For the vast majority of recreational gamblers, the sole objective is to walk away with more money than they came with.
To this end, casual players tend to stick with casino games that are widely known and easy to play. Classic games like blackjack and video poker certainly have their strategic foundations, but even if you’ve never played a hand in your life, you’d still stand a decent chance of doubling up on a single bet.
But the casino floor is filled with dozens of games, and when side bets and other supplementary gambles are factored in, players are confronted with countless ways to wager. Without a solid game plan going in, a casino rookie can easily stumble into a longshot bet that offers very poor odds on earning a return.
Games like the slots, keno, and most of the bets on the craps table are notorious for offering players a high house edge to overcome.
Unfortunately, these are among the most popular games in the room, simply because they don’t involve complicated strategies – or any skill at all, for that matter.
For whatever reason, recreational gamblers flock to games of chance that provide the lowest probability of success. Perhaps these games are dressed up with fancy mechanics, such as rolling the dice in craps, or maybe casino newbies just don’t know any better.
In any case, I’m here to help you avoid that fearful fate. Below you’ll find my list of the seven casino bets that give you the best chance to double your money.
For each of the wagers listed, you’ll find the house edge rate players are faced with over the long run. House edge is the preferred metric for measuring a casino game or wager from a theoretical standpoint.
In other words, if you were to bet $100 over and over again on a particular game, the house edge number reflects the theoretical amount that the house would hold.
But while house edge is perfect for assessing a casino game’s viability over the long run, it’s not as accurate in terms of a single bet. For the sake of this exercise, I’m assuming that my readers are hoping to double their money on a one-time wager.
In that case, it’s best to examine the bet’s overall probability of producing a winner – and in some cases, a tie (or a “push”).
As you’ll soon discover, a few bets known for their low house edge rates aren’t nearly as beatable when you’re shooting for a short-term score. Conversely, some bets that are notorious for higher house edges are actually quite fair when limited to a single wager.
Without further ado, check out the seven best casino bets for doubling your money before your next gambling excursion.
For the first entry, most readers will need to refresh their memory on what Pai Gow Poker is and how to play it.
To get you started on that front, I recommend this quick video tutorial on Pai Gow Poker which was produced by WinStar World Casino and Resort:
But for folks who may be at work, or otherwise unable to view the video, here’s a crash course on the basics. Pai Gow Poker is a table game pitting the player against the dealer, much like blackjack or Three Card Poker.
Please note that alternative forms of the game exist in which players compete against one another, but we’ll stick to the standard player-versus-dealer format for clarity.
You’ll begin by placing a basic ante bet, prompting the dealer to slide you seven cards from a randomly shuffled deck. From there, your job is to “set” these seven cards into two hands, one containing five cards and another containing two cards.
The five-card hand is known as the “high” hand, and it follows the basic rules for making poker hands (two pair is better than one pair, three of a kind is better than both, etc.).
As for the two-card hand, you can either form a pair or simply two high cards.
The catch is that your high hand must always rank higher than your low hand. Thus, with a deal like 7-7-A-K-Q-4-2, you’d want to set your high hand as 7-7-Q-4-2, while the low hand would use the A-K.
The dealer does the same with their own seven-card deal, and at showdown, both your high and low hands are compared to the dealer’s equivalent.
You can find an online Pai Gow Poker simulator and take a whirl to get the hang of things. And when you do, be sure to click the “House Way” button on occasion, which simply lets the dealer set your hand in the best possible combination. Brick-and-mortar casinos allow players to use the House Way, which makes setting hands far less complicated.
Now that you know the score, let’s dive into the details of what makes Pai Gow Poker one of the safest bets in the house.
As you can see, the house edge of 1.46% is rather reasonable, but remember, that’s a long-term measurement. For folks looking to double up on one big bet, the key numbers to look for are the win probability and push probability, which stand at 29.94% and 40.45%, respectively.
In other words, you’ll wind up a full winner on just under 30% of Pai Gow Poker hands – which isn’t very good at all. But crucially, you’ll wind up tied with the dealer just over 40% of the time, producing a push. This occurs when one of your hand components beats the dealer, but the other loses to their equivalent. In the event of a push, you simply get your ante bet back, and a new hand begins.
Thus, on any given hand of Pai Gow Poker, you’ll double your money roughly one-third of the time.
You won’t find many casino wagers which offer just a 29.61% of a pure loss, making Pai Gow Poker one of the safest tables to park yourself at while searching for a quick score.
No need for tutorials or simulators for the game of War, which so many of us grew up playing on rainy days.
The official version of War, appropriately named Casino War, plays out in almost identical fashion to the fun-filled game of your youth. You play against the dealer, and each of you is dealt a single random card from the deck. High card wins, and in the event of a tie, a “war” is declared, with three more cards dealt out and the high card once again winning it all.
That’s it for Casino War gameplay, which is why so many casino rookies wander their way to the tables. Nothing is easier than a simple game of high card, and as you might expect, the odds are essentially a coin flip in either direction.
In fact, you’re saving almost half in terms of long-run equity playing this game as opposed to double-zero roulette (5.26% house edge). But it’s all about win probability for this exercise, and at 50.27%, you’re actually favored – if only slightly – to beat the dealer on any given hand.
As you learn more about the gambling world, you’ll wind up realizing just how rare a positive expectation wager can be, so Casino War deserves credit for giving players a fighting chance.
And as it turns out, Casino War offers the highest win probability of any game on the list, making it the perfect place to double your chips in short order.
Most casino rookies think they know all about craps, which is Hollywood’s go-to game when filming a gambling scene.
But despite those hackneyed calls of “Gimme a seven, momma needs a new pair of shoes,” craps involves much more than rolling the dice and hoping for the best.
Take a good look at the betting layout used on a traditional craps table:
As you can see, players have dozens of wagers to choose from, ranging from the safe and snug Pass Line bet to exotic longshots like the “Hard Eight.”
Combine that complex betting board with a crowded table ringed by gambling fanatics, and many first-time players are put off by craps. The scene can be lively and loud, with dealers and floor staff feverishly tracking bets and calling out slang terms.
This leaves a lot of players on the outside looking in, as they want to take a shot but don’t want to interrupt the proceedings at hand.
Fortunately, all of those exotic wagers are completely optional. Indeed, a craps student can get by quite well when sticking to the game’s basic starting bets: the Pass Line and the Don’t Pass Line.
For a full introduction to the world of craps gameplay, check out another video tutorial, which we have included a link to.
To get the game started, all players must place an ante bet on either the Pass Line or Don’t Pass Line. Nine out of 10 players you meet will be backing the Pass Line, which pays out a direct winner when the “come out” roll (aka, the initial roll to start a game) lands on 7 or 11. Pass Line bets are losers when the come out roll lands on 2, 3, or 12, which regulars refer to as “crapping out.”
Betting on the Pass Line is considered the “right” way to play, as you’ll turn a winner along with most players present. And at 1.41 % house edge, the Pass Line offers a relatively player-friendly experience.
But while nine out 10 players are hoping for a Pass Line winner, you’ll inevitably encounter a lone wolf who has their money on the Don’t Pass Line. These “wrong way” bettors win when the come out roll lands on 2, 3, or 12, so they’ll be celebrating as the rest of the table loses their Pass Line bet. On the other hand, a Don’t Pass wager loses when the come out roll hits 7 or 11.
Oddly enough, the vastly less popular Don’t Pass bet offers a slightly better house edge of 1.36%.
In any case, however, you’ll need to place one of these two ante bets to get in the game. When you do, you’ll enjoy a healthy win probability of 49.29 % – providing a classic coin-flip gamble.
At this point, you’re probably wondering what happens when the come out roll lands on any other number but 2, 3, 7, 11, or 12. That’s a great question, as those rolls create the conditions for a real game of craps.
Once the come out roll lands on either 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, that number is established as the “point.” From there, Pass Line bettors are hoping to see the second roll (and all subsequent rolls until the game ends) land on the point number before landing on 7. Of course, Don’t Pass bettors are looking for a 7 to land before the point is hit for a second time.
And finally, craps offers a secondary wager known as the “Odds” bet directly after the come out roll. This bet actually carries no house edge to speak of, making it a darling among intelligent gamblers, but for the sake of clarity, this double-up exercise was limited to Pass Line or Don’t Pass Line bets only.
Even so, you should definitely be “taking the odds” on your initial wagers to produce even higher payouts when the bones are rolling in your favor.
The classic conception of casino gambling is roulette, which challenges players to do nothing more than guess where a ball will land along a numbered/colored wheel.
And while most casual gamblers take their shot at the game’s holy grail – the 35-to-1 payout for correctly guessing an exact number – roulette offers several wagers that are much more reasonable. Remember, to score that 35-to-1 return, you’ll need to beat 1-in-36 odds against on a single-zero “European” style wheel, and 1-in-37 odds against on the “American” style double-zero variety.
Those are enormously long odds, and while the payout is quite sweet, you’ll be watching the wheel spin in vain more often than not.
Instead of chasing single-number bets, roulette players simply hoping to double their money are much better served by backing one of the game’s three even-money wagers.
Roulette wheels are famously colored red and black – aside from those pesky green zero spaces working for the house – and you’ll receive a 1-to-1 reward for landing on the correct color.
Additionally, the numbered spaces featuring 1 through 36 allow players to bet on whether the next number landed will be odd or even. Once again, this bet offers a 1-to-1 return on your wager.
Finally, with 36 numbered spaces on board, you can bet on either half of the set, with the 1-18 and 19-36 groupings each providing a 1-to-1 payout.
Because of the unique relationship between the probabilities and payouts of roulette bets, all of these wagers carry the same house edge percentage of 5.26% (on American double-zero wheels). In fact, every wager on the board except for one carries that same house edge rate, which is rather high when compared to the other games mentioned here.
But with a true win probability of 47.37% on the even-money bets, you’ll essentially be flipping a coin for a chance at doubling up.
Despite a bevy of scenes featuring superspy James Bond outdoing his foes at the baccarat table, this simple guessing game is actually one of the more boring casino gambles I’ve ever encountered.
Your job is simple enough: guess which one of two randomly dealt hands will reach a total closest to 9. These hands are called the “Player” and “Banker” hand, and both begin with two cards. Any 10 or face card serves as a 0, and any total that exceeds 10 drops the first digit to reveal the hand’s actual value. Finally, a complex system of rules known as the “tableau” is used to determine which, if any, of the two hands will draw a third card.
When it’s all said and done, winning your bet on either the Player or Banker hand produces an even-money payout (less a 5% commission, which I’ll ignore here for the sake of clarity).
As a baccarat player, all you need to do is guess which hand will wind up as the winner, which should offer a basic coin-flip scenario. You can also bet on the two hands finishing in a tie, but that longshot wager is one of the worst in the house, so it’s best to stick to the game’s two main bets.
Due to the rules requiring the Banker hand to “act” last when it comes to drawing a third card, the Banker bet (1.06% house edge) is actually slightly better than the Player alternative (1.24%).
You’ll wind up winning on the Banker bet 45.85% of the time, which is pretty decent, all things considered. But when you add in the 9.51% probability that the two hands will tie, resulting in a push and your bet being returned, your chances of losing the bet stand at just 44.64%.
In other words, you’ll have more than a 50% shot to either double up or keep your original bet in play.
Video poker has long been preferred by sharp players who pride themselves on strategic thinking. Armed with enough knowledge about a video poker variant, a skilled player can achieve house edge rates of under 0.50% on most games.
By far the most popular version of video poker, Jacks or Better is a universal game that provides the template for all other formats. Make sure to look for machines paying 9 coins for a full house and 6 coins for a flush, as this “9/6 full pay” game offers the best possible odds on Jacks or Better.
And as an added bonus, video poker payouts escalate after the base pay of 1 coin for one pair, so you’ll have a 45.46% shot to double your money at the very least. Make a higher hand than one pair, and you’ll wind up bringing home 2-to-1, 3-to-1, and even 800-to-1 payouts (for landing the elusive royal flush).
Most gambling beginners take their first shot at beating the house by playing blackjack, and for good reason.
This skill-based game operates according to basic strategy, giving good players plenty of room to maneuver and make profitable plays. The house edge of 0.40% is one of the lowest around, and on any given hand, you’ll have a 42.20% chance to double your dough.
Add in the 8.48% odds of a push, and you’ll only lose your bet 49.32% of the time.
The house is ALWAYS expected to win in the long run. But if you want to have the best chance to double your money at the casino, these seven bets are well worth considering.
By combining a relatively low house edge with a high percentage chance to win, they’re significantly better than many of the alternatives.
The post Which Bets on Which Casino Games Offer the Best Odds of Doubling Your Money? appeared first on GamblingSites.com.
I may be dating myself a bit here, but I grew up on a steady diet of James Bond flicks, and the superspy’s exploits still manage to thrill me even now.
Sure, the latest Bond film “Spectre” (2015) wasn’t really one of 007’s finer pieces of work, but from Daniel Craig on through to the original portrayal by Sean Connery, I’ve always been fascinated by the Bond archetype.
While most fans focus on Bond’s debonair approach to serving as a secret agent, his legendary lethal methods, or even his romantic liaisons – I gravitate towards his penchant for gambling.
Indeed, I’ve wondered many times if my own decision to become a professional advantage player had something to do with all those hours spent watching Bond battle foes on the casino floor.
Along with my love for Bond films, I also devoured Ian Fleming’s entire catalogue of novels on which the Hollywood depictions were based. And of course, my personal favorite is the very first appearance of James Bond in literature: “Casino Royale” (1953).
Eventually immortalized on the silver screen in 1967, the original “Casino Royale” introduces Bond to the world in fitting fashion. Working for the British secret intelligence service MI6 under the code name 007, Bond meets with agency head “M” to accept a special assignment – tracking down and confronting an enemy known as Le Chiffre.
The journey takes Bond to a French casino, where he competes against Le Chiffre in a heated game of high-stakes baccarat. The first match goes to his opponent, but after receiving a mysterious infusion of cash, Bond manages to beat Le Chiffre for 80 million francs – effectively bankrupting his Soviet-linked trade union.
Between the original novel and the 1967 film adaptation, I must have watched this scene unfold hundreds of times during my youth. Between the buxom beauties surrounding the table to sweat the action, the massive stacks of chips and betting placards, and those retro playing cards featuring pips with no numbers – every detail left me enthralled with the idea of casino gambling.
Of course, the reality of a casino can’t really matchup to that classic scene, but I still think about Bond from time to time while I play.
A few years back, my nephew – a fellow Bond cinephile who happens to live in Las Vegas – even decided to relive a few of Bond’s greatest gambling adventures. We had a lot of fun that weekend, so I figured my readers might enjoy a similar experience for themselves.
On that note, I present my guide to gambling like James Bond, covering every aspect of 007’s game from clothing, casino, and of course, his games of choice.
First things first. You can’t gamble like James Bond without looking like him, so you’ll want to find yourself a nice dress suit.
Take a gander at this lineup of Bond actors over the years to get a better idea of a top spy’s sartorial tastes.
Whatever style you choose though, the key is projecting a suave and sophisticated attitude. If nothing else, Bond is known for his unshakeable sense of confidence, and as a wise soul once said, “the clothes make the man.”
When you arrive in Sin City, head straight for the Grand Canal Shoppes in the Venetian casino complex on The Strip. There you’ll fund Suitsupply Las Vegas, a high-end retailer specializing in men’s fashion. You can take a tour of the Suitsupply location and I trust you’ll find the perfect duds to don ahead of your Bond-themed casino excursion.
But if Suitsupply is a little too extravagant, I also recommend Men’s Wearhouse for a budget-conscious alternative. After all, Bond had “Q” on hand to provide his fancy suits and spy equipment complements of the Crown treasury, so there’s no need for us to break the bank.
Once you’ve acquired the requisite clothing, the time has come to head out on the town and take on the house in style.
As for which house you’ll be battling against, that’s all up to you, as the Las Vegas Strip is home to dozens of casinos that fit the bill.
When my nephew and I visited, we chose the Monte Carlo casino as an homage of sorts. In the 1983 film “Never Say Never Again,” Bond visited the original Casino de Monte Carlo in Monaco, which has long been celebrated as one of the more extravagant gambling settings in all the world.
He was back for a game of baccarat in “Goldeneye” (1995), and with a Las Vegas knockoff right there for the taking, we just couldn’t resist booking our stay there.
I’ll admit that the Vegas version of the Monte Carlo doesn’t live up to its Monaco inspiration, but it was still a perfectly fine place to play. You’ll find all of the games (more on those to come), a welcoming staff, and all of the resort amenities you’d expect to find at a Strip casino.
Even so, Bond aficionados out there may prefer a fancier setting, one that more closely resembles the real Monte Carlo where Bond worked his magic at the tables.
In that case, I’d check out the aforementioned Venetian, its sister casino the Palazzo, Caesars Palace, or the Bellagio. All four of these venues specialize in recreating the classical European aesthetic, including marbled floors, vaulted ceilings, and golden inlays everywhere you look.
For a more updated take on the luxury lifestyle, head to the Aria or the Cosmopolitan for a taste of modern decadence.
No matter where you decide to stay, the real test comes when you hit the tables.
If gambling like James Bond means anything, it’s winning – while making every play look easy at that. Beating the house is no easy feat, but thankfully, Bond seems to have had a knack for choosing player-friendly games.
Below you’ll find a list of casino games Bond has been known to enjoy over the years, complete with film references and advice on playing them as perfectly as possible.
I’ve mentioned baccarat a few times already, and that’s because it appears to be Bond’s game of choice.
He beat Le Chiffre out of an eight-figure bankroll in the original novel, and in the very first Bond film – “Dr. No” (1962) – 007 was introduced to audiences as he played a baccarat variant known as chemin de fer.
While banking their own bets, Bond squares off against a gorgeous woman named Sylvia Trench, who just can’t seem to pick up the cards needed to overcome this mystery man.
This classic scene offers the first taste of his signature “Bond… James Bond” greeting, as well as an uncanny knack for picking up natural nines in baccarat. Even when Trench proudly shows her face card and 8 for an eight total, Bond casually flicks his cards over to reveal yet another natural nine.
When you sit down to play baccarat in a Las Vegas casino, the gameplay mechanics will feel quite removed from what you just watched. For one thing, the game of chemin de fer was never widely adopted in the United States, with basic baccarat taking its place.
In chemin de fer, players bank their own wagers while competing against one another, but the house takes over banking in baccarat. And more importantly, baccarat doesn’t allow players to make decisions regarding the draw of a third card.
Instead, a complex set of rules known as the baccarat “tableau” is used to determine whether either of the two starting hands will take a third card.
Despite these differences, baccarat is still a great game for living out your James Bond gambling fantasies. The game is generally played in a private area, which offers the glitz and glamour one comes to expect from a Bond casino scene.
And even though you’ll be battling the dealer for control of the chips at risk, baccarat creates a similar dynamic to chemin de fer in that you’ll be anxiously sweating the showdown between a pair of two- or three-card hands.
Those hands are appropriately named the “Player” and the “Banker,” and your job is to correctly guess which one will wind up with a total closest to nine.
The same card values are in effect between both games, so any 10 or face card is worth 0, an ace is worth 1, and cards 2-9 are valued at their numerical rank. When a total goes over 10, you simply drop the first digit off to reveal the actual total.
Once your wager has been placed on either the Player or Banker hand, the two-card starting hands are dealt randomly from a shuffled deck. From there, the dealer will assess their respective totals and apply the tableau rules to determine if a third card needs to be drawn.
When you play in the high-stakes baccarat rooms, you’ll even get to handle the cards here and there just like James Bond. These moments create the same sense of drama as the classic film scenes, as players slowly squeeze their third card before revealing their final total to the table.
When somebody is desperate to maintain their high total, or see the other hand’s low total remain intact, you’ll even hear players crying out “monkey!” before the third card is shown.
In this case, the term monkey refers to any face card, as their 0 value can be quite consequential when comparing baccarat holdings.
For a full-fledged guide to learning the game of baccarat, here is a handy instructional video produced by Caesars Palace:
Despite his reputation for spontaneity, James Bond never left anything to chance. Between the gadgets provided by “Q” and his knack for observational analysis, Bond always came prepared with a built-in advantage.
To get a Bond-like leg up on your quest to beat the dealer, it’s best to follow baccarat’s optimal strategy. You wouldn’t think a game of chance like baccarat involves much strategy, and when compared to other casino games, it really doesn’t.
Nonetheless, sharp players know to always bet on the Banker hand, which offers a lower house edge of 1.06 percent as opposed to the Player hand, which offers a 1.24 percent house edge. In terms of direct win probability, you’ll have 45.86 percent shot to win when betting on the Banker, slightly better than the 44.62 percent rate offered by the Player hand.
This advantage is based on the fact that the Banker hand gets to “act” last during the drawing round. Just like the dealer acting last in blackjack provides them a little wiggle room – the dealer can win on a player bust before ever checking their cards – the Banker hand’s drawing decision being based on previous Player hand draws ensures a slight edge.
To bet like Bond, you should always back the Banker hand when playing baccarat.
By 1971, Sean Connery was entering the twilight of his time portraying James Bond, but in his penultimate film in the series “Diamonds Are Forever,” the icon made his time at the casino count.
This classic Bond flick sees the spy visit a casino hotel under the alias Peter Franks, 007 hits the craps table looking to play with $10,000 on credit.
The casino manager quickly approves this request, and almost immediately, the gorgeous Plenty O’Toole appears at Bond’s side to teach him the ropes. Bond plays along for a few rolls, before taking the dice in hand and barking out a series of exotic wagers:
Craps is a decidedly complicated game, as demonstrated by that string of what seems to be gibberish quoted above, but Bond’s system for craps is actually relatively sensible.
A point number of 10 has been hit on the come out roll, so Bond is backing his initial Pass Line bet up by “taking the odds” on the point. He’s even taking the maximum odds, which is a smart play given an Odds bet in craps carries no house edge to speak of.
Now, that mandatory Pass Line bet does hold a house edge of 1.41 percent, so Bond is already paying for the Odds bet in a way – but smart gamblers love to take the odds up to the house limit just like Bond.
Next up, Bond asks the dealer to put $200 down on the “hard way,” which is craps slang for hitting a number using paired dice. In other words, with several ways to hit a 10 using two dice (6-4, 4-6, and 5-5), the hard way of 5-5 is the most difficult given dice probability.
Betting on a hard 10 to hit before evening out is a longshot, but at 7 to 1, Bond stands to win a cool $1,500 in profit if he gets lucky.
Bond also asks for the table limit to be bet on “all the numbers,” which refers to the 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10. After the come out roll establishes the point as 10, Bond is placing separate wagers on each of these numbers to hit before a 7 appears. On each roll, he’ll be paid out according to true odds whenever one of these numbers appears.
Finally, Bond goes for the gusto by betting $250 on “the eleven,” which is more commonly known as a “yo” bet. In this case, he has only two combinations on the dice to work with (6-5 and 5-6) to make an 11, and if it lands, Bond will be paid out at 15-1 on his money for a sweet $3,500 profit.
You can find an online craps simulator and play around with it to set up this exact wager, before letting the bones fly to see if lady luck is on your side.
As it happened in the movie, Bond’s actual roll was skipped over, with audiences returning to see the dealer sliding him a few high-value chip tokens. After tipping the dealer handsomely, and sliding O’Toole a $5,000 gift for her troubles, Bond leaves the game with $45,000 in his pockets.
You probably won’t reach those heights, but by adopting a conservative betting strategy based on the Pass Line and taking the Odds, you can easily enjoy an extended run while playing craps.
In 2006, the Bond series was once again rebooted when Pierce Brosnan was replaced by Daniel Craig in “Casino Royale.”
While this movie was loosely based around Fleming’s original novel, featuring 007 in a heated match with Le Chiffre, baccarat was replaced by a Texas Hold’em tournament. That made sense given the timing, as the new “Casino Royale” was released during the height of the Poker Boom, only three years removed from Chris Moneymaker’s historic win at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event.
As a poker buff myself, I can’t claim that the Hold’em scenes featured in the remake are very realistic, but damned if they’re not entertaining.
In an early scene, Bond sits down in a cash game and faces off against the sinister Alex Dimitrios. Before long, Bond sees a A-9-3-7 board on the table and checks it over to his opponent, who calmly fires out a $5,000 bet.
Bond calls the big wager to see a King come on the river, when the Greek announces himself all-in. Before Bond can even act, however, Dimitrios goes to his bag and adds $20,000 to the bet.
The dealer objects, citing the table stakes rule, but Dimitrios is undeterred, tossing the keys to his Aston Martin into the pot. The dealer isn’t having it, but Bond asks her to let the wager stand. With the pot now sweetened considerably, Bond makes the call, only to see his foe flip over pocket Kings for three of a kind.
It’s the second-best hand possible given that board, but in truly Bondian fashion, 007 slyly tables his pocket Aces for the nuts.
In this hand, we watch Bond expertly deploy a poker maneuver known as the “slow play.” Even though he flopped the best possible hand with trip Aces, Bond checks and feigns weakness. The trap is deepened with his check-call on the turn, as Dimitrios can rightfully expect a strong hand to raise back in that spot.
Finally, with his man now firmly ensnared by the slow play, Bond gets his opponent to bet everything he has on the second-best hand.
In the poker world, a confrontation between two powerful hands like three of a kind is known as a cooler. And while they are rare, you’ll see this same scene play out from time to time in real poker games.
On another note, Bond’s choice to let his opponent show what seems like the winning hand, only to wait a beat before revealing the best hand, is a breach of poker etiquette. This move is known as the “slow roll,” and it’s usually used to add insult to injury when a poker game gets heated.
Flushed with confidence from his winning session, Bond enters the real game at the heart of “Casino Royale,” a high-roller tournament which costs $10 million just to enter. A table full of Bond villains awaits, including the notorious Le Chiffre and his glass eye.
Bond believes he has spotted Le Chiffre’s “tell,” or a physical mannerism that betrays the strength or weakness of his hand. Using this information – in this case, Le Chiffre rubbing his scarred eye when he’s attempting to bluff – Bond plays out another classic cooler.
This time, he holds the A-K of hearts with the board reading A-J-K-J-K, giving Bond a powerful full house. But in a role reversal, he holds the second-best possible hand, as somebody holding pocket Jacks would make four of a kind for the winner.
Bond spots Le Chiffre rubbing his eye while he bets, prompting him to make the massive call, only to get slow-rolled just like he did to Dimitrios in the earlier scene. His rival turns over his pocket Jacks one card at a time, turning the needle as he takes Bond’s bankroll.
This hand demonstrates another tried and true poker maxim, as falling for false tells can quickly separate the most skilled players from their stack. Bond always trusts his instincts, but in this instance, he was outplayed by an opponent with the same sort of observational acumen.
Of course, Bond winds up making his way back into the game after securing another $10 million stake, and the tables are turned in his favor. I’ll let you watch the final hand play out for maximum drama, but trust me when I say the writer’s room conjured up a cooler for the ages in this one.
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