Gambling and casinos have focused on quite a few blockbuster movies over the years. However, we also saw our fair share of gambling scenes in popular sitcoms and series. From Friends to How I Met Your Mother, it seems that betting makes for a solid one-episode plot. If you aren’t up to speed with the most iconic gambling scenes in TV shows, we have you covered. Join us as we explore the best, the most amusing, and the overall most popular episodes with gambling.

Friends (S01E18)

We start the list with one of the most popular sitcoms of all time. Friends ran for ten seasons, beginning in 1994 and ending in 2004. During the hundreds of episodes, fans got to see the group of six friends get into all sorts of predicaments. It didn’t take long for gambling to appear on the show in one form or another.

In fact, towards the end of the first season, episode 18 presents a friendly poker game. Here, the guys teach the girls how to play poker. More specifically, they are playing Five Card Draw. After playing for a while, the girls end up losing some cash. When it comes time to settle the score, they demand a rematch at another date. The girls take some quick poker lessons, especially Rachel, who gets pretty good. She is involved in a big hand with Ross. After some back and forth, Ross mucks the cards and tells her she won. He might have let her win based on the reactions, but we don’t get to know for sure.

The Mentalist (S01E06)

The Mentalist should be on your list of TV series to watch if you haven’t already. The American drama ran for 151 episodes from 2008 to 2015. It is a crime procedure television series that features a skilled consultant named Patrick Jane. He helps the detectives solve crimes by using his sharp observation skills. Similar skills can also help when playing some casino games. Nevertheless, he highlights this during the first season’s sixth episode.

The team goes to investigate a crime at a casino in Nevada. When they get there, one of the casino representatives welcomes them. Patrick has a fascinating and reasonably accurate description of casino tactics in a dialog with him. He points out how the casino floor is designed to lead players to the games, with no clocks or windows, and more. There is also constant background noise with bells and whistles to show that someone consistently wins. Of course, Patrick can’t resist taking part in the action. He borrows $100 and promises to pay it back double or triple even.

He goes directly to the blackjack tables, turning that $100 into a sizable bankroll. After moving to the $1,000 table, he catches the attention of the casino staff and is accused of cheating. He explains that he only memorizes the cards, also known as card counting. This blackjack strategy can give players an advantage over the casino but is generally frowned upon. He was asked to stop, to which he complied. However, he still points out a cheating dealer thanks to his extraordinary observation skills.

Later in the same episode, Patrick joins an exclusive high-stakes poker game. He ends up in a heads-up match, and he crushes it. Sadly, we don’t get to see how exactly Patrick won there, but it’s safe to assume that it was done by reading his opponent’s tells. On the final hand, he swaps out half of the deck and bluffs to make his opponent feel very confident. But, of course, the goal was to make him pull out a $100,000 chip which made him a suspect, and not rob him. Nevertheless, an exciting episode to watch for casino fans.

Lucifer (S03E06)

Since we are on the topic of counting cards in blackjack, we can also talk about Lucifer. The casino representation in episode six of season three is not as impressive as in The Mentalist, but it works. Lucifer is a famous TV series based around the actual fallen-angel Lucifer if you are not familiar. He helps some detectives solve crimes. In this episode, he goes with Ella Lopez to a casino to investigate a murder suspect. Since the suspect is the casino’s pit boss, they need to bet big to get her attention.

Lucifer sits down at the blackjack table. While he is new to the game, Ms. Lopez is not, and she guides him on a winning path. She eventually takes the seat and gets spotted for card counting. It turns out Ella was already banned from the casino for using this strategy at the tables. The security guards take the two players to a separate room for questioning. The good news is that they also get some face-to-face time with the prime suspect. Unfortunately, while they won at the blackjack table, they didn’t get the correct lead with the pit boss.

How I Met Your Mother (S02E08)

How I Met, Your Mother had to be on our list. Not only is it a hugely popular TV show, but it also has multiple gambling episodes. With nine seasons to choose from, we definitely had our pick. After all, the friends lived in New York and went to New Jersey on multiple occasions. They stopped by in Atlantic City casinos and even played home poker as part of a wedding party.

Our favorite episode is from season two. In episode 8, Marshall and Lily elope to Atlantic City to get married. However, they find out that this is not as easy as in Las Vegas. Long story short, they need to make $5,000 quick to get married by a ship captain. Barney takes on the task and jumps into a unique casino game. The rules remain vague, but it seems like there is a lot of action in this made-up game. He ends up winning, and they all celebrate.

While you won’t find that game in any casino, there are plenty of options to consider if you feel like betting a bit yourself. Slots, roulette, blackjack, baccarat, video poker, and other games are all popular and much easier to learn. You can even play online and claim no deposit bonuses, extra rewards, and other perks.

Young Sheldon (S05E08)

Indeed, this one is a newer TV series than the ones covered previously. However, Young Sheldon is still running and has been seeing some success. The show started with a decent fan base as a spinoff from the popular series The Big Bang Theory and has increased it. In addition, casino gambling makes its way in the later seasons and appears for several episodes.

The idea is that Sheldon’s grandmother and his brother are running an illegal gambling room with slot machines. They take advantage of a loophole in how they pay the winnings to stay off the police’s radar. While things don’t always go smoothly with the gambling room, it does show his love for gambling even though Sheldon has many principles, as we all know him from the big bang theory. Keep in mind that Young Sheldon is taking place in the 1990s.

A big problem appears when someone hits a big jackpot on one of the machines. Since the owners didn’t save any money, they don’t have the bankroll to cover it. While casinos generally end up winning, players can claim large prizes from time to time. As a result, establishments are prepared with a high level of cash flow. Unfortunately, this small gambling room wasn’t.

The Simpsons (S15E03)

Yes, The Simpsons already did it. As one of the most popular and longest-running TV series of all time, there are a few topics that The Simpsons didn’t touch on. Luckily, casino gambling is not one of them. As a matter of fact, casinos came up multiple times in the 33 seasons. After all, the comedy cartoon sitcom began in 1989. It followed various states to legalize and launch casinos. As a result, we saw one of the characters open a casino in the city, friendly games, and more gambling action.

What we will cover in this guide is episode three of season 15. The school is holding a charitable casino event, and the parents are invited. There are several iconic games here, and the guests seem to be enjoying themselves. After Homer Simpson wins over $200,000, he redeems the chips at the desk. Here, the little boy running the event informs him that this is a charitable casino. While the bets are in real cash, the winnings are not. The other players hear this as well, and a small riot quickly begins.

We should mention that online social casinos follow a similar recipe. Players can purchase chips with real money but can’t withdraw their funds. Consequently, that is why it is always best to read the details or the brochure, as was the case in The Simpsons.

The Office (S02E22)

Most TV series fans probably remember the season two finale for the significant relationship milestone. However, Pam and Jim weren’t the only ones that caught our attention. In this episode of The Office, the team celebrates with a casino night for charity. One of the games available here is Texas hold’em poker. Kevin comes to the table with a WSOP bracelet. He explains how he won the 2002 $2,500 no-limit 2-7 draw poker tournament at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.

We don’t get to see many of Kevin’s hands, but we see one where he busts. His three queens get destroyed by an ace-high flush. To make things even worse, his opponent doesn’t even know how to play or that she has the stronger hand. It just goes to show that luck always plays a role in poker. The episode also has an iconic line from Michael, like most episodes of The Office. His take on gambling is that “If luck weren’t involved, I would be winning.” We can definitely relate to that. After all, he did lose on a failed all-in bluff on the very first hand.

Boardwalk Empire (S04E04)

Boardwalk Empire definitely has plenty of casino gambling scenes for a TV series set in Atlantic City in the 1920s. The drama primarily focuses on the rise of organized crime during the prohibition era in New Jersey. It is also regarded as one of the best TV series with five seasons of impeccable acting, great cinematics, and a thrilling storyline. But we aren’t here to talk about the whole show. Instead, we want to bring forward a small scene.

Episode four of season four is called “All in,” perfectly describing the casino scene. As you would expect, the action revolves around a game of poker. Arnold Rothstein challenges the protagonist, Nucky Thompson, to a high-stakes cash game. Rothstein loses and even borrows $200,000 to go all-in on the final hand. This sum is worth more than $3 million in today’s money.

Nucky calls and turns over the five cards to reveal a queen-high flush. Arnold mucks the hand and only says that he put his opponent on a straight. The scene highlights the dynamic between the two powerful characters, and the actors do a fantastic job.

House M.D. (S02E17)

House M.D. remains a popular TV series with a large following. While the show’s eight seasons ended in 2012, many viewers still follow the antisocial doctor. If you are a big fan of the series, you probably already know which scenes we will focus on.

During season two, the 17th episode shows a fancy poker game at the hospital. House, Wilson, and Cuddy are all playing no-limit Texas hold’em. At the start, House uses some anecdotes to annoy Wilson to get a reaction based on the strength of his hand. The famous doctor then has to leave to take care of a patient but does call Wilson from time to time. The goal is to make sure that his game with Cuddy, the hospital administrator, keeps going. He even gets his diagnostic idea from a poker hand.

Then, the episode ends with just House and Wilson playing heads-up for a bit. But, again, we recommend watching the whole thing, especially for medical dramas and casino games fans.

Star Trek: The Next Generation (S02E09)

We end the list with one of the most iconic TV series of all time, Star Trek: The Next Generation. This sci-fi series that aired for six seasons, starting from 1987, had multiple poker scenes. The best one is arguably when Data plays poker for the first time. The Commander bluffs and makes Data drop the stronger hand, which leaves him somewhat perplexed. While Data sees the game as being simple and straightforward, the Commander shows him that there is plenty of skill involved as well.