Casino Games that have Stood the Test of Time

It is not often that the opening credits of a movie happen to grab my attention. Cas ino Royale, the latest movie, in the Bond legacy turned out to be the exception to the rule.

I got to my seat early and by the time the opening credits rolled I was mesmerised by the flying poker cards and the new James Bond interacting with them in a colourful kaleidoscope. The Art Direction on the opening credits were so superb that I realised then and there just how inspiring and exciting a casino game like poker, as an art form is.

If one thinks about the famous Dogs Playing Poker paintings done by Ca ssius Marcellus Coolidge in 1903, you're not only left in awe of the 'Four Aces', 'A friend in Need' and 'A Bold Bluff', as they are part of the whimsical poker dogs collection. They are without a doubt the most recognised paintings on the sport of poker ever created. Reproductions of these famed casino gambling artworks have adorned the walls of basements, lavatories, and card rooms across Europe and the UK for a century, and the poker dogs achieved national recognition by appearing on calendars and in various other media.

Another favourite in the online casinos and in Vegas, is the magical casino game, Blackjack. Adam Stone captured the scenes of Mississippi casino gambling in a painting he entitled, 'Black Jack and the Slightest of Hands'. According to the Wikipedia, "much of blackjack's popularity is due to the mix of chance with elements of skill, and the publicity that surrounds card counting. Blackjack's precursor was vingt-et-un ("twenty-one"), which originated in French casinos around 1700, and did not offer the 3:2 bonus for a two-card 21".

In the millennium in which we find ourselves, art is so much more than just oil on canvas. It is ultimately a faction of creativity, expression and in the case of online casino games like, poker - it's a skill. Perfecting the art of playing poker can take a long time when you have a lot of things to take into account. One needs to know how to bet, how to play with the poker chips, how to look at your cards, how to throw your cards in, how to stack your chips and how to bluff convincingly.

Martin Campbell, Cas ino Royale's film director understood this when he hired 9 people, all with differential degrees of experience, to play Texas Hold'em against James Bond in the poker scene, which can be located at the Casino Royale in Montenegro. While other actors are often studied in the techniques they will need on set for the film, be it surfing, horse riding or dancing. Campbell called upon legendary poker guru, Thomas Sanbrook. Sanbrook had the diligent task of training each actor on the technical skills of poker and helped them to master their own individual poker playing style.

Then the music comes to a crescendo and the closing credits are about to appear, and before you get up from your warm seat and leave the theatre let me just end of with a final thought: The art of playing online casino games like poker is a fascinating journey and although it only takes minutes to learn Texas Hold'em - it does take a lifetime to master.