Whether you enjoy trying your luck to win and make money at your favorite casino resort or just play at some of your preferred online gambling sites from time to time, the chances are you all have special country songs about gambling to get you more energized.
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Well, that’s no surprise, as gambling makes for a compelling narrative and great country ballads. The idea of turning a dollar into a million bucks – or the other way around – has always been fascinating.
So, check out these standout tracks that made their mark over the years.
1. “The Gambler” by Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler” made an indelible mark in the gambling industry. It recounts the story of a gambler who imparts his wisdom to the man in the song, telling him how to handle life by speaking in terms of a card game.
2. “When You’re Hot, You’re Hot” by Jerry Reed
Jerry Reed won a Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance for this country classic, “When You’re Hot, You’re Hot,” which was released in 1971. It’s an entertaining novelty song about the ups and downs of the gambling life – about one having a streak of good luck in an illegal game of craps being played in a back alley, only to end up in jail.
3. “A Good Run of Bad Luck” by Clint Black
This 1994 country hit “A Good Run of Bad Luck,” resonated with gambling so much that it was used on the official movie soundtrack of the comedy film Maverick – starring Mel Gibson as Bret Maverick, a card player and con man who racks up money to get into the high-stakes poker game.
4. “Kentucky Gambler” by Merle Haggard
Written by Dolly Parton, “Kentucky Gambler” tells the tale of a miner from Kentucky who abandoned his family to gamble under the bright lights of Reno. Unfortunately, his winning streak came to an end, and he lost all his winnings. All broke, he decided to go home – only when he arrived, he found out his wife moved on without him.
5. “Two of a Kind, Workin’ on a Full House” by Garth Brooks
Recorded in 1987 by Dennis Robbins, Garth Brooks reiterated the song’s popularity when he released his version four years later. The title is a double entendre, making use of poker hands to represent how the man in the song is the perfect pair to his wife.
6. “Ooh Las Vegas” by Gram Parsons
Gram Parsons did great in conveying the painful dilemma of a poor man gambling in this 1974 hit, which features razor-sharp lyrics combined with skillful pedal steel skills. It’s one of the finest gambling songs you could possibly ask for.
7. “Let’s Go to Vegas” by Faith Hill
If you have visited Las Vegas, then you know by now how the nights can often get out of hand in the city – and that’s what Faith Hill is proposing in “Let’s Go to Vegas.” The song finds Hill persuading her lover to take a gamble and elope.
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8. “The Deck of Cards” by Tex Ritter
Tex Ritter’s spoken-word piece of “The Deck of Cards” hit the top ten in 1948. It tells the story of a young American soldier who was jailed after he was caught playing cards while at a church service – yet he explained that the cards act as his bible.
9. “Big in Vegas” by Buck Owens
The country hit finds Buck Owens chasing his dream to perform in the land that delivers one of the most unique gambling destinations despite his mother’s pleas not to go.
10. “Ace in the Hole” by George Strait
Here is another song that should be in your ultimate gambling playlist wherein George Strait thinks about life as a game where you must keep a few tricks up your sleeve to get ahead.
11. “Queen Of Hearts” by Juice Newton
You will definitely enjoy listening to the profound lyrics of Juice Newton’s breakout song “Queen of Hearts” as she sings about how a person would do anything just to keep their special someone, even if that makes them a fool like the Joker.
12. “Wagon Wheel” by Darius Rucker
Darius Rucker earned Grammy Award for Best Country Solo Performance in this song that tells the tale of a man who is headed back home to his southern roots after some gambling misadventures in New England.
13. “All I Wanna Do Is Play Cards” by Corb Lund
If you’re someone who always keeps a deck handy, then you’ll surely relate to this catchy country song that goes through all the work and commitments a man may ditch so he can just give in to his obsession with playing cards.
14. “I Feel Lucky” by Mary Chapin Carpenter
Despite repeatedly receiving bad omens for the upcoming day, the woman in “I Feel Lucky” still proved her luck when she bought a lottery ticket and came out to be an $11 million winner.
15. “St John the Gambler” by Townes van Zandt
If you are a gambling enthusiast, you’ll know what this song is all about as Townes van Zandt takes you through the value of perseverance.
Country Songs About Gambling
Indeed, country music and gambling go hand in hand. Check out some more songs about gambling that have taken the country genre by storm.
Though the genre has evolved through the years – one thing is for sure, country songs about gambling are not going anywhere.
