Casino Royale

In Prague, James Bond kills traitorous MI6 station chief Dryden and his terrorist contact, thus earning his license to kill and becoming a 00 agent.
In Uganda, the mysterious Mr. White introduces warlord Steven Obanno to Le Chiffre, a French financier of terrorism. Obanno entrusts Le Chiffre with a large sum of money, which Le Chiffre uses to short-sell stock in the aerospace company Skyfleet, thus betting Obanno's money on the company's failure.
In Madagascar, Bond pursues bomb maker Mollaka to an African embassy. Bond kills Mollaka and blows up the building. In London, MI6 chief M admonishes Bond for his rashness, and advises him to rethink his future as an agent.
Clues from Mollaka point to corrupt Greek official Alex Dimitrios. Bond finds Dimitrios in the Bahamas and pursues him to Miami. Bond kills Dimitrios and follows his henchman to the airport. He thwarts the destruction of Skyfleet's airliner, costing Le Chiffre his investment. To recoup the money, Le Chiffre sets up a high-stakes Texas hold 'em tournament at the Casino Royale in Montenegro. MI6 enters Bond in the tournament, believing a defeat will force Le Chiffre to aid the British government in exchange for protection from his creditors. On the train to Montenegro, Bond meets Vesper Lynd, a British Treasury agent there to protect the government's $10Â million buy-in.
In Montenegro, Bond and Vesper meet their MI6 contact, RenÃ© Mathis. When the tournament begins, Bond appears to have the upper hand. In Le Chiffre's suite, Obanno ambushes him, furious over the loss of his money. Bond engages Obanno, and in an ensuing struggle, kills him and his henchmen. Vesper is traumatized, but Bond comforts her. When the tournament resumes, Bond loses his initial stake, and Vesper refuses to fund further playing. Frustrated, Bond is about to assassinate Le Chiffre when he meets Felix Leiter, a fellow player and CIA agent. Leiter stakes Bond in exchange for custody of Le Chiffre.
Le Chiffre's girlfriend Valenka poisons Bond's martini. Bond throws up the poison and escapes to his Aston Martin, where he injects an antidote. MI6 instructs him to use the defibrillator, but he finds that one of the wires is disconnected. Vesper saves Bond by connecting the wires and pushing the button. Bond returns to the game, and wins with a straight flush.
Le Chiffre captures Vesper and Bond, and reveals that Mathis is working for him. Le Chiffre tortures Bond for the password to the account containing his money, but Bond refuses to give in. As Le Chiffre prepares to castrate Bond, Mr. White bursts in and kills him. Bond awakens in a hospital on Lake Como and Mathis is taken in by MI6. Bond and Vesper fall in love, and he decides to resign from MI6 to be with her.
Bond and Vesper travel to Venice. M calls Bond and tells him the money was never deposited, and Bond realizes Vesper has stolen the money. He pursues her and her clients into a building under renovation. In the ensuing struggle, the building is damaged and begins sinking into the Grand Canal. Bond kills Vesper's accomplices and tries to rescue her, but she drowns herself as the building sinks. Mr. White, watching nearby, walks away with the money.
Bond rejoins MI6, and copes with Vesper's death by renouncing her as a traitor. M informs him the same organisation behind Le Chiffre had kidnapped Vesper's lover, and threatened to kill him unless she became a double agent. During the torture sessions with Le Chiffre, Vesper had made a deal: the money in exchange for Bond's life. Bond discovers a text message left for him by Vesper with Mr. White's name and phone number.
At his estate in Lake Como, Mr. White receives a phone call, and is shot in the leg when he answers. Bond strolls into his path holding a machine gun, and introduces himself: "The name's Bond... James Bond."

Question: Who appeared to have the upper hand in the tournament?
Answer: Bond