77-438: Le Chiffre ( French: [lə ʃifʁ] , "The Cypher" or "The Digit") is a fictional character and the main antagonist of Ian Fleming 's 1953 novel, Casino Royale . On screen Le Chiffre has been portrayed by Peter Lorre in the 1954 television adaptation of the novel for CBS 's Climax! anthology television series, by Orson Welles in the 1967 spoof of the novel and Bond film series, and by Mads Mikkelsen in
154-565: A SMERSH -controlled trade union. He is first encountered as an inmate of the Dachau displaced persons camp in the US zone of Allied-occupied Germany in June 1945, where he displayed (possibly simulated) mutism and amnesia . He gained back speech capability and was transferred to Alsace-Lorraine and Strasbourg (due to some mention he made of them) three months later on a stateless passport. There he adopts
231-399: A Salbutamol inhaler, here plated with platinum. Unlike in the novel Le Chiffre has no ideological motivations, saying that his driving belief is in a "reasonable rate of return ." At the start of the movie, Le Chiffre is contacted by Mr. White , a representative of an elite criminal organisation later revealed to be Quantum (and, later still, Spectre ). White introduces Steven Obanno ,
308-461: A " natural "), the tableau is consulted, first for the player's rules, then the banker's. total The croupier will deal the cards according to the tableau and the croupier will announce the winning hand, either the player or the banker. Losing bets will be collected and the winning bets will be paid according to the rules of the house. Usually, 1-to-1 even money will be paid on player bets and 19-to-20 on banker bets (even money with "5% commission to
385-452: A 6. In a similar variation called EZ-baccarat , even money is paid on both winning banker or player bets, except when the banker wins with a total of 7 after the third card is drawn, which results in a push on banker bets. The game has two additional options, the Dragon 7 , a specific bet of a winning three-card 7 on the banker side, which pays 40-to-1 instead of pushing, and Panda 8 , a bet of
462-511: A banker bet under Super 6 is 1.46% compared with regular commission baccarat at 1.058%. This is equivalent to increasing the commission by 17.45% to 5.87%. The banker wins with a 6 about five times every eight-deck shoe. As well as its increased house edge, the Super 6 variation is used by casinos for its speed, since it partially does away with the time-consuming process of calculating and collecting commission on winning banker bets except for winning with
539-403: A cheval, i.e. on two hands separately, one-half of the stake being played upon each hand. A player going bank and losing may go bank again, until they lose for the third time. A banker must play out one hand, but may retire at any time afterwards. On retiring, they must state the amount they retire with. It is then open to any other player (in order of rotation) to continue the bank, starting with
616-415: A cord. Le Chiffre asks for, and is granted one last chance to win their money back. He offers not one word of objection to Obanno's feigned amputation of Valenka's arm, leading the ruthless warlord to advise her to find a new partner. As Obanno leaves the room, his bodyguard spots Bond and Vesper in the hallway, and hears Valenka's cries coming from Bond's earpiece. Bond kills the bodyguard by throwing him over
693-546: A device to increase their shows' ratings. Characters may be antagonists without being evil – they may simply be injudicious and unlikeable for the audience. In some stories, such as The Catcher in the Rye , almost every character other than the protagonist may be an antagonist. Another example of this occurring is through Javert in Victor Hugo's Les Misérables , in which Javert displays no malicious intent, but instead represents
770-535: A genuinely committed Communist, with his MI6 dossier inferring that he probably only invested in the brothels because he believed it would increase his union's funds. MI6 sends Bond, an expert baccarat player, to the casino to bankrupt Le Chiffre and force him to take refuge with the British government and inform on SMERSH. Bond bests Le Chiffre in a game of Chemin de Fer , taking all of his money. Le Chiffre kidnaps Bond's love interest , Vesper Lynd , to lure Bond into
847-523: A hand consisting of 2 and 3 is worth five, while a hand consisting of 6 and 7 is worth three, that being the value of the units digit in the combined point total of thirteen. The highest possible hand value in baccarat is therefore nine. Punto banco is nowadays the most played version of baccarat in the United States. In punto banco, the casino banks the game at all times, and commits to playing out both hands according to fixed drawing rules, known as
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#1732859029293924-468: A house-banked game in Havana in the 1940s, and is the most popular modern form. In baccarat, the 2 through 9 cards (of any suit) are worth face value (in points); the 10, jack , queen , and king have no point value and are thus worth zero; aces are worth one point; jokers are not used. Hands are valued modulo 10; i.e., according to the units digit of the sum of their constituent cards. For example,
1001-460: A knife and prepares to castrate him, only to be interrupted by the sound of gunfire outside. Mr. White enters the room with a pistol in hand, having just killed Valenka and Kratt; Le Chiffre pleads for his life and promises to recover the lost funds, but White denounces him as untrustworthy and shoots him in the head. To date, he is the only main Bond villain to die before the film's final act. Le Chiffre
1078-628: A large sum of money for SMERSH after he loses it at the baccarat table. He first attempts to raise the funds by holding an auction of embarrassing photographs of military and political leaders from China , the United States , and the Soviet Union , but this is foiled by Sir James Bond's daughter, Mata Bond . With no other option, he returns to the baccarat table to try to win back the money. Later, he encounters baccarat Master Evelyn Tremble , who has been recruited by Bond to stop Le Chiffre from raising
1155-513: A leader of the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda , to Le Chiffre, and arranges to launder several briefcases of money for Obanno. Le Chiffre invests the money along with his other creditors' funds into the aircraft manufacturer SkyFleet. Though SkyFleet's shares have been skyrocketing in wake of a new aircraft they are rolling out, Le Chiffre plans to short the company by purchasing put options , and ordering
1232-456: A railing, then chokes Obanno to death with Vesper's assistance after relieving Obanno of his machete. Rene Mathis arranges the blame to be placed on Le Chiffre's bodyguard Leo by planting the bodies in the trunk of Leo's car. On the second day of the tournament, Le Chiffre initially outwits and bankrupts Bond, who cannot get additional funding approved by Vesper. However, Felix Leiter , a Central Intelligence Agency agent sent to participate in
1309-527: A trap and get back his money. The trap works, and Le Chiffre tortures Bond by beating his genitals with a carpet-beater to get him to give up the money. He is interrupted by a SMERSH agent, however, who shoots him between the eyes with a silenced TT pistol as punishment for losing the money. The French press reports that Le Chiffre committed suicide, throwing the French Communist Party into disarray after Maurice Thorez 's stroke. Le Chiffre's union
1386-457: A winning three-card 8 on the player side, which pays 25-to-1. Six decks of cards are used, shuffled together. Players are seated in random order, typically around an oval table; discarded cards go to the center. Play begins to the right of the croupier and continues counterclockwise. Once play begins, one player is designated as the banker; this player also deals. The other players are "punters". The position of banker passes counterclockwise in
1463-480: Is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist . The English word antagonist comes from the Greek ἀνταγωνιστής – antagonistēs , "opponent, competitor, villain, enemy, rival," which is derived from anti- ("against") and agonizesthai ("to contend for a prize"). The antagonist is commonly positioned against the protagonist and their world order. While narratives often portray
1540-399: Is a version of banco punto played on a small table with smaller minimums/maximums. It is popular with more casual players, particularly those from Asia. A mini-baccarat variation where even money is paid on winning banker bets (rather than 95%), except when the banker wins with 6, which pay only 50% of the bet, goes under various names including Super 6 and Punto 2000 . The house edge on
1617-463: Is also bankrupted. These events are seen by the Soviet Union as an embarrassment, which in addition to the death and defeat of Mr. Big in Live and Let Die , leads to the events of From Russia, with Love . Le Chiffre is a secondary villain in the 1967 satire and appears in one of the few segments of the film actually adapted from Fleming's book. As in the novel, Le Chiffre is charged with recovering
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#17328590292931694-411: Is dealt clockwise and face down to every player by the banker. The punters' objective is to beat the banker's card value or risk losing their bet. In case of a tie, whoever has the same value with fewer cards wins. The banker wins if there is a tie in both value and number of cards (in an early version, all bets are off). Any punter who receives a natural 9 receives triple the amount of the bet as long as
1771-489: Is dealt from a shoe containing 6 or 8 decks of cards shuffled together; a cut-card is placed in front of the seventh from last card, and the drawing of the cut-card indicates the last coup of the shoe. The dealer burns the first card face up and then based on its respective numerical value, with aces worth 1 and face cards worth 10, the dealer burns that many cards face down. For each coup, two cards are dealt face up to each hand, starting from "player" and alternating between
1848-417: Is mentioned in the direct sequel, Quantum of Solace and is also seen in a background image inside MI6. In Spectre , it is revealed that Le Chiffre - along with Dominic Greene , the main antagonist of Quantum of Solace , and Raoul Silva , the main antagonist of Skyfall - was an agent of the titular criminal organization and its leader, Ernst Stavro Blofeld . Antagonist An antagonist
1925-466: Is often used by an author to create conflict within a story. This is merely a convention, however. An example in which this is reversed can be seen in the character Macduff from Macbeth , who is arguably morally correct in his desire to fight the tyrant Macbeth , the protagonist. Examples from television include J.R. Ewing ( Larry Hagman ) from Dallas and Alexis Colby ( Joan Collins ) from Dynasty . Both became breakout characters used as
2002-457: Is portrayed by Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen . Believed by MI6 to be Albanian and officially stateless , Le Chiffre is a private banker who finances international terrorism . M implies that Le Chiffre conspired with al-Qaeda in orchestrating the September 11 attacks , or at least deliberately profiteered from the attacks by short selling large quantities of airline stocks beforehand. In
2079-772: Is probably a mixture of Mediterranean with Prussian or Polish strains. Dresses well and meticulously, generally in dark double-breasted suits. Smokes incessantly Caporals, using a denicotinizing holder. At frequent intervals inhales from benzedrine inhaler. Voice soft and even. Bilingual in French and English. Good German. Traces of Marseillais accent. Smiles infrequently. Does not laugh. Habits: Mostly expensive, but discreet. Large sexual appetites. Flagellant. Expert driver of fast cars. Adept with small arms and other forms of personal combat, including knives. Carries three Eversharp razor blades, in hatband, heel of left shoe, and cigarette case. Knowledge of accountancy and mathematics. Fine gambler. In
2156-488: Is selected to represent the group of non-banker players. The banker and player both look at their cards; if either has an eight or a nine, this is immediately announced and the hands are turned face-up and compared. If neither hand is an eight or nine, the player has a choice to accept or refuse a third card; if accepted, it is dealt face-up. Traditional practice – grounded in mathematics, similar to basic strategy in blackjack, but further enforced via social sanctions by
2233-438: Is sent to make sure that Le Chiffre does not win back the money, hoping to force him to turn to MI6 for asylum in exchange for information on his creditors and employers. An accountant from HM Treasury , Vesper Lynd , is sent to accompany Bond to make sure the money is used properly. During the tournament, an irate Obanno and his lieutenant break into Le Chiffre's hotel room, restrain his girlfriend Valenka, and garrotte him with
2310-496: Is the most important table game in Macau , with taxes from baccarat play constituting the largest single source of public funding in Macau . About 91% of total income from Macau casinos in 2014 came from the punto banco variation. The Tranby Croft affair in 1891 and William Gordon Cumming 's subsequent lawsuit were known together as the royal baccarat scandal , due to the involvement of
2387-412: Is usually played at large tables in roped off areas or private rooms separated from the main gaming floor. The game is frequented by high rollers , who may wager tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars on a single hand. Minimum bets are relatively high, often starting at $ 100 and going as high as $ 500. Posted maximum bets are often arranged to suit a player. The table is staffed by a croupier, who directs
Le Chiffre - Misplaced Pages Continue
2464-456: The 2006 film version of Fleming's novel where he is one of two main antagonists , the other being Mr. White . Fleming based the character on occultist Aleister Crowley . Le Chiffre, alias "Die Nummer", "Mr. Number", "Herr Ziffer" and other translations of "The Number", "The Numeral", "The Figure", "The Cipher", or "The Code" in various languages, is the paymaster of the "Syndicat des Ouvriers d'Alsace" (French for "Alsatian Workmen's Union"),
2541-487: The 2006 movie adaptation of Casino Royale , baccarat is replaced by Texas hold 'em poker , largely due to the poker boom at the time of filming. The card counting technique gained attention in 2012 when a casino in the United Kingdom refused to pay professional gambler Phil Ivey about $ 11 million because he had used edge sorting to gain an advantage. The same year, Ivey and a female companion won $ 9.6 million at
2618-541: The Borgata casino in Atlantic City using edge sorting and another $ 500,000 playing craps using his gains as a stake in the game. The Borgata paid him after his win but then sued Ivey in 2014 after surveillance video showed he had manipulated the dealer into rotating certain cards in the deck to exploit the flaw on the back of the cards. The Borgata prevailed and won $ 10.1 million, which Ivey refused to pay. In February 2019,
2695-628: The testicles repeatedly with the knotted end of a ship's lanyard, each time demanding the password for the account into which the tournament winnings will be transferred. Bond refuses to give in, telling Le Chiffre that no matter what torture he is subjected to, he will not give up the password and that Le Chiffre's clients will find and kill him. The spy also asserts that if the banker takes his life, no hiding place will be safe. Le Chiffre counters that even if he does kill Bond and Vesper, MI6 will still give him shelter in exchange for invaluable information. When Bond continues to defy him, Le Chiffre brandishes
2772-503: The "player" and the "banker". Each baccarat coup (round of play) has three possible outcomes: "player" (player has the higher score), "banker", and "tie". There are three popular variants of the game: punto banco , baccarat chemin de fer , and baccarat banque (or à deux tableaux ). In punto banco , each player's moves are forced by the cards the player is dealt. In baccarat chemin de fer and baccarat banque , by contrast, both players can make choices. The winning odds are in favour of
2849-414: The "tableau" (French: "board"), in contrast to more historic baccarat games where each hand is associated with an individual who makes drawing choices. The player ( punto ) and banker ( banco ) are simply designations for the two hands dealt out in each coup, two outcomes which the bettor can back; the player hand has no particular association with the gambler, nor the banker hand with the house. Punto banco
2926-626: The Cordon Jaune string of brothels with 50 million francs in subsidies belonging to SMERSH. The investment fails after the Loi Marthe Richard is signed into law banning prostitution in France . Le Chiffre then goes to the casino Royale-les-Eaux with the union's remaining 25 million francs in funds in an attempt to replace his lost money before the Soviet government notices. Le Chiffre is suggested to be
3003-410: The amount of the bank. If the total wagers from the players are greater than the bank, the banker may choose to increase the bank to match; otherwise, the excess wagers are removed in reverse play order. The banker deals four cards face-down: two to themselves and two held in common by the remaining players. The player with the highest individual wager (or first in play order if tied for highest wager)
3080-415: The bank runs out of money. The remainders are returned. The banker may, however, choose to accept the bets and increase their own stakes anyway. If they do so, the bank becomes unlimited and the banker must either cover all bets posted by all players or give up the bank. Macao uses two decks of cards shuffled together. Punters place their bets (within the agreed limits) against the banker. Initially, one card
3157-602: The bank, with a house edge of at least 1 percent. The origins of the game are disputed. Some sources claim that it dates to the 19th century, others that the game was introduced into France from Italy at the end of the 15th century by soldiers returning from the Italian Wars during the reign of King of France Charles VIII . David Parlett considers Macao as the immediate precursor to baccarat. Its name and rules suggest it may have been brought over by sailors returning from Asia where similar card games have been played since
Le Chiffre - Misplaced Pages Continue
3234-425: The banker does not have a natural 9 too. Winning with a natural 8 awards double while winning with a 7 or under is only equal to the bet. Players can request additional cards which are dealt face up; if it is a ten or a face card , they can reject it and ask for another. In an early version of this game, going over 9 with extra cards amounts to a "bust" as in blackjack , later versions use modulo 10 arithmetic as in
3311-514: The cards then prompts one punter from their right, one from their left then the banker to reshuffle and finally selects a random player to cut. After every player has bet, the banker deals one card to one of the right punters, the second to one of the left punters, and the third to themselves. This is done twice, resulting in 6 cards on the table. Each side wins or loses depending on the cards dealt to that side only. The rules as to turning up with eight or nine, offering and accepting cards, and so on, are
3388-410: The cause of the protagonist's main problem, or lead a group of characters against the protagonist; in comedies, they are usually responsible for involving the protagonist in comedic situations. Author John Truby argues that a true opponent not only wants to prevent the hero from achieving his desire but is competing with the hero for the same goal. According to John Truby, "It is only by competing for
3465-458: The character, including the 1954 television adaptation of Casino Royale , where Bond bankrupts Le Chiffre in order to have him eliminated by his Soviet superiors; Dr. No , where Bond is first introduced while playing the game in film; Thunderball ; the 1967 version of Casino Royale , which is the most detailed treatment of a baccarat game in any Bond film; On Her Majesty's Secret Service ; For Your Eyes Only ; and GoldenEye . In
3542-429: The course of the game. In each round, the banker wagers the amount they are willing to risk. Each other player, in order, then declares whether they will "go bank", playing against the entire current bank with a matching wager. A maximum of one player may "go bank". If no one "goes bank", players make their wagers in order. If the total wagers from the players are less than the bank, observing bystanders may also wager up to
3619-651: The destruction of the company's new prototype airliner, set to make its first flight out of Miami International Airport . Bond intervenes and foils the plan by killing Le Chiffre's first contractor for the job, as well as the backup contractor Le Chiffre hires to take his place. The failure of his airline scheme causes Le Chiffre to lose over $ 100 million. He sets up and enters a high-stakes Texas hold 'em tournament at Casino Royale in Montenegro in an attempt to recoup his losses before his clients find out that their money has been misappropriated and seek revenge against him. Bond
3696-714: The early 17th century such as San zhang, Oicho-Kabu , and Gabo japgi . Macao appeared in Europe at the end of the 18th century and was popular for all classes. Its notoriety led to King Victor-Amadeus III banning it in all his realms in 1788. It was the most popular game in Watier's , an exclusive gentlemen's club in London, where it led to the ruin of Beau Brummell . The match in Arthur Schnitzler 's 1926 novella Night Games ( Spiel im Morgengrauen ) contains instructions for Macao under
3773-408: The fictional secret agent created by Ian Fleming . Bond plays the game in numerous novels, most notably his 1953 debut, Casino Royale , in which much of the plot revolves around a game between Bond and SMERSH trade union operative Le Chiffre ; the unabridged version of the novel includes a primer to the game for readers who are unfamiliar with it. It is also featured in several filmed versions of
3850-462: The future King Edward VII . Since the Prince of Wales was involved in the incident, it inspired a huge amount of media interest in the game, bringing baccarat to the attention of the public at large. Accounts of the scandal in newspapers also included the rules for the game. The scandal became the subject of music hall songs and a stage play. Baccarat chemin-de-fer is the favoured game of James Bond ,
3927-427: The game, also in hopes of bankrupting Le Chiffre, agrees to bankroll Bond, on the condition that CIA is allowed to take Le Chiffre in afterwards. Desperate, Le Chiffre has Valenka spike Bond's drink. Bond almost dies, but, thanks to an antitoxin kit in his car, a defibrillator, and Vesper's timely assistance, he is revived at the last moment and returns to the game. During the final round, Le Chiffre's full house bests
SECTION 50
#17328590292934004-447: The hands of the two players preceding him, but loses to Bond's straight flush . Le Chiffre kidnaps Vesper, forcing Bond to give chase, and leads him straight into a trap. Le Chiffre leaves Vesper, bound at the feet and hands, in the middle of the road, and Bond is forced to swerve to avoid hitting her and crashes his car. Semiconscious, Bond is stripped naked and bound to a chair with the seat removed. Le Chiffre proceeds to whip Bond in
4081-419: The hands. The croupier may call the total (e.g., "five player, three banker"). If either the player or banker or both achieve a total of 8 or 9 at this stage, the coup is finished and the result is announced: a player win, a banker win, or tie. If neither hand has eight or nine, the drawing rules are applied to determine whether the player should receive a third card. Then, based on the value of any card drawn to
4158-413: The house on the win"). Should both the player and banker have the same value at the end of the deal the croupier shall announce "égalité — tie bets win." All tie bets will be paid at 8-to-1 odds and all bets on player or banker remain in place and active for the next game (the customer may or may not be able to retract these bets depending on casino rules). In the US, the full-scale version of punto banco
4235-523: The late 19th century. Its name, which is the French term for railway , comes from the version being quicker than the original game, the railway being at that time the fastest means of transport. It is still the most popular version in France. Baccarat Punto Banco , in which the bettor bets on whether the Player or the Banker hand wins, was a significant change in the development of modern baccarat. It developed into
4312-461: The legalization of casino gambling in 1907, people in France commonly played baccarat in private gaming rooms. Dating to this time period, Baccarat Banque is the earliest form of baccarat; it is a three-person game and mentioned in Album des jeux by Charles Van-Tenac. Later, Chemin de Fer emerged as a two-person, zero-sum game from Baccarat Banque . Chemin de fer is a version which first appeared in
4389-427: The list of players has the right to hold the first bank, risking such amount as they may think proper. When a banker is determined, they sit opposite the croupier with the discard area between. On both sides of the banker are the punters (traditionally, ten such constituting a full table). Other players cannot sit directly and may only bet when active players' bets don't cover the banker's stakes. The croupier shuffles
4466-444: The money. Le Chiffre attempts to distract Tremble by performing elaborate magic tricks, but fails to prevent Tremble from winning. Afterwards, he arranges for Tremble to be kidnapped and subjects the agent to psychedelic torture in order to get back the money. The torture session is interrupted when his SMERSH masters, led by the film's main villain, Dr. Noah, shoot him dead. In the 2006 film adaptation of Casino Royale , Le Chiffre
4543-561: The name Le Chiffre because as he claims, he is "only a number on a passport". Not much else is really known about Le Chiffre's background or where he comes from, except for educated guesses based on his description: Height 1,73 m. Weight 114,3 kg. Complexion very pale. Clean-shaven. Hair red-brown, 'en brosse.' Eyes very dark brown with whites showing all round iris. Small, rather feminine mouth. False teeth of expensive quality. Ears small, with large lobes, indicating some Jewish blood. Hands small, well-tended, hirsute. Feet small. Racially, subject
4620-590: The name of baccarat . Its popularity in the United States waned after the early 20th century. The game still has a following in Continental Europe , especially in Russia. Like Macao and baccarat, Victoria was banned in Russia during the 19th century though the rules continued to be printed in game books. Baccarat has been popular among the French nobility since the 19th century. During the Napoleonic era and before
4697-488: The next hand. If the banker wishes to withdraw, the new banker is the first player in order willing to stake an amount equal to the current bank total. If no one is willing to stake this amount, the new banker is instead the next player in order, and the bank resets to whatever they wish to stake. Many games have a set minimum bank or wager amount. Unlike punto banco , which is purely a game of chance, chemin de fer includes an element of player skill. In Baccarat banque
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#17328590292934774-632: The novel, he serves as the paymaster for the Syndicat des Ouvriers d'Alsace , an important Communist trade union in Alsace. MI6 also believes the union would serve as a fifth column in the event of a Third World War between NATO and the Eastern Bloc , capable to mobilizing its 50,000 members to seize control of a substantial portion of the French–West German borderlands . He makes a major investment in
4851-592: The other games. Beating the banker with a pair only awards an equal amount to the bet. When the deck is exhausted, the player to the banker's left becomes the new banker. Victoria is a variation of Macao where players are initially dealt two cards. American casinos are generating an increasing amount of their revenue from baccarat play. For example, in May 2012, Nevada only generated 18.3% of its total table gaming win from baccarat. However, in May 2013, this percentage increased to 33.1% and in May 2014 it rose to 45.2%. Baccarat
4928-412: The other individuals whose money is at stake – dictates that one always accept a card if one's hand totals between 0 and 4, inclusive, and always refuse a card if it totals 6 or 7. After the player finishes, the banker, in turn, decides either to accept or to refuse another card. Once both the banker and the representative player have made their decision, the hands are turned face-up and compared. If
5005-413: The play of the game, and two dealers who calculate tax and collect and pay bets. Six or eight decks of cards are used, normally shuffled only by the croupier and dealers. The shoe is held by one of the players, who deals the cards on the instructions of the croupier according to the tableau. On a player win, the shoe moves either to the highest winning bettor, or to the next person in clockwise order around
5082-401: The player's hand exceeds the banker's hand when they are compared, each wagering player receives back their wager and a matching amount from the bank, and the position of banker passes to the next player in order. If the banker's hand exceeds the player's hand, all wagers are forfeit and placed into the bank, and the banker position does not change. If there is a tie, wagers remain as they are for
5159-410: The player, the drawing rules are applied to determine whether the banker should receive a third card. The coup is then finished, the outcome is announced, and winning bets are paid out. Punto banco is a pure game of chance and therefore it is not possible for a gambler's bets to be rationally motivated. If neither the player nor the banker is dealt a total of 8 or 9 in the first two cards (known as
5236-446: The position of banker is more permanent compared to Chemin de fer . The shoe contains three inter-shuffled decks. The banker, unless they retire because they wish to or ran out of money to stake, keeps their role until all these cards have been dealt. The banker is initially determined via auctioning, i.e. is given to the player who will undertake to risk the largest amount. In some circles, the person who has first set down their name on
5313-540: The protagonist as a hero and the antagonist as a villain , like Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter , the antagonist does not always appear as the villain. In some narratives, like Light Yagami and L in Death Note , the protagonist is a villain and the antagonist is an opposing hero. Antagonists are conventionally presented as making moral choices less savory than those of protagonists. This condition
5390-418: The rigid and inflexible application of the law, even when it leads to moral and ethical dilemmas. An aspect or trait of the protagonist may be considered an antagonist, such as morality or indecisiveness. An antagonist is not always a person or people. In some cases, an antagonist may be a force, such as a tidal wave that destroys a city; a storm that causes havoc; or even a certain area's conditions that are
5467-406: The root cause of a problem. An antagonist may or may not create obstacles for the protagonist. Societal norms or other rules may also be antagonists. An antagonist is used as a plot device, to set up conflicts, obstacles, or challenges for the protagonist. Though not every story requires an antagonist, it often is used in plays to increase the level of drama. In tragedies, antagonists are often
5544-491: The same as Chemin de fer . Each punter continues to hold the cards for their side so long as they win or tie. If they lose, the next hand is dealt to the player next following them in rotation. In each side, any player may "go bank", like in Chemin de fer . If two players on opposite sides desire to "go bank", each player bets half the bank. A player going bank may either do so for as many times as they like until they lose, or as
5621-438: The same goal that the hero and the opponent are forced to come into direct conflict and to do so again and again throughout the story." Chemin-de-fer Baccarat or baccara ( / ˈ b æ k ə r æ t , b ɑː k ə ˈ r ɑː / ; French: [bakaʁa] ) is a card game now mainly played at casinos , but formerly highly popular at Victorian house-parties. It is a comparing card game played between two hands,
5698-406: The same stake and dealing from undealt cards. The outgoing banker takes the place previously occupied by their successor. Should the bank empty, the banker may freely put more money at stake without losing their right to bank. If all punters' bets exceed the bank stake, the banker does not need to put more money. In the event of their losing, the croupier pays the punters in order of rotation until
5775-402: The table, depending on the casino's conventions. The shoe may be refused or the croupier may be requested to deal. Punto banco has both some of the lowest house edges among casino table games, and some of the highest. The player bet has, relative to most casino bets, a low house edge of 1.24%, and the banker bet (accounting for the 5% commission on the win) is even lower, at 1.06%. In contrast,
5852-418: The tie bet, which pays 8-to-1, has a high house edge of 14.4%. Most casinos in the United Kingdom pay the tie at 9-to-1, resulting in a house edge of approximately 4.85%. Card counting can be employed to reduce the house edge by about 0.05%. If paired with a technique known as edge sorting , baccarat players can obtain a significant edge versus the casino. House edge details (8 decks) Mini-baccarat
5929-575: The video game version of Quantum of Solace , it is said that his birth name is " Jean Duran ", in the MI6 mission briefings. A mathematical genius and a chess prodigy , his abilities enable him to earn large sums of money on games of chance and probabilities , and he likes to show off by playing poker . He has haemolacria , which causes him to weep blood out of a damaged vessel in his left eye. As in Fleming's novel, he dresses in immaculate black suits and uses
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