Most gambling and online poker films show the game from the player’s side of the story; after all, this is the perception of the viewers. People go to see gambling and poker movies that are already gamblers, and can identify with the action in the film. Very rarely do gambling films reach across the playing divide to show another side of the gambling world. It is typically all player, all the time.
Croupier, a 1998 film, attempts to show online poker from the dealer’s side of the experience. In this film a young gambling fan called Jack deals his way into the gaming scene in London. He has made a personal decision that all people can choose how they want to approach the game, either from the side of the dealer or the side of the player. By choosing to be a dealer, he tries to get at the real heart of the game, as well as live out what he most appreciates about the adrenaline filled lifestyle of the gaming world. Croupier, while not a cinematic success, offers an unusual glimpse into the other side of the gaming equations. Dealers are the most important, and most underrated part of the gambling experience. In this film they finally get their due.
