Will We Get a Casino Scene for Bond 25?

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The teaser trailer for the latest James Bond film, his 25th adventure and Daniel Craig’s fifth and final outing, is scheduled to drop any day. As excitement builds for the April 2020 release date, we have some time to consider what we’d like to see from the film. Filming reports indicate a number of action sequences, including a car chase, have been shot in Italy. While returning actors Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw, and Ralph Fiennes ensure that we will see some classic MI6 character scenes, but there is a distinct hope that we’ll return to another Bondian trope: the casino. Playing casino games has been a staple of the Bond franchise, but what’s been his best flutter?

Poker

Poker is probably the most well-known game that Bond has played, with the 2006 film Casino Royale being solely focused around a high stakes poker game. Bond is tasked with using government money to win a poker game against criminal financier Le Chiffre. The film is structured around the game of poker and the many breaks in the game allow for action sequences, emotional denouement, and iconic moments. Based on its foundation in strategy, poker is actually a game that involves a lot of analytical thinking, as well as knowledge of the game – such as when to bet, when to fold, when to flop, and which card combinations are likely to win. This reflects the strategic side of Bond’s character and how he is always one step ahead.

Baccarat

Bond creator Ian Fleming was a fan of baccarat, chemin de fer specifically, and subsequently features it in many of the novels in the Bond franchise. The game has been featured in Thunderball, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, and Goldeneye. It also was used in the introductory scene to the character of James Bond in Dr No, with the scene facilitating the now-famous, ‘Bond, James Bond.’

A return to baccarat could be a nice touch to Craig’s final Bond film and would allow him to get back to the roots of the character. The game of baccarat is easy to get to grips with and allows for some large betting, which explains why Bond chooses it. It helps represent the character’s more suave side and allows him to impress those around him whilst successfully intimidating the villain.

Blackjack

Bond played blackjack in the 1989 flick Licence to Kill, where the character goes rogue in order to avenge his friends. The game could have represented the fact that Bond was a changed man and that he was breaking away from the traditional game expected of him to play something with more risk. This would be fitting for the premise of the film. The film sees Bond take a darker turn and reflect the books more so than the previous films, becoming the first 007 film with a higher age rating. Blackjack is a quick game that takes no time to master and comes down to luck as much as it does quick-thinking strategy.

Many Bond fans would enjoy a return to the casino to help set the tone for Bond 25. Whether he returns to an old favourite, or whether he embraces something different – he’s never played roulette, for instance, and has seldom played any other form of card game. Only time will tell whether we will actually get another Bond casino scene before Daniel Craig hangs up the Walther for good.