Bond and Baccarat – a match made in heaven

Baccarat is a game that’s perhaps unknown by the more modern online casino crowd, although it’s undeniably a classic. You can still find a game or two during any casino online session, and you might find yourself thinking that the name seems somewhat familiar. Well, that’s most likely because the classic card game is one of the iconic James Bond’s favourites, especially when squaring up against his latest arch-nemesis. 

Read on to find out a little bit more about this bold and beloved game. 

From the beginning

The first version of the game was known a Chemin De Fer, first being introduced in France, and still remaining a popular pastime today. Six decks of card were used in this game, shuffled together to create one larger deck. The croupier and players would be asked to shuffle the cards, before the croupier shuffles them one more time and asks the player to the left to cut the deck. The actual gameplay will start from the right-hand side of the dealer, moving counter clockwise around the table.

However, there’s also historical evidence that suggests that Italy played a part in the creation of Baccarat. An Italian man named Felix Falguiere allegedly created the very first, and true, version of the game, using tarot cards. Not only this, there was also a popular card game called Macao that was being played all around Italy, with the aim of reaching a total of nine. Even to this day, Macao is often known as the “Italian Baccarat”. 

How To

One of the best things about playing Baccarat is that the dealer tends to do most of the work for you, so that you can just sit back and enjoy the game.

1. Place your bets on who will win: the player’s hand, the nominated banker’s hand, or a tie
2. Next, the dealer will deal the cards face up for both players and the banker, with whoever’s hand that reaches a total nine resulting in a natural win.
3. If a natural win isn’t found, the player who holds a total of six through to nine will stand.
4. The banker will hit if they hold a total of five or less, otherwise drawing a third card.
5. If there’s a tie in the total of hands, then a predetermined payout will be made, at the discretion of the casino’s rules and regulations.

Here comes Bond

James Bond is well known for his casino-based battles at any number of high-stake gaming tables, facing off against his latest enemy. Although your first thought when you hear the iconic 007 tagline may be the films, the franchise actually originated as a series of books written by Ian Fleming. Fleming himself was a massive fan of Baccarat and used this passion as inspiration for his first Bond novel Casino Royale. However, by the time the novel was adapted into a film, Baccarat had lost its popularity with the modern crowd, so the 2006 adaptation featured Texas Hold’em instead, a much-loved version of Poker. But for those true Bond fans out there, we all know that Baccarat is where the spy’s heart belongs.