Gambling Movies You Shouldn’t Bother Watching

Most people who fancy a hobby or an activity will readily watch a movie where this activity is represented, so no wonder that players who fancy lotteries, video games, or even $1 deposit casinos are interested in movies about gambling.

There are many movies about betting, gambling, or generally about the casino industries, but let’s be honest – not all of them are worth watching. You can check the ratings and read reviews, but to save you time, we have collected a list of movies you definitely shouldn’t bother watching!

Gutshot Straight (2014)

This movie is about a pro gambler who gets mixed up in a serious poker game with some shady folks. He finds himself caught up in a dangerous underground gambling world, where he must outsmart others and escape the shadows of his past errors.

Why You Shouldn’t Bother Watching It: With a disappointing rating of 3.6 out of 10, “Gutshot Straight” fails to deliver on multiple fronts. The film struggles with wooden dialogue, retarded character development, and a disjointed narrative. The movie’s pacing feels disrupted, making it a challenging watch At times, the performances come across as contrived and lacking authenticity; the actors might have benefited from investing more effort.

Zigs (Double Down) (2001)

The story of this movie is about a really good computer hacker who gets caught up in a messy situation of corporate spying. As things play out, he’s right in the middle of some serious technology stuff and other people’s sneaky plans. He must uncover concealed motives while staying one step ahead of the others involved.

Why You Shouldn’t Bother Watching It: “Zigs” falls short of its potential with a low rating of 4.9. While the concept of cyber espionage is intriguing for many people, the execution leaves much to be desired. The movie seems to have a very complicated plot, to the degree that the narrative becomes confusing and hard to understand. Uneven pacing and weak cohesion make the movie inconsistent. On the other hand, the characters also do not evoke empathy and the protagonist and the antagonist are very flat. And of course, since the movie was shot in 2001, the cyber technologies look outdated and cartoonish.

Quintet (1979)

“Quintet” is a movie that’s set in a world messed up after some big disaster. People surviving there are playing this crazy and dangerous game called Quintet. The main character is on a journey through this empty and lonely place, finding out secrets that show what the game is really about and how dangerous it is for everyone playing. The movie is all about staying alive, figuring out mysteries, and competing in this deadly game.

Why You Shouldn’t Bother Watching It: With a rating of 5.0, while the concept of a deadly board game in a frozen wasteland is intriguing, the execution is frankly poor. The film’s deliberate pacing fails to keep the viewer in decent suspense, and the engagement with the movie is in question after 20 minutes of watching. The characters lack depth, development, and emotional resonance, making it hard for the viewer to relate. While the landscape and the story are potentially promising, the emotional investment is very low. Due to the failures of the plot and narration, the storyline is confusing and disorienting at times (most of the time). Because of this, even the visual elements come across as bleak and monotonous. The movie desperately requires both visual and emotional variation.

Cold Deck (2015)

In “Cold Deck”, an unlucky poker player is lured into a high-stakes game by a charismatic stranger. As the stakes get higher, the player faces all the dangers and pitfalls of the world of underground gambling and suffers the results of his own mistakes in the past. The main themes of this movie are deception and redemption.

Why You Shouldn’t Bother Watching It: “Cold Deck” holds a rating of 5.0 which is fair because it struggles to deliver a compelling story. The uneven tempo of storytelling makes the movie boring at times and the viewers become detached from what is happening on the screen. The attempts to hold the suspense are not very successful. The characters seem underdeveloped and sketchy, they are superficial and lacking depth, as well as their cliched dialogues. Even the visual aspect of the movie is not as glamorous as one would expect from a poker-focused story of the underground gambling industry.

Casino Royale (1967)

“Casino Royale” released in 1967 became the basis for the more recent movie, and while it was okay back then, today it is not worth watching. The main twist of the story is following multiple agents who assume the iconic 007 persona to confuse their enemies while playing at high-stakes casino. The plot is chaotic yet with some witty moments.

Why You Shouldn’t Bother Watching It: Earning a rating of 5.0, this earlier iteration of “Casino Royale” struggles to maintain the serious charm of the original Bond series. While the film attempts to parody the spy genre, its execution is rather clumsy, and the viewer experiences confusion more often than laughter. The scenes of the movie are loosely connected and there is no clear sense of where the plot is going. The movie is neither an effective comedy nor an effective satire, so it is somewhere in the middle, and even in this middle, the humor feels forced.