Top TV Shows About Gambling
In a word where more and more people are spending an increasing amount of time online or in front of their devices, two specific industries and companies have seen an influx in revenue and growth. It should come as no surprise that online streaming sites, such as Netflix and Amazon, is one of those industries that has seen increased uptake and viewership in recent times.
The online gambling industry is another industry that has seen an influx with player numbers reaching record figures and many mobile and online focussed operators seeing increased revenue for 2024. If you love gambling and also love a healthy dose of great television, then you will want to tune in to these top TV shows that combine those two things in one great offering:
1. Poker After Dark
Poker in the Dark started back in 2007 and after a brief cancellation period in 2011 returned to screens in 2012 with some previously unaired episodes. The Poker After Dark TV show follows a Poker game with increasing blinds which start at $100 or $200. The show is like watching a real-life sporting event with each Poker playing wearing a microphone.
There is overlayed commentary just like in a sporting event and a number of top Poker pros making regular appearances on the show, such as Johnny Chan, Daniel Negreanu, Chris Moneymaker and Annie Duke. The show gives the audience a glimpse into how a real professional Poker game plays out, giving a rare look at the playing techniques and tricks of some of the best in the business.
2. Breaking Vegas
Although unfortunately canceled, Breaking Vegas is still available on my online streaming sites. The show, which was inspired by the documentary movie, Breaking Vegas: The True Story of the MIT Blackjack Team, looks at the real lives of gamblers who would do anything to win right here, including the use of illegal devices and sleight of hand techniques that wouldn’t fly in online Blackjack.
The show looks at some of the most notorious ways to cheat such as past-posting and marking cards while also covering a number of legal methods such as dice control and card counting. One of the most popular episodes looks at the computer-aided card counting schemes that we based on the mob funded Kelly criterion research from MIT professor Edward O. Thorp, also known as Professor Blackjack.
3. Las Vegas
One of the most well-known fictional television shows to revolve around gambling was NBC’s comedy-drama Las Vegas. The show ran between 2003 and 2008 and you can find it for download on some streaming channels.
Set in a Montecito hotel and featuring the staff of the hotel as well as the casino guests, the premise focusses around an ex-CIA agent that becomes the president of the hotel and the boss of the casino and revolves around the daily ongoings at the casino. James Caan, the main actor on the show, also appeared in the first two Godfather movies. Although the show has been widely criticised it does feature some pretty big-named guest stars such as Jean Claude Van Damme, Alec Baldwin and Sylvester Stallone. Unfortunately, and do be warned, the show ends on a cliff-hanger due to it being cancelled in season five.
4. Stan Lee’s Lucky Man
From the well-known late Stan Lee comes this television drama. Stan Lee’s Lucky Man follows the life of a gambling addict and homicide detective who is in serious financial trouble and has lost his family. The down and out detective decides to turn his life around when he gets his hands on a bracelet that gives him the power to control his luck. This British TV Show has been aired on a number of major streaming providers and is still available for download on many today.
5. The Casino
Mark Burnett, who is famous for producing Survivor, created the documentary reality tv show The Casino which follows two millionaires who are managers of the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino. The show originally aired on Fox in 2004 and gave gambling lovers a fascinating glimpse into the running of a real casino hotel.
6. Tilt
Created by ESPN, Tilt was a fictional drama-filled show that was set against the Las Vegas World Championship of Poker and revolved around a Poker player who would lure in unsuspecting suckers into his game. A number of real life professional Poker players make appearances in Tilt but unfortunately, the nine episode mini-series was not renewed beyond the first season.
7. The World Poker Tour
Lauded as one of the best Poker shows of all time, The World Poker Tour was first aired in 2003 and at one point in its long history was the most-watched show on television. Along with showing real Poker events the show also looks as some of the behind-the-scenes action. You can still watch a variety of reruns and repeats of the various World Poker Tour shows on a number of channels.
8. Celebrity Poker Showdown
Although no longer on the air, Bravo’s Celebrity Poker Showdown pitted celebrities against each other with some serious cash on the line for their respective charities during the five season run. Sometimes players could even be looking at winnings of $1 million on a single hand.
The game show did wonders for boosting the popularity of Poker in the mainstream market, with many beginner Poker players taking to the show to learn the basics of the game as viewers can see where the players went wrong and why.
Some of the world’s most famous names have started on the show including the likes of Ben Affleck, David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry, Kathy Griffin, Jason Bateman, Tony Hawk, Ricki Lake and Rosie O’Donnell.
9. Vegas Strip
Vegas Strip is a documentary-style show that follows a few cops who monitor the streets of Las Vegas. While the show doesn’t directly deal with gambling it does show an interesting side to one of the world’s popular casino areas. This entertaining real-life look at life in Las Vegas and all that it entails first premiered in 2011 and ran for three seasons.
