It’s a sign of the times: James Bond has forsaken his usual game of Baccarat to play No Limit Texas Hold ‘em in the latest 007 flick, “Casino Royale.” In addition to updating the game to current interests, a new James Bond has been offered – Daniel Craig.

Blond, shorter, more athletic, and probably the best actor to date, Craig makes for an exciting hero. It is reported that he was not a poker player prior to taking on the big showdown scene in the movie, but some tutoring makes him and the other players believable at the green felt. The poker scene is long – maybe a bit long even for the most devoted poker fans – but if you like poker and James Bond, you’ve come to the right place.

According to World Wide Cinemas, Casino Royale is the highest grossing Bond epic yet, with $400+ million in the till, and counting. Even the Chinese, whose censors routinely bar Bond films, have approved this one.

Hmmm, is all of this because of the poker scene, or the new Bond, or a better script, or because we were mercilessly “teased,” waiting and waiting for Craig to say, “Bond, James Bond?” (It comes at the very end of the 144-minute movie).

There was just a little pressure on Bond/Craig to deliver the goods at the poker table: he is playing against an international terrorist with $10 million+ in funds staked to Bond by the British government. And the government is nervous about his ability to deliver the goods. Can you predict the outcome? Good guess.

In one twist of irony, Bond's film nemesis, Denmark's Mads Mikkelsen, faces a fine because he was playing poker in a club in his native country that allegedly broke licensing rules. No money was involved in the game, leaving those involved shocked that the police took the matter seriously. Mads reportedly was doing well in the event, even playing a number of hands that his character, the villain Le Chiffre, plays in the movie.

“Lucky You,” the long-delayed movie starring Eric Bana of “Munich” along with Robert Duvall in a father-son rivalry is next up in the poker queue – look for this in early 2007. A number of poker stars including Doyle Brunson and Daniel Negreanu appear in the film.

Murphy James is the pen name of Harry Murphy. He has been published in men's magazines, business journals, gaming publications, and newspapers. His website is http://www.murphyjames.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Murphy_James