This traditionally rhythmic Samba offers a very complex bass line, however, due to the way the final production was mixed down, the end product is exceptionally easy on the ears!

The track features heavy bass and synth; however, if you listen carefully you will hear the tinkle of the ivories from time to time.

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When listening to The Gambler, it's hard not to picture the 19th-century saloon games we see littering Hollywood cowboy cinema.

The song has that rough, authentic vinyl sound, and the video even opens with Rogers himself dressed as a wealthy western gentleman, with two six-shooters slung over his shoulder.

It's easy to imagine Rogers sitting at a small, saloon cash game table. The game is destined to regress into a stool-smashing brawl after countless whiskeys have been slid the length of the bar.

He looks as bad ass as every poker player thinks they do today. Despite being released at least a century the time of the 'cowboys', The Gambler really is an excellent reminder of one of the coolest and excitingly periods in poker's history.

It was a time of outlaws and gunslinging; of Billy the Kid, Jesse James and Butch Cassidy; of train robbing and cattle hustling.

It doesn't get much wilder than the 'Wild West'. I think the thrill-seeking year-old within all of us still identifies as this kind of maverick whenever we sit at the poker table.

When listening to such a classic, it's as hard not to get lost in fantasy as it is to consider how things have evolved within the poker world.

With protected casino and online games, we're kind of spoilt these days, and so it's easy to take the safety of modern poker for granted. In a world of HUDs, solvers, and GTO nerds, the game may have come a long way since the days of 'know[ing] when to run', but it's still a joy to lose yourself in Rogers' nostalgic cinematic fantasy for the three and a half melodic minutes of The Gambler.

Music is almost as important to cinema as the plot. If used well, music can achieve wonderful things: It can build suspense, add comedy, titillate and terrify.

Unsurprisingly, casinos are a staple of poker cinema, and cardrooms are typically portrayed as sexy and exciting places onscreen.

Therefore, poker films tend to associate a lot of upbeat and engaging instrumental music with them especially during winnings streaks. In fact, the use of music in poker movies is actually pretty impressive, but, since most people are focused on the action, it often goes unnoticed.

The opening poker scene in Rounders is a great example. Here, John Dahl the movie's director cleverly uses slick, mysterious music when explaining the rules of Hold'em.

It's sophisticated and upbeat, which turns what is essentially a boring rule explanation into something far more fun and engaging. The slickness adds the same lux and swag that brings much of the allure to high-stakes poker, enabling the audience to share the fantasy.

Of course, when Mike loses to Teddy's 'Ayses fool', Dahl predictably and effectively pulls out the violins. But generally speaking, Rounders tends to associate poker with this kind of sophisticated yet energetic music.

Well, as any of you familiar with the mind control technique, known as NLP will understand Derren Brown's social experiments are among the most famous examples.

Subtle audio can have insane powers of persuasion and influence. The positive musicality we see or hear in a lot of poker movies allows the director to portray the game as fun and exciting.

Positive music builds positive connotations, and this helps to dissolve any negative poker stereotypes. As a result, the audience begins to see the game as an asset rather than a hindrance, which helps get the theme on the same page as the movie's hero pun intended.

As you might expect, we see this kind of thing regularly elsewhere in poker cinema. Along with the aforementioned Rounders, Like when Mike turns to 'rolled up aces of kings' after his girlfriend leaves him, or after he 'traps' the questionably accented Teddy 'KGB' , movies such as Lucky You, Runner Runner, and Maverick all use the same technique throughout.

Watch them and keep an eye out for it — It's fascinating As you can tell, I'm also a blast at parties!

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About the Author AngusD AngusD switched from pro chess to poker two decades ago and has been professionally involved in the game on numerous levels since the very beginning of online poker, including playing as a poker ambassador both online and at major festivals around the globe.

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