Songwriters can come with a whole multitude of subjects for the songs that they create. They can be highly personal or maybe just taking a look at a particular subject. It’s not surprising that casinos and gambling have had some great songs written about them. Contactmusic and casinogambler.co.uk made the top five of the best that you might sing in your head while visiting a UK casino.
The Gambler - Kenny Rogers
Let’s get the most obvious selection out of the way first shall we? This Kenny Rogers classic isn’t just a song, it had a whole movie made out of it. This was released by the country singer 45 years ago but had originally been recorded by its composer Don Schlitz.
In many ways the song can almost be seen as a gambling manual. It’s about a gambler who has probably visited more casinos than most. Poker is his game and he explains to a companion on a long train journey that he’s made his life out of “readin’ people’s faces” and working out what cards they held.
The song continues with its good advice: “You've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away, know when to run.” Now that’s not just a great song but what you should be saying to yourself when playing poker down at your local casino.
Easy Money - Billy Joel
The final song on our list celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. This Billy Joel song looks at the life of someone who is a bit fed up with their job. Too much effort is needed just to make a living and gambling might just be a better option. Why slave away in a rubbish job when you can pop down your local UK casino and win some “easy money.”
A gambler who is enjoying a good run of luck at their local UK casino might consider their winnings as “easy money.” Any gambler will tell you that’s not really the case. It can take a lot of effort (and a bit of luck) to leave a casino with a profit
All I Wanna Do Is Play Cards - Corb Lund
The second casino-related song on our list also has a connection with card games. Corb Lund’s ‘All I Wanna Do Is Play Cards’ was released in 2005 by Stony Plain (better than Stony Broke) Records.
If poker is your game then this is a song you just have to listen to. It tells the story of a man who absolutely loves playing poker. Some people do find themselves in the situation where they’d rather be playing at their local UK casino rather than dealing with the rest of their life.
It’s not that great a situation but the subject of this song is pretty happy with living his life that way. Mind you, the women he meets afterwards take his mind off poker for a short while.
Poker Face – Lady Gaga
Anyone UK poker player will know that it can sometimes take more than some great cards to win a hand. Learning a poker face that hides your emotions is necessary. You can’t go to a UK casino and win a hand of poker if you're smiling like the Cheshire Cat if you’ve got a flush. Keep everyone in the dark about just how good or bad your hand is.
It can work in other ways too and that’s exemplified by Lady Gaga in her hit song ‘Poker Face.’ This has plenty of poker references such as “No, he can't read my poker face,” and “Check this hand 'cause I'm marvelous.” There’s even a mention of Russian Roulette but that’s not on offer at UK casinos as the ending can be rather messy.
Not giving away just how she’s feeling is the name of the game. It must hold the record for the song that says “can’t read my’ the most times. Any poker player will understand just where Lady Gaga is coming from.
Ace of Spades - Motorhead
It has to be said that if you have a headache, don’t listen to this song. Motorhead blasted their songs at a great speed and very loudly. That’s definitely the case in this song which is one of their all-time classics.
Whereas fans of professional wrestling might listen to “The Game,” those who love going to UK casinos will adore ‘Ace of Spades.’ That has to be the case when the song has the opening 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.”
Not that the subject of the song is an always successful gambler. “You know I'm born to lose
And gambling's for fools.” Those who do regularly gamble and visit UK casinos (either land-based or online) have probably had those lyrics swirling around in their head after the latest gambling session didn’t go their way.
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