos are run very strictly according to the law. In fact, given the intensity of government regulations, the mafia couldn’t pick a worse place to try and operate.
Card Counting Exaggeration
Lastly, many movies depict card counting as some sort of magical secret weapon that takes your online Blackjack real money payouts to unprecedented heights. From 21, to Rain Man and even The Hangover, card counters apparently have near magical abilities. Card counting does exist, and unscrupulous types can use it to get an edge, but the method is far from magical.
In reality, the MIT team depicted in 21 didn’t clean up. While they did win, they hardly won millions. In fact the amount per year they brought in was slightly less than some normal fulltime jobs. It makes you wonder why they took such risks in the first place.
