Famous people in history II: v. 2 (Famous People in History). With Whip and Spur: Twelve Famous Rides in American History. The Most Famous Dogs In History.

God of Gamblers (Chinese: 賭神; lit. God of Gambling) is a 1989 Hong Kong action comedy-drama film written and directed by Wong Jing featuring an all-star cast led by Chow Yun-fat and Andy Lau.

Plot[edit]

Ko Chun (Chow Yun-fat) is a world-famous gambler, so renowned and talented at winning various games of chance that he is referred to as the 'God of Gamblers'. He keeps his identity secret from the public (and avoids photographs so his face is not recognized), but is known for three characteristics: his slicked-back hairstyle, his love of Feodora brand chocolate, and his jade pinky ring.

Ko Chun arrives in Tokyo, accompanied by his girlfriend Janet and his assistant and cousin Ko Yee, for a match with Tanaka, the country's top ranked gambler. After convincingly defeating Tanaka in games of Mahjong and dice, Tanaka concedes defeat and asserts that Ko Chun 'really [is] God'.

Tanaka asks Chun to help him take revenge on Chan Kam-Sing aka the 'Demon of Gamblers', a famous Singaporean gambler who cheated Tanaka's father before driving him to suicide, by besting Chan in a high-stakes poker match. Ko Chun agrees, merely asking for a box of chocolate as payment. In gratitude, Tanaka sends his bodyguard, former Army of the Republic of Vietnam Special Forces Operative, Dragon, (Charles Heung), to accompany Ko Chun for protection.

Meanwhile, Little Knife (Andy Lau), an avid but mediocre gambler who idolises the God of Gamblers, sets a trap for an Indian neighbour as a practical joke. After a fight on a train between Ko Chun, Dragon, and henchmen sent by one of Ko Chun's rivals, Ko happens to accidentally stumble into Knife's trap. Ko falls down a hill, hitting his head, and subsequently suffers from amnesia and regresses to a childlike state.

Knife, not knowing who the unnamed stranger is, takes him in and names him 'Chocolate' due to the man's seemingly obsessive love for the candy. Initially Knife is impatient with Chocolate's childish innocence and often yells at him, but soon recognises that 'Chocolate' has innate gambling talent and begins to exploit his abilities in local poker games and gambling dens. As time passes, Knife comes to care for Chocolate and seeks to find a way to restore his memory.

Back at Ko Chun's mansion, it is revealed that Janet has been searching for Chun for ten days to no avail. Ko Yee, who is jealous of Chun's success and wealth, makes advances on her, which she rejects; finally, while attempting to rape her, Yee accidentally knocks Janet off the balcony, killing her. He discovers that she has been recording what has been transpiring and proceeds to burn the tape. Later, Yee allies himself with Chan Kam-Sing and Ko Chun's other rival and they send assassins to find and kill Chun.

Eventually, the assassins find Chun, Knife, and their friends and attempt to kill them, but Dragon arrives to protect them after tracking Chun down. A fierce shootout ensues in a shopping center, in which Knife saves Chun from an attempt on his life by Ko Yee. During the fight, Dragon is wounded, causing Chun to snap out of his child persona briefly to kill the rest of the assailants. However, after regressing back to his childlike state, Chun becomes horrified at the carnage and runs out into the street where he is struck by a vehicle.

Chun awakens in the hospital with his regular persona, but no memory of the events or people he met after the fight. He is informed by Ko Yee, who is feigning loyalty, that Janet has disappeared. Knife arrives and attempts to warn Chun of Ko Yee's treachery but Yee has Knife thrown out. Later, Ko Yee gives Chan Kam-Sing special eyeglasses that will allow him to cheat during his upcoming poker match with Chun by reading invisible markings on the cards.

Chun, Yee, Tanaka and Dragon arrive on Chan Kam-Sing's yacht for the climactic game of five-card stud. Knife, having sneaked onto the boat, again attempts to warn Chun of the danger he is in. Chun agrees to hear Knife out later but admonishes him not to interfere with the poker game.

With his ability to see the markings on the cards, Chan Kam-Sing dominates the first two rounds. After losing all of Tanaka's money, Ko Chun puts up his entire personal portfolio of wealth and holdings against Chan's wealth. Chan, using his glasses to see that Ko Chun has an inferior hand, agrees, showing his cards and gloating over his victory. Ko Chun, in turn, reveals that he actually has the superior hand and has won the game, having secretly altered the markings of the deck and using special contact lenses to read them.

Subsequently, Ko Chun tricks Chan Kam-Sing into shooting Ko Yee. As Yee lies dying, Chun drops Janet's tape (which actually never finished burning) onto his body. Ko Chun then departs (as police arrive to take Chan into custody for murder) without speaking to Knife, much to the latter's dismay.

Ko Chun later surprises Knife at his home and reveals that he remembered Knife in the hospital and knew about Ko Yee's betrayal all along, but had to feign ignorance to execute his plan properly. He promises to make it up to Knife by taking him to Las Vegas as his gambling partner.

Cast[edit]

• Chow Yun-fat as (高進/賭神) Ko Chun / The God of Gamblers / Chocolate (nickname given to him when he loses his memory)
• Andy Lau as (陳刀仔) Michael Chan/ Little Knife / Dagger
• Joey Wong as (珍) Jane/Jen
• Sharla Cheung as Janet
• Charles Heung as (龍五) Lung Ng/Dragon (once served in special force under Nguyễn Văn Thiệu)
• Ng Man-tat as (花柳成) Brother Shing
• Edison Lim as (林氏大赌徒）Biggest Gambler in Lim’s Family
• Jimmy Lung Fong as (高義) Ko Yee
• Michiko Nishiwaki as (—菊子) Miss Chi, Ko Chun's female Yakuza opponent
• Wong Jing as Whoremonger in love motel (cameo)
• Shing Fui-On as (大口九) Big Mouth
• Michael Chow as Casino manager
• Pau Hon-lam as (陳金城) Chan Kam-sing
• Dennis Chan as (黃美強醫生) Doctor Toneg Wong
• Chan Lap-ban as Michael's grandmother
• Law Ching-ho as Motel manager
• Yasuyoshi Shikamura as (上山宏次) Ueyama Koji
• Ronald Wong as (烏鴉) Crow
• Wong San as Jane's father
• Yeung Chak-lam as (南哥) Nam
• Seung-koon Yuk as Jane's mother

^[2][3]

Gamblers franchise[edit]

The success of the film spawned many sequels, spin-offs and parodies. The parody All for the Winner starring Stephen Chow led to two comedy-driven God of Gamblers sequels also starring Stephen Chow, followed by a more serious direct sequel with Chow Yun-Fat reprising his role as Ko Chun.

God of Gamblers series:

• God of Gamblers (1989)
• All for the Winner (1990) – Stephen Chow is the Saint of Gamblers in this popular God of Gamblers parody.
• God of Gamblers II (1990) – This film continues where the original God of Gamblers storyline left off. This time, Andy Lau's character teams up with Stephen Chow's character from All for the Winner. Chow Yun-fat did not return for this film, but his God of Gambler character did show up for a brief cameo appearance using archive footage.
• God of Gamblers III: Back to Shanghai (1991) - A sequel to God of Gamblers II starring Stephen Chow. He accidentally goes back in time to Shanghai in 1937, and tries to figure out how to return to Hong Kong in 1991.
• God of Gamblers Returns (1994) – Also released under the name God of Gamblers 2 (but not God of Gamblers II) this is the 'true' sequel to the original God of Gamblers film, with Chow Yun-fat back to reprise his role as the God of Gamblers.
• God of Gamblers 3: The Early Stage (1997) – A successful prequel of the original God of Gamblers, starring Leon Lai as Ko Chun. It may be assumed that this is a reboot to the God of Gamblers series because of the inconsistencies with the previously established story of God of Gamblers e.g. Ko Chun and his bodyguard, meet for the very first time in the first film and therefore should not know each other in this prequel.
• From Vegas to Macau (2014) - This film once again stars Chow Yun-fat as a gifted gambler, though his character and the film's plot is unrelated to the God of Gamblers series. However, Chow (in a dual role) makes a cameo appearance as the original God of Gamblers, Ko Chun, at the end of the film. The film also ends with a remixed version of the original God of Gamblers theme music.
• From Vegas to Macau II (2015) - Chow Yun-fat returns as the gifted gambler, Ken. The film's plot is, again, unrelated to the God of Gamblers series. The film also ends with a remixed version of the original God of Gamblers theme music as Chow (in a dual role) makes a cameo appearance as the original God of Gamblers, Ko Chun at the end of the film. Andy Lau also makes a cameo appearance and reprises his role in the original God of Gamblers as Little Knife.
• From Vegas to Macau III (2016)

Spin-offs:

• The Top Bet (1991) – This is a spin-off of All for the Winner, with only a few characters from the original reprising their role. Stephen Chow did, however, make a cameo appearance in this spin-off. The film stars Anita Mui and Carol Cheng.
• Fist of Fury 1991 (1991) – Stephen Chow's Saint of Gamblers character does a brief cameo appearance at the start of this film.
• Fist of Fury 1991 II (1992) – Sequel to the first movie. The plot continues where Fist of Fury 1991 ended.
• Saint of Gamblers (1995) – A spin-off of the All for the Winner series, with only Ng Man-tat reprising his role.
• My Wife is a Gambling Maestro (2008) – A parody of the first film directed by Wong Jing, but with a completely different cast and a romantic comedy plotline

Soundtrack[edit]

The most notable soundtrack of the film is the main theme song composed by Lowell Lo. The theme song has since been featured in sequels and spinoffs.

In 2016, DJ and music producer Eugene Luu (best known for Chinese PopEDM crossovers) released a Dubstep remix of the theme song on YouTube which has over 50,000 views (as of September 2017), coinciding with the release of the spin-off series sequel From Vegas to Macau III.^[4]

References[edit]

1. ^God of Gamblers (1989) – HKMDB
2. ^'God of Gamblers'. imdb.com. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
3. ^'God of Gamblers'. chinesemov.com. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
4. ^賭城風雲III (賭神 Eugene Luu Remix) 電影歌曲 – YouTube

External links[edit]

• God of Gamblers at IMDb
• God of Gamblers at Rotten Tomatoes

Historically, not all players were non-payers, outlaws, criminals and outcasts. Today, more and more people of different professions, ages and positions in society prefer gambling as a good and fast earning good cash. Most celebrities, business people playing Texas Hold’em can be found 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on Poker Network, for example. This article will not describe the famous carders, who are famous as cheaters or great super-players. Today the story will go about the players who made a name for themselves in history books, cheaters, which at one time in society were considered important members of their communities and were known more than just gamblers. Let’s look at who made it to the top ten:

10. John Montague.

Famous Gamblers In History In America

John Montague lived in England from 1718 to 1792. He was a British statesman who led many important and successful military and political departments. Montague does not have the best reputation, but it is said that much of the history written about him was written by his political opponents.

Montague, or the 4th Earl of Sandwich, was famous for asking his servants to bring him pieces of meat between two slices of bread during his long hours at the card table. This habit became well known among his friends, it was thanks to gambling that the “sandwich” was born.

Montague was well educated, a Cambridge graduate, and he also held a number of important positions in his life; however, it was thanks to this invention that he was placed on our list.

9. John Aspinoll

John Aspinoll was a marine fencer, trained at Oxford. That’s where Aspinolla’s interest in gambling started to grow. In fact, he enjoyed playing so much that he missed his finals in Ascotta racing and missed exams at the university, going to the racetrack.

He bought a cryptographer, a dilapidated 18th-century mansion near Canterbury Cathedral, with his winnings in 1956, the estate was expanded to 9 acres of gardens and parks, where his first zoo was to appear. Funds from his own gambling and casino business enabled him to create a private collection that included rhinos, bongo antelope, horses and leopards. Here he developed his philosophy of respect, according to which it is worth treating animals. He assembled a dedicated team of like-minded people, the so-called keepers. In hard times, in order to feed all his animals and pay the staff, he imperfectly sold jewelry and other precious things. Perhaps, he was not among the authoritative members of society, he was not in the armed forces or politics, but Aspinolles went down in history as a lover of animals and as one who so zealously defended them.

8. Michael de Montaigne

Another famous man from history who was a player and one of the most influential writers of the French Renaissance, Michael de Montaigne. He lived between 1533 and 1592 and during his lifetime was more considered a statesman than an author. He is considered the father of what we call modern skepticism today. His influence was reflected in philosophers and great writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, René Descartes, Pascal Blaine and perhaps even William Shakespeare. The book Experiences, which still contains some of the most widely influential essays ever written, has a very strong influence on people.

7. Hieronymus Cardan.

The scientist Hieronymus Cardan, who lived from 1501-1576 was an Italian Renaissance mathematician, doctor and gambler. He became famous for his achievements in algebra. He was an experienced player and chess player. He even wrote a book about gambling, in his book Liber de ludo aleae (Book of Gambling). The book contains the first systematic calculation of probability, as well as a section on effective cheating methods. He invented many other things, such as: a code lock, cardan shaft, which is used in vehicles to this day. His other research helped to develop the first high-speed printing machine. He also made several contributions to hydrodynamics and published two encyclopedias of natural history.

6. Rene Descartes.

Another respected scientist and philosopher from history books who gambled was Rene Descartes, who lived from 1596 to 1650. Initially Descartes decided to pursue a career in gambling after law school and the army. He continued gambling throughout his life.

Most Famous Gamblers

He was called the “father of modern philosophy.” Descartes came up with the famous saying, “I think I exist.” Not only was he a pioneer of philosophy, Cartes was also considered the “father of modern science”. (Image: portrait of Frans Hals).

5. Charles II.

Charles II regained the English monarchy in 1660, he led an interesting gambling life, and was known as the “merry king”. Gambling became the center of life in his court. The love of gambling did not only spread throughout England, games were everywhere, even when colonists arrived in North Africa, they found that the indigenous peoples had their own gambling.

4. Casanova de Seingalt

Today, when we think of the name “Casanova“, we tend to think of a reckless, wild and irresponsible womanizer; nevertheless, at one time, Casanova was an outstanding man of European society (1800s). Seingalt Casanova was an avid player as well as a lawyer, adventurer and writer. At the age of 21, Kazanova decided to become a professional player, but soon changed his mind and switched to other professions. Later he claimed that he lacked the discretion to “get out of the game on time when fortune was not on his side, lacked enough control over himself when I was winning” (or, as Kenny Rogers would say, “would know when I was winning, would know when I was winning”).

Famous Gamblers In History Since

Casanova played the lottery, Pharaoh, basset, Peak, biribi, Primero, Quinze redie nobility and high clergy. In addition, he was a very religious, devout Catholic who believed in prayer. Casanova’s contemporaries thought he was an extraordinary man – he was one of the most outstanding people of his time. Prince Charles de Ligne once said that Casanova was the most interesting man he had ever met: “There is nothing in the world that he could not do.

3. Wild Bill Hickok.

The nickname suggests that this is another reckless character, in fact, in a sense it may be true, but in spite of this American legend Wild Bill Hickok was nicknamed in his time as “wild”. Hickok had a reputation as an honest man; he was a war hero, a scout and a Lawman who spent most of his life protecting others from criminals and injustice.

At the same time, he was an avid gambler and he was a gambling fanatic, particularly about dropping poker. When he knew he was losing, he would pull out his colt or knife and challenge the man with the words “Take the bank”. Hickok, was killed tragically, in the moment he joined a poker game, a group of conspirators who were planning to kill him, simply shot him. It is said that he made many enemies in his life, because at one time he was part of a group that fought against slavery in the south. He was shot in the back of the head with a .45 revolver and when Hickok tilted back in his chair, his cards fell to the floor with a pair of aces and a pair of eight. Now this combination is called “Dead Hand”.

2. Fyodor Dostoevsky

Of all the players who have entered the history of gamblers, Fyodor Dostoevsky is considered one of the greatest people. One of the most influential novelists in Russian history, Dostoevsky was an avid player who wrote two famous novels, “Crime and Punishment” and “Hamlet”. According to legend, Dostoevsky wrote in the last section “Crime and Punishment” for several days in order to secure an advance from his publisher to eventually settle his card debts. He liked gambling, part of the basics of which he described in his books, he drew inspiration for his novels from the effects and psychology of drug addiction and the risks he experienced in his life as a player.

Most Famous Gamblers Of All Time

1. Claude Monet

Famous Gamblers Throughout History

Claude Monet used his winnings to quit his courier job and focus on painting, becoming the founder of French impressionism. In 1891 he won about $ 13450 in the French lottery and it was a winning ticket not only for Monet, but also for the world. Perhaps if Claude Monet had not made this bet long ago, Monet would not have pleased the world with some of his greatest works of art.