The Last Casino (2004 TV Movie)
8/10
One of the great gambling movies of all time
4 October 2005
Warning: Spoilers
A great watch because you can tell a great deal of time was spent getting the gambling details and terminology correct. A non gambler may watch this movie and not pick up on that, but for die hard, committed, everyday punters like myself, the movie comes off as a great snapshot of what would happen (and does everyday) in the gambling world.

The essence of the movie is this - a gambler must try and put the odds in his or her favour before they make a bet. Otherwise in the long run (unless they are extremely lucky) the percentages will work against the player and a loss will be generated. For example, at blackjack if the player plays sensibly at level stakes without counting cards, the house edge is about 1 to 2%. So if you outlay $10,000 in one session, you can expect to lose on average $100 to $200.

However, in this movie the college professor behind the blackjack team gets them to count cards to put the odds in the long run in the players favour, not the casinos. The 3 students in the movie learn how to keep a running count of cards. When the count is in the players favour (ie when there are more tens to aces in the remaining deck rather then low value cards) it is time to increase the bet to take advantage of the count. Likewise when the count is in the casinos favour, the bet should be reduced to the bare minimum.

After a few teething problems, the maths genius team of youngsters hit their straps and the system brings in big reliable profits. The movie captures the problem of gambling addiction very well. The professor who teaches the students the system loses nearly all of his share of the profits from the blackjack team on the horses and trots. Why does he do this?? Because of the adrenalin rush gamblers get from gambling. He knows the odds are against him when he plays the horses (it is very difficult to beat a 20% takeout edge that the betting agencies take out of the pool before paying out winning customers, unless you are an astute judge of form or have fixed a race). But he cannot help himself. He must be gambling all the time to get his fix, similar to the high of a drug addict I would imagine. He puts the odds in his favour with the blackjack but gives it back on the ponies. He's a gambling addict. And there's the rub because people can and do make money from gambling. Casinos on a whole do very well, bookmakers generally do and there are a few dedicated professionals that make a decent living from simply betting. They win by putting the odds in THEIR FAVOUR. This is a storyline that the movie catches beautifully.

Eventually the students are shut down by the casinos because they want losers in their casinos not winners. They go their separate ways but you can tell they all seem to have been bitten by the gambling bug. Who wouldn't be attracted to working for yourself, working your own hours and only having yourself to blame if things turn nasty. The reality is then that gambling would turn out to be more like a job, the glamour is taken away by the fact that you have to be concentrating all the time to maintain your competitive edge. However it's a job that is a lot more entertaining and enjoyable than your standard office or factory job where there is limited freedom or flexibility. Plus the world is your office.

All in all, a well written, well acted movie. The female student lead was especially hot, and I hope big things are in store for her down the line.

I would certainly rate The Last Casino up there with other great gambling movies such as The Runner, Let It Ride, Rounders and Bookies.
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