#9: Rounders (1998)
Call, fold, or go all-in — this week the dads ante up with Rounders, the 1998 cult classic that made poker feel like high-stakes destiny. We’re talking Matt Damon at peak earnestness, Edward Norton in full wildcard mode, and John Malkovich chewing scenery (and Oreos) as the unforgettable Teddy KGB.
We unpack what made this movie the gateway drug for every early-2000s poker kid, relive our own amateur card shark phases, and debate whether the movie holds up in a post–Texas Hold ’Em world. There’s plenty of table talk: underground games, legal drama, loyalty, betrayal — and why no one in this film ever just goes to class.
Is Rounders a slick character study, a glorified gambling PSA, or just an excuse to wear hoodies in dimly lit rooms? We’ve got the chips and the hot takes.
