When you step into most brick-and-mortar casinos, the glitz and the glamour captivate you. This ambience is made even more enjoyable by the music, whether pre-recorded or performed by a live band. Online casinos don’t share the same music-filled atmosphere, but you’ll find that most games come with soundtracks to make them more lively.
Simply put, music is at the heart of gambling, and many singers have been inspired by this activity enough to create songs around it. Kenny Rogers’ The Gambler is a good example, where he likened life to gambling. These releases are not only interesting to listen to, but some of them have topped different charts. Here, we shall explore the ten best gambling songs of all time.
Top 10 gambling songs
The gambling songs that comprise our list are from different genres, ranging from those released in the early 1990s to the early 2000s. Check them out below.
The Gambler by Kenny Rogers
Don Schlitz, then 23 years old, penned “The Gambler” in August 1976. Many artists recorded it, but it was Kenny Rogers who led the song to success. Even though country music rarely makes it to the pop charts, his cover was a huge success. The theme revolves around a man who meets a gambler on the train. For a taste of the man’s whisky, the gambler offered a few words of advice:
You got to know when to hold ’em,
Know when to fold ’em,
Know when to walk away,
And know when to run.
Viva Las Vegas by Elvis Presley
Las Vegas is known for its extravagant gambling houses. In fact, many British punters want to bypass gamcare with nongamstopuk.casino sites look for online platforms with a Las Vegas theme to enjoy a splendid gambling experience. Elvis Presley captured the beauty and glamour of the city in Viva Las Vegas with the words:
Bright light city going to set my soul
Going to set my soul on fire
Got a whole lot of money that’s ready to burn
So get those stakes up higher
Released in 1964, this is one of the most recognised songs by the American singer, and it has appeared countless times in movies and sitcoms. The National Hockey League’s (NHL) Vegas Golden Knights even adopted it as their victory theme when they win games.
Luck Be A Lady by Frank Sinatra
Gambling, they say, is a game of luck. Sinatra brought this saying to life in the song “Luck Be a Lady,” which was composed by Frank Loesser. It is popular for its feature in the musical Guys and Dolls. The lyrics resonate with the view of Sky Masterson, a gambler who needed the luck to win a bet because he had staked his money and the love of his life on that bet. Some enthralling words from the song go as follows:
Luck, let a gentleman see
How nice a dame you can be.
I know the way you’ve treated other guys you’ve been with.
Luck, be a lady with me.
A Good Run of Bad Luck by Clint Black
Clint Black co-wrote the song, which was released in February 1994. After its release, the song topped Canada’s Country Tracks and US Hot Country Songs charts. This is another song where a man needs lady luck to win over his lady’s heart. Clint expressed this in these words:
I’d bet it all on a good run of bad luck
Seven come eleven and she could be mine
Luck be a lady, and I’m gonna find love
Comin’ on the bottom line
Dead Flowers and Tumbling Dice by The Rolling Stones
Rolling Stone is one of the most popular English rock bands known for their complex rock sound. Among their hits are two songs with references to gambling. One of these is Dead Flowers (released in 1971), which hinted at the high roller lifestyle, which involved “making bets on Kentucky Derby Day.” Then there’s Tumbling Dice, which reached number five on the UK singles chart. In Tumbling Dice, the band refers to cheating women as gamblers with the words:
Cause all you women is low down gamblers
Cheatin’ like I don’t know how
Baby, got no flavour, fever in the funk house now
This low-down bitchin’ got my poor feet a itchin’
Ace Of Spades by Motorhead
Motorhead released the song in 1980, and it spent 13 weeks in the UK Singles Chart. After losing its frontman, Lemmy, in December 2015, the song reached No. 9 on the midweek chart in January 2016 and No. 13 on the official Friday chart. The song that spoke about risks opens up with the lyrics:
If you like to gamble, I tell you I’m your man,
You win some, lose some, it’s all the same to me,
The pleasure is to play, makes no difference what you say,
I don’t share your greed, the only card I need is
The Ace Of Spades
Mr Mudd and Mr Gold by Townes Van Zandt
Townes Van Zandt released this brilliant song that’s more like a poem in 1971. It shot to fame because the words resonated particularly with poker players. Though the lyrics were more about cards, they held underlying meanings of good versus evil. A few lines from the masterpiece:
Well the wicked king of clubs awoke
And it was to his queen turned
His lips were laughing as they spoke…
Let’s make some wretched fool to play
Poker Face by Lady Gaga
Poker Face is a song from 2008 by American singer Lady Gaga. The song won the Grammy for Best Dance Recording and was nominated for Song of the Year and Record of the Year at the 52nd Grammy Awards. Lady Gaga asserts that “Poker Face” is about being bisexual, and she refers to her expression when making love with a man when she wants to be with a woman using the words:
Can’t read my, can’t read my
No, he can’t read my poker face
(She’s got me like nobody)
Can’t read my, can’t read my
No, he can’t read my poker face
Easy Money by Billy Joel
Easy Money was a song that Billy Joel was asked to write and perform based on a movie of the same name. Joel wrote it from the perspective of Rodney Dangerfield’s character, a hopeless gambler. You’ll see the movie’s character explained with these words in the song:
Take me to the tables, take me to the fights
Run me like the numbers, roll me like the dice
When you’re counting on a killing, always count me in
Talk me into losing just as long as I can win
Go Down Gamblin’ by Blood, Sweat & Tears
David Clayton-Thomas composed “Go Down Gambling” after losing all his money gambling at Caesars Palace. It was recorded by Blood, Sweat & Tears, a jazz rock band from the United States. David’s loss was noted in the chorus:
Go down gamblin’,
say it when you’re runnin’ low
Go down gamblin’
you may never have to go no
