There are three versions of baccarat played in the Casino Monte Carlo, namely chemin de fer, baccara, and baccarat. The first two date back to 19th-century France, while the third came to Las Vegas fifty years ago from Argentina. To the best of my knowledge, it is the only version now played in the United States at the better casinos. In Las Vegas the Wynn, the Venetion, the MGM and the Bellagio each have twenty or more tables.
As a game, baccarat is nothing special. It is a comparing card game between the player and the banker, where the house takes about 1% of the money crossing the table. That makes it somewhat more expensive on average than blackjack where the edge against the gambler is as little as a third of 1% and players with keen powers of observation can actually turn that into a positive (I should mention that any form of high stakes gambling is a sucker's game in the United States since winnings are taxed but losses are not deductible). No, it is the somewhat more elegant company that makes baccarat worth playing.
More exclusive than the other table games in most casinos, baccarat is played in a separate room or a roped off area. Men aren't allowed in the private rooms of the Casino Monte Carlo in anything less than a jacket and tie and evening clothes are not out of place. In Las Vegas of course the standard is considerably lower and those ladies who are well dressed tend to be middle aged or older. But still, the free drinks mean that a man can spend an evening playing cards in relatively interesting company for not much more than he would otherwise spend talking to a bartender at a cocktail lounge.
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7 comments:
Losses ARE deductible, to an extent:
http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc419.html
Great post. Great movie, the best bond, a great scene. He's my benchmark for being a well-dressed man. his clothes fit well, and looked comfortable. He used texture, was never too flashy. I think that I need to learn baccarat.
You left our For Your Eyes Only from you list of films Bond plays chemin de fer.
Let's not forget Casino Royale...
MP beat me to it. Losses are deductible up to the extent of your gains. This is why my father had my sister and I at Santa Anita picking losing tickets up off the ground on December 31st until we "hit the number". Ah, the good old days.
Will,
If I had to get one tux, would you recommend black over midnight blue? Are there times when midnight blue is not correct?
Thanks,
Jim
It grieves me to point out that Mr Storey loses a mark for not paying attention to the question, which concerned the films and not the books.
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