Bridge Films

The Gambler (1974)

James Caan is good in this one about a college professor who just can't stop gambling despite losing again and again. It's quite painful to watch the pain he inflicts on his friends and family as he goes on and on making crazy bets and suffering horrific losses.

He bets mostly on basketball but there is a short scene where we cut to the end of a Bridge game (in Las Vegas I think) where the opponents score 2NT and he's lost heavily thereby. I can only assume they had a partscore, vulnerable for this to be plausible.

I think this scene is in the film to show he is mad enough to bet on anything. After all you need years of theory and practice to play Bridge in order to lose spectacularly - just ask anyone who has played with me.

Summary

Bridge relevance
Not very relevant as I recall. Why couldn't he have lost in a more bone-crunching contract like 3NT doubled vulnerable minus three? I would have stood up and applauded that.