How Much Did Daniel Craig's James Bond Tip The Dealer In Casino Royale?
One of the biggest problems with the James Bond films as they went on in the late '90s and early '00s was that they had become increasingly difficult to take seriously. In fact, by the time the Pierce Brosnan films came to an end, it was clear that the unkillable 007 of the last few decades needed a revamp in order to appeal to more modern audiences. Enter "Casino Royale," a reboot that grounded the superspy but still allowed him to keep his swagger.
In fact, despite the more realistic tone of "Casino Royale," James Bond (Daniel Craig) doesn't even drop his cocky demeanor in the film's torture scene. Still, one of the moments that really shows how flippant this take on 007 can be is when Bond tips the dealer of a high-stakes poker game with a staggering $500,000 chip.
The confirmation of the amount of the tip comes from director Martin Campbell. The filmmaker spoke to Polygon about the scene in question. "I always laugh at the end when Bond just flips him half a million," Campbell said. "It was just amusing to me — it's not Bond's money." As fans of "Casino Royale" will likely recall, 007 is spending money from the British Secret Service and the American government when he tips, something that adds a bit of the character's classic snark to the scene.
Campbell wasn't as confident as 007 regarding the scenes
While James Bond himself may be as adept at playing poker as he is at just about everything else, Martin Campbell wasn't as confident that he could pull off the big poker scene. "There was a lot of [card] playing in it," he said. "It was the thing I sweated on more than anything else."
Still, the three rounds of Texas Hold'em that encompass the film's central conflict came across remarkably well. The scenes are easily among the best and most memorable moments in "Casino Royale" — a factor that proves Campbell needn't have sweated it so much after all.
As for what the card game means to 007 and the fate of the world, Campbell had put a lot of thought into this as well. "This is sort of Bond before he becomes Bond, thinking with his heart instead of his head," he explained. "From a dramatic point of view, each of the card games has a good climax. The point was you would never play it as one long, single game," he went on. "I think it would have tested the audience's patience."
Considering the fact that "Casino Royale" turned out to be the unbridled success that reinvigorated the franchise after the unbelievable absurdity of the previous film, "Die Another Day," few would argue with how Campbell ultimately constructed the film's centerpiece. All the same, that $500,000 tip is an especially nice touch.