We can all agree that James Bond is one of the few characters in popular culture who is renowned for his suave demeanor and sophisticated tastes. Bond is portrayed as a man with particular tastes. 

Like he wants his martini shaken and not stirred, he likes to play card games over any other sophisticated casino games. And, he can make it look intriguing, which is carried over from the novels and brilliantly portrayed in the movies. 

Today, we discuss James Bond’s choice of card game in the novel and the movies. We also try to delve into how the gameplay of those games is important to the plot of the novels and the movies. Read along to find out Bond’s favorite card games so that you can try your luck with those games. 

James Bond’s Card Game Of Choice

The most played card game in James Bond novels and movies is baccarat. Bond’s expertise in baccarat is meticulously showcased in both the novels and the movies. However, the game of choice for bond changes from baccarat to poker in the later movies. 

Baccarat In The Novels

Bond’s favorite card game is baccarat, however, it is not the modern version of baccarat available in online casinos. He plays the original version of Baccarat called Chemin de Fer, the most popular brick-and-mortar casino game in France, where it was first introduced. The game is played in Ian Fleming’s first novel Casino Royale (1953), establishing it as the most classic Bong casino game. Bond plays Baccarat Chemin de Fer against the brutal Bond villain Le Chiffre in the novel. 

While the gameplay of Chemin de Fer is an integral part of the first novel’s plot, it is later mentioned in subsequent novels like Dr. No (1958), GoldenEye (1959), For Your Eyes Only (1960), Thunderball (1961), and On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1963). 

Baccarat In The Movies

Similar to the novels, Baccarat Chemin de Fer is the favorite card game of Bond in the initial films. In the movie Dr. No (1962), Bond mentions the name ‘Chemin de Fer’ when he and Sylvia Trench walk over to the cashier in Le Cercle Casino. Bond first introduces himself with the first utterance of his iconic introduction line after winning the card game in the film. Later on, Bond plays Chemin de Fer in In Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) movie at the Estoril Casino in Portugal. In the movie, Bond wins the game and wins an enormous sum of money. 

Bond also plays Baccarat Chemin de Fer in the 1981 movie For Your Eyes Only. Bond plays the card game at theAchilleion Palace in Corfu, Greece and he is accompanied by Countess Lisl von Schlaf, an affluent Austrian woman, and a skilled baccarat player. Bond, having unparalleled skills in baccarat, wins the game and an enormous sum of money. Bond also plays baccarat in GoldenEye (1995) at the Casino de Monte Carlo, where he shares his passion for the card game with Xenia Onatopp. 

Transition To Poker

Baccarat was James Bond’s favorite casino game until Die Another Day (2002), Pierce Brosnan’s last portrayal of James Bond. While there is no gameplay of baccarat in the movie, his version of Bond mentioned that baccarat is his choice of card game in GoldenEye, Brosnan’s first Bond film. However, things took a turn in Casino Royale, the first of Daniel Craig’s series of Bond movies.

In Casino Royale (2006), the first film after the reboot of the James Bond franchise, Bond’s favorite card game was changed from Baccarat Chemin de Fer to poker, No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em to be exact. In the movie, Bond is assigned by the British Secret Service to beat Le Chiffre at a game of No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em so that he will seek asylum with the British. 

The complicated game is an integral part of the movie’s plot and drives the story forward. In the original novel, Bond plays Chemin de Fer against Le Chiffre. However, in the movie, the game was swapped to Texas Hold ‘Em as it was the more popular game at the time and the game required to have a huge pot of up to $115 million. However, many poker enthusiasts complain that the portrayal of poker in Casino Royale was not accurate. It is true to an extent as the game was tweaked for the movie as non-casino players should also understand the game. 

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Baccarat is the game of choice for the stylish British secret agent, James Bond. The games mentioned in the novels and the movies showcase his character and how sophisticated he is. From the first Ian Fleming’s Bond novel, Casino Royale, Baccarat Chemin de Fer is portrayed as Bond’s favorite card game. However, Bond does play other casino games like Bridge, Blackjack, Roulette, and Mah Jong in certain films and novels. 

Bond’s choice of card game changes from Baccarat Chemin de Fer to No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em in the newest series of games. This is done because Baccarat was no longer popular at the time the film was shot and the plot wanted the game to accommodate an enormous sum of money as the payout. However, there is no denying the fact that James Bond is a card game enthusiast. The card games are important to the plots and serve as an excellent storytelling device.