Movie makers often revisit and recycle old cliches and tropes, sometimes because it’s a default, easy thing to do, and sometimes because it’s something so popular that a director knows is going to work. One such scene in filmmaking is when a casino player is trying to keep their cool as they go “all-in”. It remains a popular dramatic beat that has been done time and time again.

It’s typically a huge moment where the focus is all on a blend of chance and skill, and whether the protagonist is going to pull off something miraculous. There’s often a good close-up of the player who is going “all-in” to emphasize their stress, things often fall silent, and a bit of slow-motion never seems to go amiss from the cinematic playbook. This moving moment has been done time and time again, but is it nothing more than a tired cliche, or is it something timeless?

Raising the Stakes

The stakes don’t get any higher at the poker table than when someone breaks the silence in the room with an announcement of “all-in”. The expression first appeared at real tables, but then made its way online. Now, at online casinos like those reviewed by experts on the review site legalcasino.uk, players can go all-in at a poker table or in other games. These can be small amounts, so players can play responsibly.

Still, for many, the phrase “all-in” instantly brings to mind high-stakes scenes from films, where heroes and villains alike push millions across the tables of land-based casinos. But what do those scenes really show us?

The Timeless Tool?

The “all-in” act is a timeless tool. Any scene that involves someone throwing everything on a Hail Mary sports bet, putting all the chips on a single roulette number or challenging an opponent at the poker table is intense, even though you know it’s a moment that’s coming. It’s a classic device for building tension, but more than that, because it’s also character-revealing.

The character is either in a state of desperation, and they show that by trying to hide how much they are falling apart inside to let it all ride, or they have pure courage in their conviction. Whether they believe fully in their own skill or entrust that luck will be on their side, cool characters have no issues with going “all-in”.

It’s a moment that’s more than just the flip of a card, as it’s a plot device that will determine where the character goes from there. It’s a pivotal point of a character’s journey, as everything is laser-focused on that moment. Will it turn out all right? Will things fall apart further?

Done and Done

There are some great examples of well-executed “all-in” moments in movies. A great one is from Rounders, which gives a very real depiction of gambling. Mike McDermott, played by Matt Damon, goes head-to-head with Teddy KGB (John Malkovich), and Mike goes all-in. It’s a skill moment, because he believes he has caught his opponent’s “tell” and has a moment to take out the villain. It’s an intense scene, and wonderfully climactic.

In Casino Royale, James Bond, played by Daniel Craig, meets baddie Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) at the Texas Hold’em poker table. It’s not a particularly realistic scene because the hands that come up are statistically improbable. So the cinematic license takes over for the big $115 million pot that’s up for grabs, and it’s still a great scene.

Where Rounders is all about skill and reality, it’s all about a battle of ego between Bond and Le Chiffre, and the scene has plenty of uncomfortable close-ups of their faces and Bond going “all-in” just encapsulates his character, a little bit reckless, but totally committed to the cause and is the expert of holding his nerve.

Strategic Risk

Everything involved in gambling is a strategic risk for the gambler. They are staking their own money with no guarantee that luck is going to be on their side and that they are going to come away with a win. Doing an “all-in” scene must feel like a risk because it’s been done so many times before.

But when done right, and not lazily, where it feels like there’s nothing at stake for the character, it’s still a fantastic piece of cinema. It’s not a cliche; it’s a necessary plot tool under the right circumstances, and again, when it’s done right, it will draw an audience in without fail. It will get the heart pumping a little bit faster, breaths will be held as that all-important card is revealed.