What’s Made Blackjack Such A Hit with Filmmakers?

One reason blackjack is popular is its simplicity. You only have to play blackjack online at Paddy Power to see how easy it is to pick up the rules. While this site might offer over 30 different versions of the game, the basic rules are always essentially the same. This means that for films that include casino or card games, viewers typically understand what the characters are doing and why. This means they don’t have to try to figure out the rules of the characters’ game while they could be focusing on the plot.

If you compare this to another game such as poker, it’s a very different story. Poker relies on a working knowledge of the ranking of the different hands as well as an understanding of the different kinds of bets that are made once the game is in play. So, for someone without this knowledge, it can be quite difficult to work out what’s going on and who is getting the upper hand. The context of the situation can help, but it still leaves room for confusion. With blackjack, it’s just a question of being able to add up to 21 that dictates whether filmgoers will know what’s going on.

This doesn’t just work in dramatic situations–it can be used for comedic ones as well. Just check out the first Austin Powers movie, which is still hilarious 25 years after release, even if the writers at GQ magazine disagree. In the blackjack scene in question, Mike Myers’ character sticks on five, showing his complete lack of knowledge of the rules. Then, as the final zinger, he says he likes to live dangerously. As most viewers will know this is a terrible move that won’t get him anywhere in the game, it creates humour that otherwise wouldn’t be accessible if the rules were more complicated or less widely known.