Favorite Gambling Songs
Las Vegas is the gambling and entertainment capital of the world, known as much for its magic, comedy, and miscellaneous jaw-dropping shows as its casinos and casino games. Vegas, which has taken on an almost larger-than-life personality, is a city unlike any other with its bright lights and non-stop action. Its highs and lows have been captured in movies like "Leaving Las Vegas," on television shows such as "Las Vegas", and of course, in song. We've all heard the phrase "you gotta know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em," just one of the most popular songs that people love to sing in Vegas casinos, especially when they win.
"The Gambler" by Kenny Rogers
This song about poker and life, recorded by country and western legend Kenny Rogers in 1978 tells the late-night tale of a meeting between a man (voiced by Rogers) and a gambler on a train. The gambler is not doing well ("out of aces") and after a "last swallow" of whiskey, he gives him some life advice in the language of poker to the chorus:
You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count your money when youre sittin at the table.
Therell be time enough for countin when the dealins done.
The song ends with the gambler dying (he "broke even") and the narrator taking his advice ("an ace that I could keep.")
"Luck Be a Lady" by Frank Sinatra
"Luck Be a Lady" first appeared in the musical "Guys and Dolls" in the 1950s. Sung by Marlon Brando, it tells the story of a gambler whose future with his dream girl rests on the outcome of a bet. It is remembered today not for this version but for the remake, sung by Frank Sinatra.
"Blackjack" by Ray Charles
Another popular gambling song, "Blackjack" is about a man who has no luck when it comes to the game of 21. Charles sings, "Hey hey hey yeah; How unlucky can one man be; Well every quarter I get;
Lord, blackjack takes it away from me." No matter what happens, he can't seem to win like when the dealer flips a five on sixteen to beat the singer's two tens.
Charles wrote the song in honor of classic blues guitarist T. Bone Walker after taking all his money in blackjack.
Here are some of peoples' favorite gambling songs to sing when piling up the winnings:
- Ace of Spades - Motorhead
- Aces Suzy - Bogguss
- Angel And The Gambler (The) - Iron Maiden
- Blackjack - Ray Charles
- Bottle of Smoke - Pogues
- Calcutta Auction - The Michael Stanley Band
- Card Cheat (The) - The Clash
- Casino Queen - Wilco
- Cincinnati Kid (The) - Ray Charles
- Cowboy Junkies Lament - Townes Van Zandt
- Deacon Blues - Steely Dan
- Deal - Grateful Dead
- Deal Tom - T. Hall
- Deal 'em Again - Christopher Cross
- Dealer - Traffic
- Dollar Bill Blues - Townes Van Zandt
- Desperado - The Eagles
- Draw Blank - State Of Alert
- Draw Of The Cards - Kim Carnes
- Easy Money - Billy Joel
- Five Card Stud - Ace Frehley
- Gambler - Madonna
- Gambler (The) - Kenny Rogers
- Gambler (The) - Leonard Cohen
- Gambler (The) - Woody Guthrie
- Have a Lucky Day - Morphine
- Heads Up, Final Table - P. Windrum
- Honey (Won't You Open That Door?) - Ricky Skaggs
- House Of The Rising Sun - The Animals
- If I Lose - Ricky Skaggs
- Jack (The) - AC/DC
- Joker (The) - The Steve Miller Band
- Joker's Wild (The) - Insane Clown Posse
- Kentucky Gambler - Merle Haggard
- Lay Your Money Down - Bread
- Lily, Rosemary & The Jack Of Hearts - Bob Dylan
- Little Queen of Spades - Robert Johnson
- Loser (The) - Grateful Dead
- Losing Hand - Ray Charles
- Luck Be a Lady - Frank Sinatra
- Luck Of The Draw - Bonnie Raitt
- Moonlight Gambler (The) - Frankie Laine
- Mother the Queen of My Heart - Jerry Lee Lewis
- Mr. Siegal - Tom Waits
- Mr Gold and Mr Mud - Townes Van Zandt
- My Last Words - Megadeth
- No Cheap Thrill - Suzanne Vega
- Norman the Gambler - Max Romeo and the Upsetters
- Patience - P. Windrum
- Poker - Electric Light Orchestra
- Ramble on Rose - Grateful Dead
- Rex's Blues - Townes Van Zandt
- Royal Straight Flush - Banda Conexao
- Scarlet Begonias - Grateful Dead
- Shape of My Heart -Sting
- Smoke! Smoke! Smoke that Cigarette! - Tex Williams
- St John the Gambler - Townes Van Zandt
- Still the Same - Bob Seger
- Strangers Song - Leonard Cohen
- Summer Wages - Ian Tyson
- There's A Place In The World For A Gambler - Dan Fogelberg
- Three Card Trick - Clash
- Truckin' - Grateful Dead
- Tumbling Dice - Rolling Stones
- Turn of a Friendly Card - Alan Parsons
- Uptown Poker Club - Jerry Reed
- Walking Away A Winner 0 - Kathy Mattea
- We're an American Band - Grand Funk
- Winner Takes It All (The) - Abba
- With a Little Bit O' Luck - My Fair Lady Soundtrack
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