The Bond films are possibly the most iconic in British filmmaking history. Filled with fast cars, women and money, James Bond is the ultimate British spy, who every young boy dreamed of becoming.
Known as 007, James Bond has been played by many different actors throughout the years including; Sean Connery, David Niven, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig. Throughout the films, money has been a constant theme, whether fighting for it, against it, receiving it or, you guessed it, gambling for it.
James Bond is often seen in casinos throughout the films, or even making smaller bets with others. One of the film’s titles is even Casino Royale, but which is James Bond’s favourite game? Throughout the years, we have seen him play in a fair few casinos, including the famous Monte Carlo Casino in Monaco. We’re going to take a look at his different appearances inside a casino to see which game he plays the most.
Baccarat
Baccarat is often referred to as James Bond’s favourite casino game, we find him sitting at a Baccarat table in Dr. No, Thunderball, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and GoldenEye. Baccarat is a game that has multiple variations, the one which we commonly find Bond playing is called Chemin de Fer. The name comes from the French term ‘railway’ which was at the time of its creation – in the nineteenth century – the fastest mode of transport. Six decks of cards are shuffled, with the players dealt two cards from the dealer and asked to either receive another card or to stay with the two they received. When the player and banker are settled, the two hands are revealed and the better hand wins.
The first time we see Bond playing Baccarat is in the first James Bond film, Dr. No, released in 1962. Bond is positioned as the dealer, dealing cards to a player, who later become renowned as the first ‘Bond girl’ Sylvia trench. Bond seems to have a few lucky rounds against his opponent, who remarks on his luck before raising the stakes a little and introducing herself, giving Bond the perfect moment to swoop in with that iconic introduction, ‘Bond, James Bond’.
Poker
Apart from Baccarat we also see Bond play a few others in his time. Arguably one of the most famous casino scenes, but definitely the longest, in a James Bond film is during Casino Royale (2006). Bond plays against villain Le Chiffre in a Poker tournament, specifically Texas Hold’em. Le Chiffre is a terrorist financier and has millions to bet, so the stakes are very high at this Poker tournament. Throughout it, Bond has his drink spiked, nearly dying in the process and also manages to go all in and lose millions of dollars. The final hand comes with the anticipation you would expect, however, Bond wins with a straight flush (spades) winning the pot of $115 million, leaving Le Chiffre in despair.
Other Casino games
We do also see him dabble in some Craps in Diamonds are Forever, where he wins thousands before graciously bowing out, impressing the Bond girl of the film, Plenty O’Toole. However, it is clear to see that Baccarat is James Bond’s favourite casino game by far. Bond also plays Roulette in the same film – and there’s even a Roulette strategy named after him. If you’re feeling lucky, play roulette on Paddy Power.
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