Then they take their money so adroitly the rubes don't even know it, except once in a while, when the rounders get greedy or arrogant character, as corrupted by talent and chaos ensues. But as brilliant as they are as card sharks, they're better as people sharks: They read rubes like primers, from the wiggle of their nostrils to the eloquent language of their constricting larynxes. They can do more than count cards, they can alphabetize them. It watches card players touched with genius, so far up the pyramid, so into the ozone of jacks and clubs, they can feel the run of the numbers and memorize the sequence of the face cards. It's about talent, and whether you let it corrupt or liberate your character. John Dahl's 'Rounders' is full of tense poker scenes, where fortune rides on the snap of a card and the loft of a bluffer's eyebrow or how many times someone holding for real licks his lips, but it's not really about card playing. It’s an atmosphere most other films fail to replicate.Matt Damon is a card shark in 'Rounders.' And I likewise know the crushing defeat of not being able to buy a hand, literally and figuratively. I’ve never played anything even remotely resembling high stakes, but I understand the rush of hitting a hot streak of a few hands in a row. But for those that do understand the game, even if only moderately, the way Rounders handles the gameplay is much more accurate, thereby creating a more reliable and familiar sense of drama.īut even further than the gameplay itself, Rounders is able to capture the feeling of a poker game.

For those that don’t understand hold ’em, it may prove less dramatic than the elevated stakes of a Casino Royale-esque scene. Even more so when you consider that each hand improves as they go around the table.īut Rounders takes a more realistic approach to the game. The odds of it playing out that way are astronomical to a hilarious level. This is a problem with most movies that showcase any amount of poker.

Rounders bad poker scene