Baccarat: James Bond’s Game of Choice and Its European Origins

What is James Bond’s favorite game of chance? If you ask anyone who watched the Daniel Craig James Bond films, they will tell you without hesitation that Bond was a master of Texas Hold’em poker. But that is not what Ian Fleming’s original character played. He didn’t really dabble in poker much at all in the books. No, James Bond, like Fleming himself, was a keen baccarat player.

Baccarat is an older, and now far more niche, card game than poker. Once the favored pastime of French and Italian aristocrats, the game is nowhere near as popular today as it was then. Its popularity has faded as blackjack, video poker, and the various types of poker games have taken hold at land-based casinos and their digital counterparts. That isn’t to say it has disappeared. Not by any measure, there are still plenty of variants of baccarat and loads of places to play it. And for any true Bond fans out there, it is a highly engaging and thrilling endeavour.

European Origins of Baccarat

How baccarat came to be is the subject of much dispute, and there are various theories. Most pin it to having Asian origins, and that the game of Macao was brought to Europe by sailors. Playing cards were already used across Europe, especially in Italy and France. Games such as Tarot, and various risk-taking card games were quite popular. Macao became mainstream in Europe around the 18th century.

A game called Baccarat Banque took over in the 19th century in France, and later this evolved into Chemin de Fer. These were the two main variants of baccarat until the 1940s, when Punto Banco was developed in Havana. Nowadays, Punto Banco is the most popular type of baccarat, with Chemin de fer and Baccarat banque staying, for the most part, in France.

Baccarat really took off in America, and was popularized by celebrities such as Frank Sinatra and other stars. Punto Banco remained the most popular variant, with Chemin de Fer remaining mostly in Europe. It was in Portugal that Ian Fleming would first come across Chemin de Fer.

Three Main Types of Baccarat

Now of the three, the most common version of baccarat in the world is Punto Banco. It is usually referred to as just “baccarat”, those this is not entirely accurate. As Chemin de Fer and Baccarat Banque are also forms of baccarat, but they have very different rules from Punto Banco.
Also, those two French Baccarat games give players more freedom to make choices, adding an element of control in the gameplay. They tend to have slower and more tactical rounds. Punto Banco is a game of pure chance, and requires players to pick between 3 wagers, and then let the round unfold.

Punto Banco

In punto banco, the house provides a dealer, who will shuffle the cards and draw them. The dealer will deal two hands, a player hand and a banker hand. The players have to bet on which hand they think will win, or whether they think the round will end in a tie. The numbered cards are taken at face value, except for 10, which counts as 0. The J, Q, and K all count as 0, and Aces count as 1. The hand with the highest score wins, and if any hand exceeds 10, then 10 is subtracted from the score to make a single digit score.

Both the player and banker hands are priced at 1:1, though the banker hand has a slight edge. Which is why this bet comes with a small commission, usually 5%. The dealer draws 2 cards for the Player, and then 2 for the banker, and if the third card rule conditions are met, they will draw an extra card for the player. Then, if the banker third card rules are met, a third card is drawn for the banker. Some games will have additional side bets, such as how many cards will be drawn, or which cards will be drawn. But basically, this is a game of pure chance. Anyone playing Punto Banco doesn’t really get a say in the third cards or cannot really influence the outcome.

Chemin de Fer

Chemin de Fer is more of a strategic game, and popular in French casinos. Players take turns acting as the banker, and basically the game is “banker” vs all the other players. After each turn, the next player at the table is appointed the banker. In a counterclockwise rotation.
Both the players and banker have the chance to draw or stand if their hands form a total of 5. The banker sets the stakes, like a blind in poker. And then players can match that amount by saying Banco. Chemin de Fer does have elements of poker in it, but it also has a blackjack style “stand or hit (in this case it’s called draw).

Because of this decision making and the betting, Chemin de Fer gives players more moves than simply betting on one hand or the other. This was the version of baccarat that Ian Fleming was into, and the original card game James Bond played in his Casino Royale novel.

Baccarat Banque

This is the oldest version of baccarat, and is close to Chemin de Fer. The difference is that the banker is fixed, and doesn’t rotate among the players. Generally, the player with the biggest baccarat bankroll is appointed the banker. They continue being the banker until they step down or run out of money. The game typically uses three decks, and features the banker playing against two separate player hands.

There is an element of control, just like Chemin de Fer. Players can choose whether they want to stand or draw a third card. This game is rarely offered at casinos nowadays, it is more of a social game. It found a place in the royal French palaces and gaming houses, but nowadays has all but disappeared from mainstream gaming.

Baccarat in the UK and Fleming’s Taste for the Game

Baccarat didn’t take off in the UK as it did in France or the rest of Europe. Casinos in Britain mostly featured blackjack or poker, which quickly became huge hits across the United Kingdom. Baccarat did reach the UK, but it was more of a sophisticated niche that was found in private clubs or gaming salons reserved for the high society. It didn’t shake off the associations with French royalty, and therefore remained a game for the upper classes to enjoy.

Ian Fleming encountered the game during the Second World War, when he was stationed in Portugal. He was an intelligence officer during the war, and frequently found himself at the Estoril Casino, one of the most prestigious casinos in Portugal. And we know that he spent time at the casino, observing high stakes gaming. While Fleming himself was not a traditional spy, he may well have gone to the casino to report on targets or keep an eye on certain individuals. Experiences that he most certainly would have used for the inspiration of Bond novels.

Fleming’s first Bond novel, Casino Royale, features James Bond playing a high stakes baccarat game versus Le Chiffre. It was not Daniel Craig’s Texas Hold’em Poker. No, the original Bond faced Le Chiffre in Chemin de Fer.

Modern Revival and Online Baccarat

Baccarat is not as popular as other table games such as blackjack, roulette or poker. But with the advent of online gaming, it has seen a huge revival. Countless RNG versions of baccarat add extra elements and side bets to enhance the gameplay. Games like No Commission Baccarat, Dragon Tiger or Mini Baccarat either change the payout structure or alter the rules ever so slightly to bring new and innovative edges to the game.

Then, there are live dealer baccarat games, such as lightning speed variants or high roller VIP rooms. At the more specialised online casinos, you will also find tournaments featuring baccarat, or baccarat games with progressive jackpots. Virtually all of the online baccarat follows the Punto Banco rules. Chemin de Fer and Baccarat Banque have all but disappeared. Except for the high roller casinos in Europe, where you may still find tables that offer them. Or, VIP members of casinos can specially request these variants from their personal hosts.

Baccarat: A Game of Chance

The filmmakers decided to use Texas Hold’em instead of baccarat because Casino Royale (2006) was filmed at the height of the 2000s poker boom. Poker was the hottest game of the time, glamorised by the WSOP TV series and poker celebrity figures such as Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey, Phil Hellmuth and Tony G.

While baccarat is widespread in casinos from Macau to Las Vegas, it isn’t regarded in the same light as poker. Baccarat has a more niched audience. And because it is a game mostly around chance (with no skill based element), it doesn’t have the same edge as games like blackjack or poker. But that doesn’t mean players can’t build baccarat strategies. There are loads of ways to enjoy baccarat, and countless staking strategies that players can employ to beat short term variance and optimise their bankroll against the house.

You probably won’t be able to find Chemin de Fer offered at any online casino. Poker, blackjack, and punto banco are the most similar games to 007’s game of choice. Should you want the same player/banker hand dynamics, Punto Banco is the way to go. But if you fancy having more control over what happens, you can always test your gaming skills at blackjack or poker. Just remember, all casino games are based on chance. No matter what decisions you make or how you build your strategy.

So play carefully, enjoy the thrill of uncertainty, and don’t get carried away with wins or losses. Unlike James Bond, your life isn’t on the line for the next draw.