Do music and gambling mix? Well, no one can dispute the fact that music influences mood, and, in turn, human behavior. Its effects have been extensively researched. Casinos pipe in certain types of tunes as a psychologic tool to create a certain ambiance to keep players relaxed and playing.
And, while music might be an unnecessary distraction during poker, as players are preoccupied with reading reactions and keep their emotions in check, that doesn’t mean that the activity hasn’t served as inspiration for musicians. Gambling is a thrilling activity, and if you delved deep into any genre’s catalog, you’ll find songs about it. Poker is no exception.
Clint Black – A Good Run of Bad Luck
You probably don’t recognize the title to this one, but if you give it a listen, it’ll come back. It was featured in the 1994 movie Maverick, starring Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster. The video for it has Clint singing with his band and it’s intercut with clips from the film.
The song tells the story about a player who tries to overcome his bad luck, while the movie is about a riverboat poker tournament. Today, you don’t even have to leave your couch to play poker. You can enjoy video poker at one of many great online casinos. You can also find many casino poker variations like Three-Card Poker and Caribbean Stud. On top of this, these platforms offer an unmatched selection of roulette games. One of the most reputable sites that features the best roulette games is casimba.com.
The bottom line is – there’s a lot of fun to be had and money to be made playing online casino games.
The Clash – The Card Cheat
Formed in 1976 London, The Clash is an important band in musical history. They were a key player in the British punk rock movement and contributed to the post-punk and new wave eras. They implemented different elements from different genres in their music and covered all kinds of topics.
The Card Cheat was released in 1979 and it’s the last track on the third side of their third LP, London Calling. The song was written by lead singer Joe Strummer and talks about a person cheating at a game of poker, which leads to his demise. The song’s backing track was so complex that it was never performed live.
Kenny Rogers – The Gambler
Even though this song was made famous by country legend Kenny Rogers, The Gambler was written by Don Schiltz and it was performed and recorded by many artists before it got to him. Bobby Bare was the first in 1976. However, his version didn’t catch on with audiences, though other musicians took notice. Johnny Cash gave it a try two years later, but again, mainstream success was lacking.
Kenny Rogers was the one that finally made the song a success and took it to number one at the country charts. After his death, the song again appeared on the charts and sold tens of thousands of copies, establishing that it remains the song Kenny is most known for and his biggest hit.