Holy Rollers Documentary – Gambling and Christianity
The subject of gambling among Christians is usually banned, or at least it is accounted as a sin, and nothing good can come out of it. From the Holy Rollers documentary movie made in 2011, you will learn how a group of Samaritans used math to beat the vast money machine, called casino gambling, and made a fortune equally distributed among all participants in the blackjack team. They proved that something good could, after all, come from gambling.
Holy Rollers Film Details – Creation & Background
| 📛 Name: | Holy Rollers |
| 📅 Released: | June 2011 |
| 🎥 Director: | Bryan Storkel |
| 🎬 Genre: | Documentary |
| 🎞️ Duration: | 1h 32mins |
| 🏆 IMDB: | 7/10 ⭐ |
Even we were a bit confused when we researched the movie because there are two movies with the name, released in two following years. For that reason, we want to give some clarity and tell you more about the one in focus today – Holy Rollers: The True Story of Card Counting Christians 2011.
One year after the Hollywood production Holy Rollers (2010), the Holy Rollers documentary was released. They have nothing in common apart from the name. The acting movie is about drug trafficking, while the documentary is about a group of Christians who play blackjack to make serious money.
The idea for the movie came to Bryan Storkel after he learned about the Holy Rollers Christian blackjack team assembled by Colin Jones. Most of the people part of the group agreed to go in front of the camera for the documentary, while others preferred to stay incognito and keep their identities hidden.
Holy Rollers Card Counting Documentary Cast
It is not hard to guess that all participants in the movie play themselves. The play’s director is Bryan Storkel, while the main action revolves around different people, who are part of the so-called Church Team. Many bright minds were gathered to make money out of blackjack with one purpose only – to help others.
We can’t mention the massive contribution of Colin Jones, a card counting expert and university teacher that brought a lot of knowledge to the table. Here are some of the more famous names you will meet while watching Holy Rollers: The True Story of Card Counting Christians:
- Ben Crawford
- Brad Currah
- Colin Jones
- David Drury
- Dusty Wisniew
- Michael Foster
- Mark Treas
- And many more
While watching the Holy Rollers documentary, you will see that the actual Holy Rollers Christian blackjack team consists not only of males but females too. This is not a gambling team you would expect to see. On their gatherings recorded in the Holy Rollers blackjack movie, you will see how most people there are young students or mid-aged mothers or fathers.
Blackjack is all about math. They are all trying to prove that you may beat the house if you have enough money and a proper system. Therefore, card counting is “forbidden” in many casinos without any legal rights. This is also why blackjack shuffling machines were widely accepted, to exclude the option to count cards.
Blackjack Church Team
The Church team is the reason for creating the Holy Roller documentary movie. The band of players was assembled in 2005 and disassembled in 2011. It became famous simply because usually, the words Christianity and gambling don’t mix in one sentence. The truth is that this slowly became the main source of income for many of the participants in the team.
It was all started by Brad Currah and Ben Crawford, who were able to assemble a great team of clever young people with pure hearts and high morals. Their main playing ground was Seattle, but some members were sometimes seen in Las Vegas casinos. This is how the story of the Holy Rollers: The True Story of Card Counting Christians was born.
It all started as a church investment from friends and family to a grand operation with 20-30 players in several states and a bankroll of $3+ million. From the Holy Rollers plot review in the following paragraph, you will find more about the scheme and how the team was able to achieve all that.
Holy Rollers: The True Story of Card Counting Christians Plot
Since Holy Rollers film is a documentary, you must understand that it mostly presents the background of different people in the group and how they cope with the real casino game. You will be amazed by the general approach of the guys. The team and its main functions are explained by the two main characters in the scheme – Ben Crawford and Brad Currah. The total duration of the movie is 92 minutes, so we will split the content into three parts.
The first 30 minutes show the team in its basics, explaining how it all started and how they justify what they are doing as Christians. The formation of the Church team was initially set up by a hand of people who built their team based on trust and friendship. The beginning of the Holy Rollers documentary shows how different these players are if we compare them to the typical customers in US casinos.
Apart from meeting the Church team, you will have the chance to see how the casinos and, more particularly, casino managers are handling card counters. You will see how cruel and unfair the gambling industry could be towards players with real math skills. After all, Holy Rollers card counting is not illegal, but it is not convenient for most establishments, so they ask you kindly to leave.
In the second 30 minutes of the Holy Rollers: The True Story of Card Counting Christians, you will see more action and how close their act comes to Hollywood movies. It is interesting to find out how they disguise themselves, pretend to be other people, and hide their identities. This is the part of the Holy Rollers documentary where you will see the dangerous side of their blackjack team.
Some of them got arrested, and others were pushed into the backrooms of casinos. You will see how Christians with genuine faith hide thousands of US dollars under their clothes while flying between New York, Seattle and California to hit different casino establishments.
This is the part of Holy Rollers where you see how quickly the team expanded and how this slowly brought their downfall. With the increased number of investors and the constantly growing bankroll, the need for fresh and unfamiliar casino players became necessary. Meanwhile, the quality of the Holy Rollers card counting went down.
In the last 30 minutes of the Holy Rollers blackjack movie, you see how things get intense among players and how the Holy Rollers Christian blackjack team slowly falls out. Moreover, the end of the Holy Rollers documentary shows the real face of gambling and how dangerous it could be. Despite all the players’ efforts, the group fell apart because math is not the only factor in blackjack. Luck matters, too, while taking precise risks not always pay out.
The film’s epilogue shows how the different characters changed their opinion and vision about blackjack and hustling casinos over the years. Therefore, the Church team operated for only six years between 2005 and 2011 when it was officially disbanded. But we can assure you that some of these players still gamble on their own. The truth is also that many players started preferring US casino sites instead.
Holy Rollers Movie 2010 – One Fine Crime Film
When you write Holy Rollers film in Google, there are numerous articles about both movies. Therefore, we decided to mention the Hollywood production and explain a bit more about it too. Indeed, Holy Rollers 2010 is a fantastic movie with a great plot, but it has nothing to do with gambling.
First, you need to know that the main roles are played by Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Bartha and Ari Graynor. We can’t mention that this Holy Rollers movie is based on a true story, making it even more exciting than before.
The story goes around the life of a young jew in Brooklyn called Sam, who is a second-generation rabbi. The tough financial state of his family pushes him to cross the line, and get into international drug traffic. After tasting the many sins in life, he finds out that the police is already after them.
After they were coughed, it became evident that Sam and his band of Orthodox mules successfully smuggled over one million ecstasies into America for less than one year. Sam helped the federal agents set up their case as an inside man, which granted him freedom afterwards.
Other Famous Gambling Movies
If you like movies about blackjack or gambling, our page is definitely the place for you. We have a long collection of top-rated blackjack movies which you must check! Gambling has always been a popular theme in Hollywood because many people dream about getting some quick money and running away to chase their dreams. Unfortunately, life is not that fortuned, like in the movies.
Suppose you have enough time and registration in any large streaming platform like Amazon Prime or Netflix. In that case, you will have the chance to watch the Holy Rollers documentary movie and the Hollywood production altogether. They have nothing in common apart from their names, so scout them both, and decide which suits your current mood. We can only guarantee that you will be excited to see them both.
FAQ
We shared many details, and we assume you might have some additional questions. Therefore, we have gathered the most frequently asked ones. For your convenience, we have placed jump links in every answer situated below that will lead you to one more extensive and complete explanation.
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