Baccarat in Pop Culture
Baccarat is often stereotyped as a stiff casino game played by rich elitists. But the truth is that baccarat is a game enjoyed by a far more diverse population, and part of the reason for this widespread popularity involves baccarat’s pop culture references. This being said, it’s definitely fun looking back over the years to find some of the game’s most notable appearances in popular culture.Baccarat in James Bond Movies and Novels
Some of the best-known pop culture references to baccarat are found in the James Bond movies and books. Author Ian Fleming first tied Agent 007 to the game in his 1953 novel Casino Royale when James Bond plays bad guy Le Chiffre in high stakes Chemin de Fer. A few of the Bond movies where baccarat is prominently featured include Golden Eye, On Her Majesty's Secret Service and Thunderball. A satirical version of Casino Royale also involved plenty of baccarat action in between the 007 jokes.
Baccarat in Rush Hour 3
One of the more recent baccarat appearances on the big screen includes the film Rush Hour 3, which starred Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. At one point in the movie, Tucker’s character (James Carter) tries to impress a woman (Genevieve) at the baccarat table by joining in the game. When he’s dealt two kings, Tucker demands that the dealer “hit” him like in blackjack. After being dealt another king, Carter thinks his three kings are a strong hand, until the dealer informs Tucker that his score is zero and he loses.
Baccarat in Star Trek
The science fiction show Star Trek, which follows the futuristic outer space adventures of the Starship Enterprise, managed to work baccarat into a Season 4 episode called “Our Man Bashir.” At one point in the episode, Lieutenant Julian Bashir has to play baccarat in order to win his friends’ freedom in a holodeck (simulated reality facility) scenario that’s much like a James Bond movie.
Baccarat in Pinky & The Brain
For four years, Pinky & The Brain was one of the most popular cartoons on television. The show focused on two mice named Pinky and Brain – the latter of which devised various plots to take over the world. In a Season 4 episode called “Brain’s Way,” Brain’s plan involves going back to 1967 to run a Las Vegas casino where baccarat is the only game people can play. The plot suggests that Brain believes baccarat is the only casino game requiring any real form of strategy. Ironically, baccarat strategy is not really that complicated, and you can learn it in a few minutes.
Baccarat in A Hard Day’s Night
Going back several decades, baccarat also played a role in the 1968 British comedy A Hard Day’s Night, which starred the four-member Beatles rock band. Towards the beginning of the film Paul McCartney’s grandfather, John (Wilfred Brambell), wins lots of money playing baccarat despite knowing very little about the game. However, the money is taken away from John in order to pay off his enormous bar tab.
Baccarat in the Royal Baccarat Scandal
Long before the Beatles were even born, baccarat made huge news in 1891 through the real-life Royal Baccarat Scandal. The scandal revolved around the famous Scottish landowner and soldier William Gordon-Cumming, who was invited to a house party at the lavish Tranby Croft estate in England. The guests at the party played baccarat, and they soon noticed that Gordon-Cumming was engaging in chip placing (adding or removing chips after a bet’s been decided). Gordon-Cumming agreed to never play baccarat again if the party guests kept his cheating incident a secret. However, word got out on his baccarat cheating, and Gordon-Cumming was never accepted by high society again.
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