Westerns are known for their explosive shootouts but some of the genre's
most memorable moments have featured heroes and villains facing off at the
gambling table.
Let's take a look at three notable examples, and if you fancy a piece of
the action yourself you can head to 22Bet login
and try your luck without the danger of enraging a trigger happy
gunslinger.
A Big Hand for the Little Lady
This 1966 comedy western was adapted from a 1962 TV play. The film sees
five of the wealthiest men in the West gather in the town of Laredo for a
high stakes poker game. Passing through the town is Meredith (Henry
Fonda), a retired gambler who hears about the game and decides to bet his
family's life savings. It goes badly for Meredith until his wife Mary
(Joanne Woodward) takes his place for one final hand. What the other
players don't realise is that Mary is actually a legendary poker
ace!
The Gambler
You may not have seen this 1980 TV movie starring Kenny Rogers but you've
no doubt heard him singing the country song that inspired it. In the
movie, Rogers plays Brady Hawkes, who takes a train to Yuma when he
receives a worrying letter from the son he never knew. On the train he
befriends a young gambler, Billy Montana (Bruce Boxleitner), who is headed
for a poker tournament in San Francisco. Hawkes takes Montana under his
wing and teaches him that "You gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to
fold 'em."
Maverick
The popular 1960s TV show received a big screen remake in 1994 with Mel
Gibson taking over the title role once played by James Garner. The movie
sees Maverick attempt to win a stake in what is billed as the largest
poker tournament in history. In the run up to the tournament he attempts
to romance Annabelle Bransford (Jodie Foster), who is equally talented at the gaming
table. Garner pops up not as a card player but as the town Sheriff here.
The film was directed by Richard Donner, who had previously worked with
Gibson on Lethal Weapon.