Ouch! The Most Ludicrous Blunders in Casino Movies
Disclaimer: gambling is addictive. Should you spot any symptoms of gambling addiction, don’t hesitate to ask for support at international (Gamblers Anonymous, GamCare, BeGambleAware, etc.) or local problem gambling organizations.
While online casinos are getting more and more popular – estimated at approximately $65 billion at the time of writing, the ever-growing global online gambling industry is expected to rise by over 30% in a couple of years to an unimaginable $90 billion in 2023 – players are looking for new ways to entertain themselves. Virtual reality, live dealers, 3D games, blockchain-based gambling – all these technologies and top-notch casinos like Vulkan Vegas entertain us, but nowhere near as much as casino movies with their ludicrous blunders.
Hollywood movies are thrilling, exciting, and fun, but…even if based on real events, they never show things as they are. Casino Royale, Maverick, Rounders, The Sting, Atlantic City, 21, and gazillions of bestsellers alike twist the cornerstones of gambling to the very ground with inaccuracies and at times outright blunders. No matter the greatness of these films, punters from all over the world laugh at their scenes, and so does Aleksandra Maj, an inveterate gambler and a movie lover from KasynoHEX. Without further ado, let’s join Aleksandra in her investigation of the most ridiculous casino movie blunders.
Casino Royale
Arguably the most outrageous movie for poker enthusiasts, Casino Royale might have focused too much on the persona of James Bond – otherwise, how could the numerous blunders be justified at all?
- The climactic poker scene depicts a stake of well over $40 million – if you were to stop the movie at the right moment, you could calculate it yourself – which is not possible in the real world, where even the deepest pockets usually bet no more than a few thousand per game. Even the highest bet ever made at brick-and-mortar casinos – $777,000 by William Lee Bergstrom on September 24, 1980 – is no match for a spellbinding $40 million. On that note, most casinos disable enormous stakes to comply with the rules of their jurisdiction and not store gargantuan budgets for lucky high-rollers.
- The odds of collecting a straight flush, a flush, and two full houses in a single poker game – which was exactly the case in the notorious movie – are small. How small? Well, way smaller than the odds of being struck by lightning, dying from falling off the bed, or creating a perfect March Madness bracket. And it’s not even a joke: the odds of collecting a straight flush, a flush, and two full houses within a single poker round is 1 to 18 trillion.
- After winning a pot of $115 million with an outrageously improbable straight flush, 1:3,583, James Bond tipped half a million dollars to the dealer, a generosity you would never meet in real life.
All that said, Casino Royale is a wonderful movie, and so is the book.
The Cincinnati Kid
A young talent dethroning a seasoned master is one of the clichés you might not be happy to see in movies, but don’t worry, The Cincinnati Kid is worth your time all the same. The 1965 picture, though, showcased a perfect example of a String Bet, when the player doesn’t deliver all the chips required for the Raise in one take, thereby manipulating the rest of the players by watching their reaction to the fake ‘Call.’ It goes without saying that String Bets are forbidden, but in The Cincinnati Kid, it took over a minute for the characters to change their minds from ‘Call’ to ‘Raise’ – which would never happen at a real poker table.
What Happens in Vegas
What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas…unless we’re talking about an impossible progressive Jackpot win depicted in the romantic comedy you must have watched. Jack hits it on a slot machine while playing with a single coin, but he would have never scored it in real life since all progressive jackpots without exception require the maximum bet, which can be anything but one coin. Nevertheless, he could still be eligible for a regular jackpot of 1,000 coins, according to the paytable from the movie.
May Casino Movies Not Bet Your Guide to Casino Games
As you can see, movies are for entertainment only and cannot serve as a guide to the world of casino games. Almost everything they showcase must be taken with a grain of salt, and if you want to know the truth, then you can acquire some first-hand experience with casino games at real online casinos, especially since most of them will allow you to play for free for as long as you want.