Blackjack is one of the most iconic games ever invented. Little wonder several movies have included it in their script.  In this article, you’ll find some of the best Blackjack movies to ever hit the big screens. 

These movies not only showcase the allure of Blackjack, but they have solid plots with unexpected twists that’ll leave you gripping the edge of your seat in suspense or rolling on the floor in laughter. 

1. Rain Man 

This is arguably the most popular blackjack movie. It tells the story of Charlie, a car collector in Los Angeles who landed in massive debt after the four cars he tried to import failed emission tests. 

As Charlie tried to figure out how to settle his creditor, whom he obtained a loan from to buy the cars, he learned of his father's death. He traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he discovered that his father had only left him a Buick convertible and rose bushes. 

During his visit to Ohio, Charlie met his autistic elder brother Raymond, whom he didn’t know existed. The two traveled back to Los Angeles by road because Raymond feared flying. 

Raymond had a special gift for performing complex calculations and counting numbers. Charlie utilized Raymond’s superhuman abilities to win $86,000 by playing blackjack at Caesars Palace Hotel in Las Vegas. The money was enough to pay Charlie’s debts, and he returned to Los Angeles debt-free. 

2. The Hangover 

The Hangover is about a wild, adventurous night in Vegas. Doug took two of his friends, Phil and Stu, and his future brother-in-law Alan to Las Vegas two days before his wedding.  

While there, they booked a suite at Caesars Palace Hotel and ended up drunk. The next day, the boys woke up to complete chaos — a tiger in the hotel room, a baby in the closet, and the groom-to-be was missing. 

In their quest to uncover what happened the previous night and find Doug, they discovered that Stu got married to a hooker named Jade (the mother of the baby in the closet), they stole Mike Tyson’s tiger, and the police impounded the Mercedes car they came to Vegas in. 

After returning Tyson’s tiger, they were attacked by a gangster named Chow — a man they found in the trunk of the Mercedes after they recovered it. Chow accused them of kidnapping him and stealing poker chips worth $80,000. He ordered them to return his money if they wanted to see Doug alive again. 

With the help of Stu and Jade, Alan used his knowledge of blackjack to win $82,400 at the casino. However, when they went to exchange the money for Doug, the group discovered that it was not the Doug they were looking for. They eventually found Doug on the roof of the hotel. 

3. The Croupier 

The movie tells the story of Jack, an unsuccessful writer who became a croupier at a casino to make ends meet. Jack broke many casino policies, including sleeping with fellow croupier Bella. His one-night stand with Bella almost cost him his relationship with his girlfriend, Marion. 

Jack was approached by a gambler named Jani, who wanted him to be the inside man for a robbery at the casino he worked at. Jack accepted the offer and a £10,000 deposit. The robbery failed, thanks to Marion, who uncovered the plan and alerted the police. 

After the robbery failed, Marion was killed in a hit-and-run. Jack eventually finished and anonymously published a book he had been working on. The book was a hit, but the money didn’t change Jack. He still lived in his basement apartment and continued to work as a croupier.  

Towards the end of the movie, Jack learns that his father helped him get the croupier job at the casino because he wanted him to help with the robbery. Jack’s father also confessed that he benefited from the arrangement as well. 

4. 21 

Ben, a mathematics major at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), got accepted into Harvard Medical School but couldn’t afford the tuition. He applied for a scholarship that would cover the cost of his education, but the competition was stiff. 

A solution appeared when Micky, a professor at MIT, invited Ben to join the school’s blackjack team. Using card counting and other blackjack strategies, the team consistently won at casinos and made large profits. 

On one of the team’s nights out, Ben lost $200,000, which made Micky quit the team. Ben is asked to repay the money. The team kept playing without Micky but soon found themselves in trouble when they were caught by Williams, the head of security in one of the casinos they played in. 

Williams and Micky have unfinished business, so he asks the team to lure Micky to the casino. The plan worked, and Micky was apprehended. However, as Ben was leaving the casino, Williams robbed him of his winnings at gunpoint with the excuse that he needed the money for his retirement. 

5. The Gambler 

Jim was a literature professor by day and a professional gambler at night. He ended up in debt of $250,000 to Lee and Baraka —the owner of an underground gambling ring and a loan shark. With only a week to pay up or get killed, Jim had to come up with something fast. 

He eventually got the money from his mother, Roberta, after he couldn’t get it from another loan shark named Frank. But instead of paying off his debt, Jim gambled the money away by playing blackjack. 

Baraka kidnaps and tortures Jim and forces him to convince Lamar, a basketball player in his class, to engage in point shaving. Frank later lent Jim some money, and he used part of it to bribe Lamar to agree to the point-shaving deal. His plan succeeded, and he used his profits to pay off Baraka. 

But Jim’s problems were not over because he still owed Lee and Frank. He invited both men to an underground gambling den where he staked all his money on a roulette spin. After he won the bet, he used his winnings to settle his debt.