Thread: James Bond Baccarat Question

Watching "Thunderball" for the umpteenth time as I'm writing this, James Bond was playing baccarat, of course, and winning, of course. However, he seemed to be making decisions whether or not to take a card, as I've seen done in other James Bond movies. I thought all plays are automatic with no player or dealer discretion. So the question is: are there some baccarat variations where decisions are made by the player (to take or not take a card) or is all of this just to add a little movie suspense?

I haven't seen that movie in many years, but I believe he may have been playing "Chem de Fer" which is similar, albeit slightly different than the baccarat game we're all used to playing. That is why you could hear him call "Banco" and then proceed to play literally against "Largo" alone.

AD