Just the word ‘casino’ throws up all sorts of images. Of glitz and glamour with men in tuxedos, and the social buzz that fills the casino floor, with players and revellers both united against the dealer, or, in more modern times, the joy of being able to play your favourite games from the comfort of your own home – with online casino games to play, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
There’s one man you can’t help but envisage, but the fictional character James Bond. The secret agent loved nothing more than getting one over on a rival at a casino table. Read on, as we discuss all things Bond and casino.
Bond and Baccarat
In the debut novel by Ian Fleming, Casino Royale, we get a first glimpse of 007 at the casino, as the protagonist plays a high-stakes game of Baccarat against Le Chiffre. Of course, those familiar with the film adaptation of 2006 will know that Bond and his enemy play a high-stakes game of Poker – more popular at the time. So, why baccarat?
Fleming was a passionate gambler, and it’s believed that one of his favourite games was Baccarat. In fact, there’s evidence to suggest he was playing the card game at the Casino Estoril in Lisbon, in the 1940s – 12 years prior to Casino Royale’s publication. The game also features heavily in Goldfinger and Moonraker.
Not just the Casino Estoril, but casinos around the world, and more specifically, the different kinds of games that can be played, were the inspiration behind many of the scenes that can be found in the novels – and it’s fair to say that Bond and casino go together as well as salt and vinegar!
Sean Connery’s Bond experience
The original Bond, actor Sean Connery, had success at the casino on the silver screen and in reality, too. His trip to the Casino de la Vallee in 1963 is well-documented. He went straight to the Roulette table and put a straight-up bet on number 17. The bet lost. He tried again, and once again, his luck wasn’t in. Third time lucky – and the number landed.
Obviously feeling like luck was on his side, he continued – and to the surprise of Connery, the croupier and everyone surrounding the table, the number 17 landed three times in a row. The odds of this happening were 50,000/1 and he decided to call it a day!
Eight years later, these exploits at the casino were replicated in Diamonds are Forever. Connery plays Bond and heads to the Roulette table at the Circus Circus casino in Las Vegas. A straight-up bet on lucky 17. This is not the film’s iconic scene though, and we later see the secret agent play Craps.
Other casino games
As mentioned, in the film adaptation of Casino Royale, Bond plays the Texas Hold’em variant of Poker. Of course, there’s plenty of drama throughout the game, and none more so than the final, where Bond wins with a straight flush, landing the pot worth $115 million.
While, Baccarat features in several of the novels by Fleming, we see the secret agent play the classic casino game in Dr. No – the first film, released in 1962. It was also the casino game of choice in the Golden Eye.
