When the classic Bond film Dr No. was released in 1962, it properly introduced James Bond to movie goers all over the world. The novels of Ian Fleming had created a character that was suave, classy and debonair and it seemed only natural that the big screen would want a piece of the action.
Ian Fleming passed away in 1964, at the age of just 58, so we can only imagine what new adventures he might have dreamed up for Bond. As it is, however, a number of other authors have written fully authorized Bond novels and the character has been adapted for comics and video games as well as for television and radio too.
Casino scenes feature in a few of the movies and in Dr No we get our first taste of Bond playing the classic game Baccarat. It’s a game that intrigues many people and here is the lowdown on the scenes in the film and the game itself.
Baccarat and Bond
The first scene in the first film shows Bond sitting at a casino table in Monte Carlo. Here we see Bond as the classy, debonair gentleman with a taste for Martini.
He’s also a top class spy, looking sharp in his suit, and is a man who has an eye for a beautiful lady. He’s known for his poker face and his killer stance in the casino. In Dr No, he’s playing a game called Baccarat – or more specifically a version of the game called Chemin-de-fer. As a player he is cool, calm and collected and it’s here we get our first proper introduction to the character we came to know and love over many decades.
As he plays, he is being watched by a lady. He coolly opens his cigarette case, looks into her eyes and we hear him utter the immortal line “Bond…James Bond”. Many believe that any actor that followed Sean Connery in the role would have a supremely tough act to follow and that his role in Dr No. was the prototype for everything that followed.
What is Chemin-de-fer?
It’s a classic game, sometimes referred to as Chemmy, and one that you might not find online or in any casino inland!
The game preceded Baccarat as we know it today and this version came from France. It’s played with six decks of cards and the player who ends with a total of eight or nine, wins.
Chemmy relies on the player dealing the cards themselves and they all must take turns to be the banker. It’s an intense game, but very exciting and really made famous by that opening scene in Dr No. It’s not a card game for someone who wants quiet refinement!
How is Baccarat played?
It’s a slightly different game that has varying rules to Chemmy. A complete guide to Baccarat will explain that it’s a card game that is dealt from a shoe that holding either six or eight decks of cards.
A couple of hands are dealt out by the house dealer and have two hands. The ‘Banker’ and the ‘Player’.
Bets that win on a banker or player are paid 1:1. However, a commission of %5 must be charged on bank bets which effectively makes the net odds, 0.95-1!
Depending on who you read, or where you get your information from, some will say tie bets are paid 8:1. Others claim that tie bets are paid 9:1 and this will all be dependent on the casino’s rules.
If there is a tie, any bets are returned. However, once a bet is placed no decisions can be revised. This results in final hands of two or three cards for each.
How a hand is valued is based on adding the values of the individual cards.
- Tens and face cards are valued at zero.
- All other cards are counted by how many pips there are on the card face.
Only the last digit of the total can be used, this means that all baccarat hands are valued between 0-9 inclusive. A hand with a higher value wins. If the hands have the same value, the net result is a tie.
- Player hand rules: If a player’s first two cards are worth six or more, the player has to stand without drawing a card. If the player’s first two cards are worth five or less, the player has to take one additional card.
Banker hand rules: If the banker’s first two cards are worth seven or higher, they must stand and not draw a card. If the total is zero, one or two then the banker has to draw one card. However, if they total three, four, five or six then it depends on whether the player drew as to whether the banker can draw.
