Breaking down 007 casino scenes

I'm planning to make a video where I explain what is going on in the casino scenes in every James Bond movie. Before I do so, I'd like to post my comments here for discussion and correction. Let's start with Dr. No. Here is the casino scene. Besides setting up the characters it also is the first usage of Bond's catch-phrase, "Bond.....James Bond."


Direct: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLXoZ69ce-I

For those who don't know, Bond is playing Chemin de Fer, which is a precursor to baccarat. Here are the main differences. To avoid confusion, I capitalize the bets Player and Banker and use lower case for the people playing the game.

1. Six decks of cards instead of eight (source: Wikipedia).
2. The turn to bank rotates around the table. Anybody may decline the option.
3. Anybody not banking is betting on the Player hand.
3. If both Player and Banker hands are less than 8, then both sides have free will in taking a third card. As in baccarat, the Player must act first and a third card is dealt face up.
4. The player betting the most, gets to touch the cards and decide whether to take a third card.

Here are some questions:

1. In the first hand, the woman had a 3 and Bond had a natural 8. Bond puts her to a decision and she hits. Then Bond reveals a natural 8. My question is why did Bond do this? Wasn't he supposed to flip his natural immediately?
2. If this is a player vs. player (note I used lower case) wager, what is in it for the casino? Is there a fee to play, like in LA poker clubs?

The question for the poll is which movie has your favorite casino scene?

Quote:

1. In the first hand, the woman had a 3 and Bond had a natural 8. Bond puts her to a decision and she hits. Then Bond reveals a natural 8. My question is why did Bond do this? Wasn't he supposed to flip his natural immediately?

He gambled that she wouldn't know she was cheated?

Quote:

2. If this is a player vs. player (note I used lower case) wager, what is in it for the casino? Is there a fee to play, like in LA poker clubs?

Someone here surely knows, not me

btw

Quote: Wizard

I'm planning to make a video where I explain what is going on in the casino scenes in every James Bond movie. Before I do so, I'd like to post my comments here for discussion and correction. Let's start with Dr. No. Here is the casino scene. Besides setting up the characters it also is the first usage of Bond's catch-phrase, "Bond.....James Bond."

Direct: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLXoZ69ce-I

For those who don't know, Bond is playing Chemin de Fer, which is a precursor to baccarat. Here are the main differences. To avoid confusion, I capitalize the bets Player and Banker and use lower case for the people playing the game.

1. Six decks of cards instead of eight (source: Wikipedia).
2. The turn to bank rotates around the table. Anybody may decline the option.
3. Anybody not banking is betting on the Player hand.
3. If both Player and Banker hands are less than 8, then both sides have free will in taking a third card. As in baccarat, the Player must act first and a third card is dealt face up.
4. The player betting the most, gets to touch the cards and decide whether to take a third card.

Here are some questions:

1. In the first hand, the woman had a 3 and Bond had a natural 8. Bond puts her to a decision and she hits. Then Bond reveals a natural 8. My question is why did Bond do this? Wasn't he supposed to flip his natural immediately?
2. If this is a player vs. player (note I used lower case) wager, what is in it for the casino? Is there a fee to play, like in LA poker clubs?

The question for the poll is which movie has your favorite casino scene?

Awesome

I know it's a few movies out but I am particularly interested in the Asian gambling scenes of The Man With The Golden Gun.

To this day I can't figure out what they were doing except it had to do with people above you passing wagers down to people below in cups

Quote: darkoz

I know it's a few movies out but I am particularly interested in the Asian gambling scenes of The Man With The Golden Gun.

To this day I can't figure out what they were doing except it had to do with people above you passing wagers down to people below in cups

They were playing sic bo at the Fisherman's Warf casino, or whatever it's called, in Macau. The place is a dive now and nearly deserted. I'll comment on that more when we get to that movie.

I am hoping somebody around here knows Chemin de Fer.

I would also be interested to hear from the Francophiles of the forum if the French spoken at the table adds any context.

Quote: Wizard

They were playing sic bo at the Fisherman's Warf casino, or whatever it's called, in Macau. The place is a dive now and nearly deserted. I'll comment on that more when we get to that movie.

I am hoping somebody around here knows Chemin de Fer.

I would also be interested to hear from the Francophiles of the forum if the French spoken at the table adds any context.

You can get an excellent description of chemin de fer by reading Casino Royale if that helps. He spends almost a full chapter on the rules and half the book is play at the tables.

The plot of the movie expanded the book because most of the book is just the pivotal card game

Quote: darkoz

You can get an excellent description of chemin de fer by reading Casino Royale if that helps. He spends almost a full chapter on the rules and half the book is play at the tables.

The plot of the movie expanded the book because most of the book is just the pivotal card game

There was a long bridge (the card game) scene in the book Moonraker that didn't make the movie at all except a brief mention of I think M playing Bridge with Drax. That whole movie strayed almost completely from the book.

Quote: Wizard

I'm planning to make a video where I explain what is going on in the casino scenes in every James Bond movie.

I hope you don't run afoul of YouTube's rules. Or copyright laws.

Quote: Wizard

2. If this is a player vs. player (note I used lower case) wager, what is in it for the casino? Is there a fee to play, like in LA poker clubs?

I saw a poker video last week that was produced by the management of a poker club that I assume operates in a state that casinos are illegal. The first 30 seconds or so was something of a commercial.

At their poker club, you can get a membership for as little as one day, or as long as one year. They didn't say how much, but that makes it a private club to get around the law. After that, it's $10 per hour for a seat at the table.

Maybe the casino in the movie operates the same way. Don't some of the European casinos have entrance fees, etc?

Then again, we don't actually see the croupier handling the cheques. Maybe he took the vig out off camera.

Quote: Wizard

The question for the poll is which movie has your favorite casino scene?

While I like Bond films, I haven't seen enough of them recently enough to have an opinion about the gambling - except I remember hating the ridiculous "tell" and final hand in the poker game in Casino Royale.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

I hope you don't run afoul of YouTube's rules. Or copyright laws.

I think if I don't monetize it, I'll be okay. Like quoting a passage from a book or magazine.

You should do the books as well (which are excellent), and some even feature some amusing betting systems.

As for favorite movie casino scene, I had to vote Dr. No, not the best as "gambling action", but its just a classic, probably one of the best character introductions in movie history (also the movie is very loyal to the book, which became less and less the case over the years, until Casino Royale in 2006, not the odd early versions).

I don't know how it works in real life. But, in Casino Royale (The Book), it was based around Baccarat (unlike the movie which switches to Texas Holdem for unknown reasons). I believe, if I am recalling Casino Royale correctly (again no clue if this is in real life), the players take turns as the banker who holds the shoe and deals cards as requested. I believe this was a club where you have to pay to be a member, the book did not really get into the logistics of how the club made money, except some mentions to the house edge of roulette (if I recall correctly Bond also makes an amusing comment about how the manager will be expecting a loss with him using his system near the start of the book before the main plot). But, in Baccarat (in the book) it was player vs player (which was essentially the whole plot of Casino Royale, hoping that Le Chiffre would lose, and compromise his security as a foreign Russian Agent who was trying to win back Russian money that he illegally used to buy brothels before they were banned incurring a massive loss, hopefully before the government noticed (and in so compromising him, hopefully putting him or his superiors in a position where they would have to cooperate since they destroyed their integrity with Russia).

Various rule sites say the house gets a 5% rake on all winning Bank hands for Chemin De Fer, payed at the end of each shoe.

Note that Bond also briefly plays Sic Bo in "Skyfall" in addition to TMWTGG. I guess that's his game of choice when in Macau despite the fact that you can throw a rock and hit a dozen baccarat tables there.

I think the Bridge game in the book "Moonraker" was the inspiration for the Backgammon game in the film "Octopussy". In both cases Bond turns the tables by using the villain's own cheating technique against him. Note also that, when 007 is collecting his winnings, both Hugo Drax (book) and Kamal Khan (film) say "Spend the money quickly Mr. Bond."