When listing the best poker movies ever made, people quickly put Rounders first, then spend forever trying to sort out the rest of the junk. And junk is a good word to describe most other poker flicks when you consider bombs such as Deal and Lucky You.

This being said, few film buffs were looking ahead to Runner, Runner with much optimism. However, the project still gained steam last year when it was announced that Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake would play the lead roles of Ivan Block and Richie Furst, respectively.

The latter was a Harvard student who was trying to earn his tuition money by being an online poker pro/affiliate. Unfortunately, he got cheated out of his bankroll by a superuser and flew to Costa Rica to confront Block. This is where the movie is supposed to pick up as Furst joins Block and enters a corrupt world of "illegal" gambling and dodging US authorities.

Considering the fact that Runner, Runner was written by David Levien and Brian Koppelman - the same duo who scripted Rounders - you'd think this film might at least avoid the depths of Deal and Lucky You. Unfortunately, it's just a hair above these movies from a critical standpoint and will no doubt rank on any "top 10 worst poker movies" list.

According to the critic reviews compiled by RottenTomatoes.com, Runner, Runner generated an embarrassingly low 9% approval rating. This is miles away from the 65% rating that Rounders has garnered over the years. If you'd like to see why the experts hate this flick so bad, take a look at some of the reviews below:

Peter Travers (Rolling Stone) - The actors hit the jackpot, but only in terms of their paychecks. The audience gets a tension-free, tight-assed, Casino ripoff that leaves them thoroughly fleeced.

James Berardinelli (ReelViews) - Various subplots are given short shrift and the whole thing feels more like a Cliff's Notes version of a longer piece than an actual finished motion picture.

Jeff Myers (Metro Times - Detroit) - Will Richie regain his moral compass? Can our young turk turn the tables on his scheming mentor? If you're hoping for a surprise answer to any of these questions, then you are watching the wrong movie.

Mara Reinstein (Us Weekly) - Just when it seems like the writing can't get any lazier, Richie fills in the narrative blanks via a voice-over that squeezes in every gambling metaphor this side of Las Vegas.