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Was it luck that he had the best cards or did he cheat somehow?

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  • It's just a stupid plot device...he just had the best cards in a completely unrealistic hand of poker.
    – Paulie_D
    Commented Jul 31, 2018 at 7:05
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    Hero will win, however it takes ... morale of the story
    – Vishwa
    Commented Jul 31, 2018 at 7:40
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    Much like the card game towards the end of Maverick.
    – BrettFromLA
    Commented Jul 31, 2018 at 16:57

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Although I am not a poker player, 'much of the popularity of poker is due to the wonderful combination of luck and skill. If it were solely a game of skill, the inexperienced wouldn’t play because they would lose every time. If it were too much about luck, the professional players would give up. With the current balance of luck and skill in poker, on any given day anyone can win a tournament, but over time the skilful players will come out on top.' (DurrrrChallenge.com's comments on 'Real Money Texas Holdem')

BondMovies.com goes through the game scene by scene here, explaining how Bond ultimately won the game despite Le Chiffre's faked bluff, however improbable.

And if you wish to know exactly how improbable Bond's victory was, casino-games-online.biz explains his odds of winning at the beginning and during the course of play, here.

So, as there is absolutely nothing within the plot of Casino Royale to suggest that Bond even considered cheating, from either the films content or any subsequent analysis I have read (that was Le Chiffre's speciality; like, with the poison and all that) I would say that it is fair to insinuate that he won using a combination of skill and luck.

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    Also worth noting that in the film Bond is stated to be the 'best player in the service' (referring to MI6, who employ just under 3,500 people) imdb.com/title/tt0381061/quotes?item=qt3062223
    – Longshanks
    Commented Aug 10, 2018 at 10:08
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    The particular hand shown to the audience that he won was by an amazing stroke of luck all the same, even if he used skill to get to that point in the tournament. But then, luck is sort of James Bond's "superpower"...
    – komodosp
    Commented Jan 7, 2019 at 8:23
  • The 'skill' of poker is being able to bluff and convince other players. You never play your own hand... you play the hand of the other guy ;)
    – John Smith Optional
    Commented Feb 10, 2019 at 16:21
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James Bond has lots of skills, training, and education: languages, martial arts, marksmanship, spy tradecraft, etc.

However, what is the first lucky number most people think of?:     7
Bond has been shot at thousands of times and never struck. He is incredibly lucky.

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I don't think cheating was his main option at that moment. I'd say it was just pure luck because as you know: "Hereos always win."

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