'Molly's Game' More Accurate Than 'Rounders'? Darren Elias Breaks Down Poker Scenes
Four-time World Poker Tour (WPT) champion Darren Elias sat down with Business Insider to discuss famous poker movie scenes and how accurately they depict the game.
With over $13.4 million in Hendon Mob earnings and a handful of major tournament victories, Elias is qualified to review various poker depictions in popular culture. In the nearly 30-minute video, he broke down key hands from gambling classics like Rounders and Ocean's Eleven as well as mainstream blockbusters like Casino Royale and John Wick: Chapter 4.
The video should interest poker fans and also help Insider's 9.1 million YouTube subscribers understand the nuances of the game.
High Score for Molly's Game, Tomatoes for Casino Royale
Elias had high praise for Rounders and gave the scene of the final showdown between Teddy "KGB" and Mike McDermott an 8/10.
"Tough to be too harsh on Rounders. I think the only nitpicking thing that's wrong with Rounders is bet sizing issues."
Elias gave an even higher score, 9/10, to Molly's Game after reviewing two scenes, including one where a player folds the nuts in a high-stakes private game. "Unrealistic that a player would fold the nuts specifically ... but then again, if you're in a private game and you're with players who don't really know how to play, they may not know that's the best hand."
He also found a scene where a player goes on a death-spiral downswing after getting bluffed off the winning hand to be realistic.
The WPT title record-holder thought less kindly of an infamous Casino Royale scene where Bond wins a nine-figure pot with a straight flush by cracking monster hands.
"Really, the unrealistic part comes when everyone has these hands at the same time," said Elias, who gave the scene a 3/10 and added that Bond's $500,000 tip after winning the hand was "nuts."
Other movies that Elias ranked scenes in include Ocean's Eleven, Maverick, Ballad of Buster of Scruggs and The Sting, as well as an episode of The Simpsons featuring known poker enthusiast Jennifer Tilly.
Head to YouTube to see the full clip of Elias breaking down poker movie scenes.
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