James Bond’s tense card game against Le Chiffre in Casino Royale named best ever movie poker scene
JAMES Bond’s heart-pounding card game against Le Chiffre in Casino Royale has been named the best ever poker movie scene.
The clash between 007 and the terrorist at a Montenegro casino saw the British spy staggering out having been poisoned mid-match.
Daniel Craig's Bond eventually won the $120 million match - but wound up getting tortured by Mads Mikkelson’s villain.
The scene beat Rain Man, where Tom Cruise's character Charlie Babbitt took his autistic brother Raymond, played by Dustin Hoffman, to a casino in Vegas to count cards.
Third place went to The Sting, for the high-stake Five Card Draw scene on a train where Henry Gondorff plays against mobster Doyle Lonnegan.
The ultra-violent moment in 1990 Scorsese flick Goodfellas, when psycho gangster Tommy DeVito overreacts and kills Spider, took fourth place.
Making up the top five, in , is the moment in Cool Hand Luke when Paul Newman’s character beats his fellow inmates by showing his great bluffing skills.
A spokesman for 888 Poker Online said: “There are all manner of twists and turns in a game of poker so it is perfect for cinema.
“In many of the scenes featured in the top 10 movie goers are able to get some sense of the pressure and intensity of a real game.
“The game is unpredictable and no game is ever the same so you’re never short of surprises whether you’re watching it or taking part.”
Film's greatest poker scenes
1. Casino Royale (2006) James Bond takes on terrorist Le Chiffre in a high-stakes tournament.
2. Rain Man (1988) Tom Cruise film about a man whose brother can count cards in Black Jack.
3. The Sting (1973) Paul Newman plays five-card draw against a mobster on a train.
4. Goodfellas (1990) Joe Pesci goes crazy when, during a game of poker, a man forgets to get him a drink.
5. Cool Hand Luke (1967) Paul Newman plays poker with his fellow inmates and wins the game with his bluffing skills.
6. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) Nick Moran loses everything to a cheating crimelord.
7. The Cincinnati Kid (1965) A poker player known as The Kid takes on the best card player in the country.
8. Maverick (1994) Mel Gibson takes on Alfred Molina in a big-money game.
9. Casino (1995) Robert De Niro asks 'Cowboy' to take his feet off the poker table - but he refuses.
10. Casino (1995) Joe Pesci's character kicks off (yes again) during a game.
Other iconic poker-featuring movies include Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), The Cincinnati Kid (1965) and Maverick (1994).
The poll showed that 39 per cent find watching poker in general to be entertaining – and 26 per cent think this is why the game works so well in film.
However just 27 per cent said they understand the rules of the game.
Carried out through OnePoll, the research found a third of Brits have played poker at one time or another.
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