Casino Royale Poker Scene Bond Losses

Finally, the Casino Royale script is here for all you fans of the Daniel Craig James Bond movie. This puppy is a transcript that was painstakingly transcribed using the screenplay and/or viewings of the movie to get the dialogue.

In Casino Royale, James Bond masterfully lures his opponents into doing exactly what he wishes them to do. How does he do it? Observe these two scenes:

1. Screen used for the scene where Bond wins a poker game for high stakes, including a silver birch Aston Martin. Three poker tables were supplied to the famous resort, converting their Martini Bar & Lounge into a casino club for the film. Direct from the worldwide franchise of the classic James Bond series from James Bond Saga Casino Royale comes.
2. Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) takes measures to try and get Bond (Daniel Craig) out of the card game in CASINO ROYALE (2006). To make the poker game look realistic the cast were given lessons in how to play Texas Hold ‘Em which included the correct way to hold and protect your cards. They would also play for two or three hours after filming had finished, sometimes with real money.

While at the exclusive Bahamas getaway, the Ocean Club, James Bond takes a seat at the poker table opposite the sinister Alex Dimitrios.

In a particularly interesting hand, we can see that the flop has already been dealt, revealing a 9, 3, A. The fourth card is turned over to reveal a 7. Bond checks, but Dimitrios bets $5,000. Bond calmly calls his bet, placing $5,000 in chips in front of him, which the dealer then counts and slides into the main pot. When the fifth card is turned over to reveal a K, Bond checks once again. The villain immediately goes “all in,” and even tries to raise the bet to $20,000. When the dealer objects, citing “table stakes,” he tries to bet his car, a gorgeous 1964 Aston Martin, and he tosses his keys into the pot. When the dealer objects once again, Bond gives an easy smile and convinces the dealer to “give him a chance to win his money back,” and Bond slides all of his chips into the pot. At the showdown, Dimitrios flips his cards to reveal a hand of K, K, and along with the king in the flop, he smiles confidently with his hand of three kings. James Bond calmly flips his cards to reveal A, A, and with an ace already among the flop, Bond’s hand of “trip aces” trumps the three kings.

Once the scene has unfolded, and the hand has been played out, we can now see that Bond had successfully lured Dimitrios into a false confidence. When the scene opened, and the 9, 3, A had already been flipped, Bond would have already been holding the best hand possible. No other combination can beat his hand, at least not yet. When the seven was turned over, Bond still held the best hand, and the chances of his hand being beaten had grown even slimmer, yet Bond calmly checked. When the final King was revealed, Bond knew that no other possible combination could beat his “trip aces.” Even knowing that he held the best hand possible, Bond still checked. Dimitrios, knowing that he held a very strong (though not the strongest) hand, and not having detected any strength or confidence coming from his opponent, felt certain that he held the best hand, and he went all in.

Seasoned poker players will probably tell you that Bond’s strategy of checking was extremely risky in this case. Perhaps he should have been making strong bets, as this might have been his only chance to take full advantage of his superior hand. But, his ability to conceal the strength of his hand pays off, and his opponent leapt at the chance to go all in.

James Bond would later employ this technique during the high-stakes poker tournament at the Casino Royale in Montenegro:

During the game, Bond carefully observes LeChiffre’s playing style, and begins to uncover a ‘tell.’ LeChiffe tends to twitch and touch his eye when he tries to bluff his way through a weak hand. Bond’s strategy is to use this knowledge to his advantage, and ultimately outwit his opponent by betting strongly when LeChiffre reveals his weak hand through his tell. Bond’s strategy backfires however; after observing the ‘tell’ once again, Bond goes all in. But he is shocked to find that the villain was holding a strong hand after all. Bond loses it all.

Later, after Bond has bought back into the game and seems to be holding his own, the last hand is dealt. There are now four players left, including Bond and LeChiffre. When the fourth card has been dealt to reveal A, 8, 6, 4, Bond checks. Then the final card has been dealt to reveal an A, 8, 6, 4, A, and four of the cards are spades.

We can also see that several good hands can be made with what is shown on the table. Bond checks, and two of the players have gone all in, with four and five million respectively. When it is his turn to bet, LeChiffre raises the stakes to $12 Million, causing Bond to look pensively at the bet that has just been placed. Bond looks up at LeChiffre and begins to stare into his eyes. Having been unsuccessful at reading LeChiffre’s tells earlier, Bond seems to be contemplating LeChiffre’s motives. Bond then makes the bold move of going all in, raising the stakes to $14.5 Million. LeChiffre seems taken by surprise, but looks at his cards once more. Holding an ace-six combination, giving him a full house, LeChiffre confidently calls Bond’s bet. The first player flips his cards, to reveal a flush. The second player flips to reveal a full house. LeChiffre flips his cards to reveals pockets card of A, 6, to make a higher full house, A, A, A, 6, 6.

James Bond doesn’t look well as his bet has been called. He sheepishly slides his cards toward the dealer, perhaps to quietly fold his cards. But, he flips is cards to reveal a 5, 7, creating a 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 combination; a straight flush–not only the highest hand possible on the table, but one of the highest hands in all of poker.

Just as he had done in the Ocean Club, Bond waited until he had the best possible hand at the table, and masterfully gave an aura of weakness, coaxing his opponents to attack, and then took full advantage.

This technique is known as “bluffing.”

In the movie Casino Royale, the titular character has beaten Mads Mikkelsen’s antagonist in a game by getting a straight flush over his full house. Not to mention that it was a split straight flush.

By cinematic standards, the scene was amazing. But, when we count in math and psychology, it was just incredible. The chances of getting those cards are absurdly small and staying cool to check twice when you have it is even harder.

Quick math for the Casino Royale chances

• 00001539077169% chance of getting a straight flush
• 00000012825643% chance of getting a split straight flush 4-8
• 0% chance of staying cool with $115M in the pot

Well, unless you are the fabled agent 007 that is.

Poker is more than Math

Unlike most card games, you don’t only play poker against the house or the dealer; you play it mostly against other players at the table. Having four of a kind doesn’t help if you fold and you can bleed all of your cash away before you get a lucky stroke.

Especially when it comes to playing hold’em, it is essential to be able to read other players and have a general idea if they have a good hand or not. Then you have to figure out what having a good hand means to them.

Also, you can always stumble upon a player akin to a Swedish pensioner who plays with a smile win or bust. Those people will mess up your game big time.

Not to mention that in the end, you need to win hands to go home in the black. That requires luck as well.

Offline Poker vs. Online Games

Ironically, the AI algorithm in online games is leagues more forgiving than playing actual IRL cards. For instance, odds on online pokies are such that you have 3 times bigger chances of winning the biggest jackpot there is than having a split straight flush.

Not to mention that the hand Bond had was not the strongest in the game. Chances for a royal flush are even slimmer and in hold’em, the signs would be more apparent.

Also, you can always win something in online games and you rarely exit quickly and with nothing. Even live casino games have stacked better chances to make the game more interesting as there is no psychological interaction.

Casino Royale Poker Scene Bond Losses Against

Getting a Straight Flush

In the movie, the main antagonist Le Chiffre has a full house with aces over eights. The chances for that are roughly 1:100, making that hand exceptionally strong. The next closest chance was four aces, which he knew was impossible as he had an ace.

In many ways, expecting that Bond would have a straight flush was unreasonable.

Especially, because the row on the table was split into two places, having those exact cards would require 1:100.000.000 chances, or a million times better than a full house.

With that in mind, the torture scene that follows is, while gruesome, somewhat to be expected.

Dealer vs. Player

Casino Royale Poker Scene Bond Losses Calculator

When playing against the AI or a dealer, you know that the person in front of you has nothing to gain by cheating or fooling you. In those cases, it is all a matter of luck, RNG, and RTP if you have a strategy.

Casino Royale Poker Scene

But, playing against other humans who have something to lose is a whole different animal. You aren’t splitting the pot or winning in your own game. You can have a great hand and go home with nothing if the other person had a better one.

Hopefully, someday, we will know how it feels to stake millions on a single hand of cards. But, if we do the math, we are more likely to get there by winning a jackpot on online slots than we are playing poker against international criminals.