27 Feb
Introduction
The allure of casino gaming is often propped up by its presence in hit movies and TV. In fact, this is true of any industry – they will often look toward some of the big Hollywood hits to try and get their brand in the shop window. It works differently when it comes to 007 and casino gaming.
Not only was it referenced in the first Bond novels penned by iconic author Ian Fleming, but the emphasis is on the game itself rather than the brand. Granted, you’re not going to see James Bond sitting there feeding quarters into a penny slot in some dingey Vegas dive of a casino; it wouldn’t quite match the aesthetic. However, when the marketing is aimed at the game rather than an individual brand, it opens up the floor to a much larger potential audience.
Bond & His Casino Aura
The actors who play Bond exude the aura and presence that leaped out of the pages of Fleming’s first novel. While the landscape of poker may have changed over the years, there’s still a place for the stylish and enigmatic presence of Bond’s poker prowess, even up to the latest actor to portray him – Daniel Craig.
Online poker and other variants, including video poker, might have broadened the horizons and opened up the game to a new audience who might not be fans of the bluffing and psyching out that often accompany a land-based game.
However, those who play video poker games will attest that there are still plenty of similarities, with many professional poker players using virtual and online options to sharpen their skills. Some poker enthusiasts state that video poker strips away the essence of the land-based game, but I would say there’s definitely a market for both. While you’re not going to get a James Bond scene revolving around a video poker terminal, it doesn’t mean the game has no positives.
The Longstanding Appeal Of Casino Royale
Not only was it the first Daniel Craig film, but a change in direction from the cinematography to the director meant that there was a brand new, slick Bond. It’s widely considered the last great Bond film, with all of Craig’s recent instalments failing to live up to the mark.
Reviewers have been more than generous about the film’s high points, how the climactic scene drills into the tension of a real-life poker game, and how it has captured the essence of what Fleming originally had in mind when he created the iconic secret agent.
The longstanding appeal of the film meant it shone a spotlight on poker, and, let’s face it, if there’s a high-stakes poker game dictating whether a supervillain triumphs over James Bond and Bond (spoiler alert) gets the win – then what’s cooler than that?
So, How Realistic Is The Poker Scene?
Honestly? Not very. Well, at least from a statistical point of view, anyway. The chances of playing a high-stakes game where the cash pool is a straight take-home amount of $115 million are the first of many unrealistic elements of the poker scene.
Once the players have to reveal their cards, the first player unveils a flush. Roughly speaking, the odds of getting a flush are around 500/1. In any other game, this would more or less guarantee you the win. The second player then gets a Full House, an even less likely hand, with odds close to 700/1.
If this wasn’t unrealistic enough, Le Chiffre, the movie protagonist, exquisitely played by the enigmatic Dane Mads Mikkelsen, gets an even higher Full House.
That leaves Bond – will the supervillain walk away with $115 million? Of course not. His Straight Flush has odds of around 72,000/1. For context, the odds for Leicester City to win the Premier League were about 5,000/1. While Bond might be a massive hit at the box office, and people are drawn to his enigmatic ways, the poker scene in Casino Royale is one of the most unrealistic poker scenes ever depicted in film or TV.
Conclusion
We don’t watch Bond for realism. Well, I don’t anyway, you might. If you do, I’d recommend expanding your film horizons slightly. While Daniel Craig’s recent Bond depictions have been a marked attempt to try and portray the agent in a more realistic and perhaps relatable way, it’s a big part of why they haven’t been able to click with the audience in the same way Casino Royale did, or some of the previous, rambunctious Bond portrayals – such as Sean Connery’s classic.
Whenever a Bond film is set for release, entertainment news is dominated by it, as it currently is with rumors of who will be the next person to play the fabled agent. If realism is on the cards, they’ll have to go leftfield and do something genuinely fresh – just like they did with Casino Royale in Craig’s first outing. Casino Royale, though? Realistic? Not quite.
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