Best Gambles

Everyone loves a gambler. How a person responds to risk can say a lot about their character, and from the riverboats of the 19th century to the World Poker Tour card sharks of the 21st, America has long embraced the combination of carefree the insouciance and iron-willed courage it takes to commit to a real gamble.

The latest media celebration of the gambler comes courtesy of CBS, where their new musical drama Viva Laughlin follows the ups and downs of a burgeoning casino operation. The premiere of Viva Laughlin got us thinking: what are the most amazing risks we've seen in entertainment? What characters have thrilled us with their high stakes choices and life or death all-in moves? Over the course of this list we'll revisit some of the Best Gambles ever, by men and women with some of the biggest stones ever. Because unless you're willing to risk everything, you can prove nothing.

Begin: Ocean's Eleven >>