When one thinks of Ian Fleming’s top spy, the British MI-6 agent James Bond, a few images come to mind. Exotic destinations, high-octane action and casinos filled with well-dressed, beautiful people. Among the casino elite, high rollers have always been drawn to one particular game, baccarat, and James Bond is no exception.
Does James Bond Play Baccarat?
In actuality, no. Technically, James Bond plays Chemin de Fer. Chemin de Fer is a variation of baccarat that is popular in many European casinos, and some baccarat players prefer it because they get to take on a more active role. In traditional baccarat, all gamblers can do is place their bets on whether the banker will win, the player will win, or it will be a tie. Having James Bond just idly sit back and watch cards wouldn’t really fit in with his character.
How Does James Bond Play Chemin de Fer?
Chemin de Fer, on the other hand, allows a more active role for the player, in this case, Bond. While there really is very little actual skill involved, Bond can now choose to be the one to take on all opponents or to represent all the players against the evil banker, all by pushing out a large, impressive stack of chips. He can also request a card to try to make the best hand, although in all but one case (where his cards add up to five) the decision is predetermined for him.
More on James Bond and Baccarat
Although James Bond looks cool playing baccarat, or Chemin de Fer as the case may be, he isn’t really demonstrating much card skill. In addition, modern audiences aren’t nearly as familiar with baccarat as they are with say, no limit Texas hold’em. This is why in the modern remake of Casino Royale starring Daniel Craig as Bond, hold’em was chosen as the game that drives the central plot, rather than baccarat or Chemin de Fer. This made the card playing action easier to follow, and made it more convincing that Bond was actually a skilled cardplayer (although the final hand in the movie was a “cooler” hand, where several statistically unlikely strong hands were involved in the same pot, minimizing the skill element).
Huwebes, Hulyo 21, 2011
Biyernes, Hulyo 1, 2011
Bacarrat History
Baccarat is a game that has been played for centuries, and has been thought of as the province of high rollers, playing in tuxedos in private rooms for thousands of dollars, up until modern times, when the great equalizer, the Internet, enabled even the lowest stakes players to enjoy baccarat at home in their underwear. But how and when did this classic game get started?
Baccarat Begins
Baccarat, in both Italian and French, mean “zero,” so the game is literally the “zero” game. It is said that the game is based on an Etruscan religious ritual where a virgin would be compelled to throw a nine sided die to decide her fate. If fortune shone upon her, she would roll an eight or a nine and become a priestess, a six or a seven meant she would walk away from the spiritual world all together. The odds were stacked against our poor virgin though; rolling a one through five meant a trip into the sea and her doom.
Baccarat Returns
Fortunately, today’s baccarat players do not face nearly as dire a fate, as long as they don’t bet their life savings on the wrong side. However, the goal, to get an eight or a nine, remains the same. The baccarat we know today first popped up in 15th century France, and was initially played exclusively by the French nobility before it was introduced into the general casino population.
Later the French developed “Chemin de Fer,” a version of the game which gave the player much more power than in the classic Baccarat, where a gambler simply wagered on one side or the other and watched helplessly to see the outcome. This is the game that James Bond has been seen playing in the classic films, and a variation of this game is what turned up in American casinos in the 1950s.
Baccarat Forever
The first evolution of the game that brought baccarat to the masses was mini-baccarat, a simplified version of the game that could accommodate multiple players more easily. Today, online baccarat can be enjoyed by anyone, and is a great way to get into online casino gambling with a minimum of gaming experience.
Baccarat Begins
Baccarat, in both Italian and French, mean “zero,” so the game is literally the “zero” game. It is said that the game is based on an Etruscan religious ritual where a virgin would be compelled to throw a nine sided die to decide her fate. If fortune shone upon her, she would roll an eight or a nine and become a priestess, a six or a seven meant she would walk away from the spiritual world all together. The odds were stacked against our poor virgin though; rolling a one through five meant a trip into the sea and her doom.
Baccarat Returns
Fortunately, today’s baccarat players do not face nearly as dire a fate, as long as they don’t bet their life savings on the wrong side. However, the goal, to get an eight or a nine, remains the same. The baccarat we know today first popped up in 15th century France, and was initially played exclusively by the French nobility before it was introduced into the general casino population.
Later the French developed “Chemin de Fer,” a version of the game which gave the player much more power than in the classic Baccarat, where a gambler simply wagered on one side or the other and watched helplessly to see the outcome. This is the game that James Bond has been seen playing in the classic films, and a variation of this game is what turned up in American casinos in the 1950s.
Baccarat Forever
The first evolution of the game that brought baccarat to the masses was mini-baccarat, a simplified version of the game that could accommodate multiple players more easily. Today, online baccarat can be enjoyed by anyone, and is a great way to get into online casino gambling with a minimum of gaming experience.
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