5 Poker Lessons from the Cult Classic Poker Film Rounders
In 1998, as Edward Norton and Matt Damon were starting to make names for themselves, they starred in a gritty, underground poker movie called Rounders.
Directed by John Dahl, the film follows Mike (Damon), a former poker player who lost big to a Russian mobster (John Malkovich), and is now trying to put his life together, become a law student and stay with his girlfriend.
His good pal Worm (Norton) is a con man and poker player who is getting out of prison and eager to get back into the game. With Worm’s influence, Mike is about to have his obsession come back alive.
This movie became a cult classic with its main compelling characters, a supporting cast of talent like John Turturro, Martin Landau, and Famke Janssen, cool poker scenarios and authentic lingo.
Not only is Rounders great entertainment (Malkovich’s accent aside) but there are some lessons that today’s poker players can take away.
1. Play for Fun
While most of the film is about career poker players or professionals making their way through underground game of poker poker , there are a few scenes where people play poker for fun or have regular games with colleagues.
In one scene, Mike enters a room where his professor is playing poker with several other judges and legal scholars. In narration, he says:
“In this collection of great legal minds there isn’t a single real card player.”
The group gets together to simply play cards and enjoy the conversations and debates.
Playing in a regular, friendly game can help improve your overall poker skills. You can learn how to read people and their cards better as well as practice new theories or tryout different methods, such as being more aggressive with betting or bluffing more frequently in an environment that offers more safety.
But poker should be fun, so there’s nothing wrong with enjoying the game with friends.
2. Beware of the Professionals
At the beginning of the film, Mike says:
“After a half-hour at the table, if you can’t spot the sucker, you’re it.”
While that might not be true every time you play at a land-based casino or online casino, it is something to consider. There is another scene in which Mike and Worm hit a local casino and point out the obvious amateurs and how easy it is take their money.
Professionals can make some quick money playing against amateurs, especially in a land-based casino. There is more anonymity on an online casino and no one can look you in the eyes, but it doesn’t mean there aren’t players more professional than you at those tables.
If you feel as if you’re in too deep, simply walk away. It’s not worth losing your money to prove anything.
Mike points out to his girlfriend (Gretchen Mol) that the fact that the same five poker players make it to the World Series of Poker, isn’t a coincidence and it’s not because they always get the best cards, they know how to play the cards they’re dealt and the people they’re in competition with.
3. Watch Your Tells
There are several scenes that Mike, via narration, will point out poker players’ tells, especially when he’s playing against the amateurs in a casino. At one point, he figures out a major figure’s tell and is able to win a significant hand.
Everyone has habits and it’s hard to hide them, especially if you haven’t been practicing ways to not giveaway your hand. If you’re playing with friends, be aware of yours and others’ nervous habits (shaking leg, fiddling with chips) or trying to hide the delight that your card came up.
Online casinos make this harder to read others – no one is going to see your wide grin because of a good hand. Here are some tells to consider when playing poker online.
- Monitor betting patterns. If a passive player suddenly bets big, they will likely have a good hand or trying to bluff.
- Timing of bets. Another online poker tell would be how quickly they bet. If they bet fast, they’re confident. If they take their time, it might mean they are debating whether their hand is good enough.
- Table talking. Some online casinos allow players to chat. Just like in the world, you might come across someone who is aggressive and pressuring people to bet. Keep in mind, someone talking about you’re playing and strategy indicates they want you to make a move in their favor.
4. Check Your Emotions
Worm is a very emotional character. He makes irrational decisions, says what’s on his mind and never seems to learn from his (many poor) actions. It’s his emotions that get him into trouble. Mike, on the other hand, is more reserved and calculated; his emotions are tamer.
Now, you may not owe a bad guy thousands of dollars, but what a poker player can see is how emotions can get you into trouble.
Unchecked emotions, or tilt, lead to rash decision-making. So, whether it’s poker, blackjack or any other casino game, if you find yourself making decisions based on emotions, consider stepping away and clearing your head.
Emotions can lead you to make bad bets to chase losses in blackjack or calling bets at the poker table when normally you would fold.
5. Losing Happens, So Does Winning
When Mike picks Worm up from prison, he indicates that he doesn’t play poker anymore. Worm assumes it’s because Mike hit a string of bad cards. That wasn’t the case in the film but it brings up something to remember: losing streaks happen. It’s inevitable in just about any game.
Don’t stress out too much if you hit a losing streak as long as you’re not betting more than you can afford. As Mike says:
“You can’t lose what you don’t put in the middle!”
A winning steak can happen at any time too so luck does turn around. It’s important not to assume you know when either streak is coming because you simply can’t. If you stick to a proven strategy, you’ll find your way out of the slump.
Play for Fun Not For Profit
Perhaps one of the biggest lessons of Rounders is that poker should be played for fun.
While the idea of being a professional poker player sounds exciting and fun, most of the people in the movie who spend their lives going from game to game seem to live under contrast stress.
Most of have other jobs they do too.
There are several scenes where Mike and Worm are joining on established games with college students, hipsters, even police officers. The ones who seem to enjoy playing the most are those they’re playing against.
These folks do it as an activity with friends – so if you’re playing poker, blackjack, craps, slots or any other casino game, make sure you’re playing for the fun of it.
Title Image Credit: Miramax