H3: From the Silver Screen to the Blackjack Table

Blackjack is one of the most revered casino games in history. The most popular table game in the casino has had several moments in the spotlight of Hollywood movies over the years. Seeing a favorite actor play blackjack always makes one want to hit a table, and these epic movie moments of blackjack games never fail to thrill.

From card-counting and huge runs to faceoffs with enemies, blackjack casino has been portrayed in many unique ways on the big screen over the decades. Some films have had great blackjack scenes, while others have focused on the game as a major plot point. These are the best of the best.

The Hangover (2009)

One of the funniest comedies of all time, The Hangover features a hilarious blackjack scene. When their friend Doug (Justin Bertha) is lost in Las Vegas during a bachelor party, the gang teams up to pay a bounty of $80,000 set on Doug’s head.

Alan (Zach Galifianakis) is joined by Stu (Ed Helms) and Phil (Bradley Cooper) in a casino scene where Alan spoofs Rain Man as he runs calculations in his head to count cards at a blackjack table, raking in $80,000 in a matter of minutes. The scene is a cherry on top of a movie guaranteed to make you laugh, although it is not the most accurate portrayal of card counting, which makes it all the more funny.

Rain Man (1998)

Speaking of Rain Man, the film spoofed by the gang in The Hangover, this film features a more serious version of the scene displayed in The Hangover. Immortalized forever as one of the greatest blackjack scenes in the film, Rain Man (Dustin Hoffman) is taken advantage of by his brother, Charlie, in a casino when Charlie persuades him to use his autistic-savant mathematical abilities to count cards and win $86,000 at a blackjack game.

While blackjack itself is not a main plot point of the movie, the scene is a pivotal look into the relationship between the brothers, and the famous scene has now become an immortalized meme.

21 (2008)

If you want to watch a movie centered around blackjack, 21 is for you. One of the lone movies on this list that happens to be a true story, 21 follows MIT graduates and their leader, their professor, as they take advantage of casinos across the United States.

The team practices heavily intellectual schemes of card counting as they make millions off some of the most prominent casinos. The film popularized card counting across the U.S. after exposing the team’s successful effort of making hundreds of thousands of dollars by taking advantage of casinos, and 21 is regarded as one of the most popular blackjack films of all time.

Austin Powers (1997)

Rivaling The Hangover as one of the funniest casino scenes of all time, Austin Powers features a blackjack scene that will make you laugh as well.

Austin Powers joins a blackjack table with the goal of confronting the main villain, Number Two, and enters in on the blackjack action. Number Two is dealt 17 and still insists on hitting, with the dealer suggesting he stands. He then says “I like to live dangerously” and is dealt a four, resulting in 21. Number Two cheated and used his X-ray vision to see the next card was a four. Austin proceeds to stay on a hand totaling five, stating “I also like to live dangerously” and loses his hand after the dealer shows a 20.

The scene is hysterical every time and is a classic comedic blackjack scene.

Casino Royale (2006)

It’s hard to mention gambling without including the famous James Bond. In the 2006 version of Casino Royale, Bond is featured in a scene around the blackjack table where he squares off against his enemies, the villains of the movie, and what ensues is an iconic showdown.

While this scene doesn’t technically feature actual blackjack being played, it is a scene in a casino at a blackjack table that perfectly captures the wit and confidence of Bond, and as a famous and epic showdown scene with a villain, earns an entry in the list.