Danny Ocean (GEORGE CLOONEY) has just been paroled from a New Jersey prison and he already has a new heist planned - namely that of knocking off three Vegas casinos in one night. His motivation is twofold. For starters, the collective vaults of the Bellagio, MGM Grand and the Mirage will total more than $150 million in two weeks due to the heavyweight boxing championship being held in Las Vegas. Then there's the fact that the owner of the casinos, Terry Benedict (ANDY GARCIA), is dating Danny's ex-wife, Tess (JULIA ROBERTS).
Knowing the difficulties of pulling off the heist, Danny and his partner in crime, Rusty Ryan (BRAD PITT), set out to assemble a team of thieves consisting of past acquaintances and new strangers. There's
Reuben Tishkoff (ELLIOT GOULD), a former casino owner with a chip on his shoulder concerning Benedict. Basher Tarr (DON CHEADLE) and Livingston Dell (EDDIE JEMISON) are brought onboard for their expertise in explosives and electronics respectively, while the Malloy brothers, Virgil (CASEY AFFLECK) and Turk (SCOTT CAAN), are brought on as the drivers.
Rounding out the team is Linus Caldwell (MATT DAMON), a proficient pickpocket and son of a legendary criminal, Frank Catton (BERNIE MAC), a casino dealer, Yen (SHAOBO QIN), an acrobatic contortionist, and Saul Bloom (CARL REINER), a former criminal brought out of retirement by the lure of a big payoff.
As the team of eleven men plan and then set out to execute their elaborate heist and Danny tries to reconcile with Tess who wants nothing to do with him, they must deal with the ruthless and cunning Benedict who will do anything and everything to protect his money.