The casino environment is arguably the most perfect setting ever conceived for cinematic storytelling.

For decades, films have used the spin of the roulette wheel or the turn of a card to build unbearable suspense.

James Bond and the Game of Baccarat

No character in cinematic history is more heavily associated with glamorous casino gambling than James Bond.

The most famous modern iteration occurred in the 2006 reboot "Casino Royale," starring Daniel Craig.

• James Bond established the trope of the sophisticated, tuxedo-clad gambler
• "Casino Royale" popularized Texas Hold'em for a massive mainstream audience
• Bond's nonchalant attitude toward massive losses defines his character

Rain Man and Counting Cards

Hoffman's autistic savant character, Raymond, possesses the incredible ability to memorize the exact cards played from a multi-deck shoe.

They sit at the tables and systematically dismantle the house edge, winning massive sums of money efficiently.

Martin Scorsese's "Casino"

Starring Robert De Niro as Sam "Ace" Rothstein, the film perfectly documents the mob-run era of 1970s Las Vegas.

This film remains the definitive, gritty cinematic thesis on the true nature of the Las Vegas gambling machine.

They remind us that within the walls of a casino, absolutely anything can happen when the cards are dealt.