Box office Rounders was released on September 11, 1998, in 2,176 theaters and grossed $8.5 million during its opening weekend. It went on to make $22.9 million domestically.
Metacritic gives the film a
weighted average score of 53 out of 100 based on 32 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by
CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale.
Roger Ebert of the
Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three stars out of four and wrote: "
Rounders sometimes has a noir look but it never has a noir feel, because it's not about losers (or at least it doesn't admit it is). It's essentially a sports picture, in which the talented hero wins, loses, faces disaster, and then is paired off one last time against the champ." In her review for
The New York Times,
Janet Maslin wrote: "Though John Dahl's
Rounders finally adds up to less than meets the eye, what does meet the eye (and ear) is mischievously entertaining."
USA Today gave the film three out of four stars and wrote: "The card playing is well-staged, and even those who don't know a Texas hold-'em ('the Cadillac of poker') from a Texas hoedown will get a vicarious charge out of the action."
Entertainment Weekly gave the film a "B" rating and
Owen Gleiberman wrote, "Norton, cast in what might have once been the
Sean Penn role (hideous shirts, screw-you attitude), gives Worm a shifty, amphetamine soul and a pleasing alacrity ... Norton's performance never really goes anywhere, but that's okay, since the story is just an excuse to lead the characters from one poker table to the next."
Peter Travers, in his review for
Rolling Stone said of John Malkovich's performance: "Of course, no one could guess the extent to which Malkovich is now capable of
chewing scenery. He surpasses even his eyeballrolling as Cyrus the Virus in
Con Air. Munching
Oreo cookies, splashing the pot with chips (a poker no-no) and speaking with a Russian accent that defies deciphering ("Ho-kay, Meester sum of a beech"), Malkovich soars so far over the top, he's passing Pluto." In his review for the
San Francisco Chronicle,
Mick LaSalle said of Damon's performance: "Mike should supply the drive the film otherwise lacks, and Damon doesn't. We might believe he can play cards, but we don't believe he needs to do it, in the way, say, that the 12-year-old
Mozart needed to write symphonies. He's not consumed with genius. He's a nice guy with a skill." In his review for
The Globe and Mail, Liam Lacey wrote: "The main problem with
Rounders is that the movie never quite knows what it is about: What is the moral ante?" Despite an unremarkable theatrical release,
Rounders has a following, particularly among poker enthusiasts. Some pro poker players credit the film for getting them into the game. The film drew in successful players such as
Brian Rast,
Hevad Khan,
Gavin Griffin, and
Dutch Boyd.
Vanessa Rousso has said of the film's influence: "There have been lots of movies that have included poker, but only
Rounders really captures the energy and tension in the game. And that's why it stands as the best poker movie ever made." On an episode of
The Howard Stern Show, it was speculated by some members of the show that the writing of
Rounders drew inspiration from the life of Canadian comedian, former
SNL “Weekend Update” anchor, and notorious gambler
Norm Macdonald. Macdonald acknowledged having known one of the film’s principal writers,
Brian Koppelman, whom he was loosely associated with during a part of his youth spent in underground poker clubs (similar to those shown in
Rounders). Comedian
Artie Lange of
The Howard Stern Show (a close friend of Norm Macdonald, who also knew Brian Koppelman) said during the episode that “[Koppelman] likes Norm.” Norm denied the film being based on his life, however. ==Home media==