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Baccarat History

Targeted towards high rollers, Baccarat tables used to be exclusive territory with roped off access and dealers dressed in tuxedos. Mini Baccarat has the same rules as Baccarat but has lower stakes and is played on a standard Blackjack shaped table.

How to Play Baccarat

A bet on the Player pays even money. All Tens and face cards have a value of 0. In the classic game of Baccarat the deal rotates among the players. In Mini Baccarat a casino dealer handles the deal. After players make their bets the dealer deals a two-card hand to the Banker and Player. According to many, the game was first invented in Italy by a gambler Felix Falguiere, where it acquired the Italian name 'baccara', meaning zero in English. Falguiere based the game on an old Etruscan ritual of the nine gods, who prayed to a blonde virgin on their tiptoes waiting for her to throw a nine-sided die. If an eight or a nine was thrown, she would become the priestess; if she threw a six or seven, she would be banned from any further religious activities; if she threw any number less than six, she would walk into the sea. The basis of this game is very similar, but the rules and payoffs are much less dramatic. There exists quite a diversity today, especially so since it has made its way onto the world wide web. Although a few rules have been changed here and there to accomodate the individual taste of a certain country, the style has remained the same. It has kept it's elegant trait and is still one of the most appealing games to the well situated individuals in our society. The table is staffed by only one dealer who is responsible for handling the cards.

Baccarat Rules

The most important thing you need to know is whether you are betting on the Player, on the Bank or on Tie. At the beginning of a new game or when the Cut Card in the Shoe is dealt, the dealer will shuffle all decks together and put them back in the shoe, called "The Bank". Each player is given the bank in turn and can hold the bank as long as the bank wins. The hand closest to nine wins. When nobody has a natural additional cards are drawn to determine the baccarat winner. If the hand you bet on wins you get a one to one payoff. When there is a Tie and you did not bet on it nobody looses or wins. Essentially, only three bets can potentially be made - A bet for the player's hand to win, the banker's hand to win, or a tie. If both hands are the same, the game is deemed a tie. Two components of the game need clearing up at this point. All cards numbered 2 through 9 are worth their numeric value. All other cards (tens and picture cards) are worth zero points. I will try to simplify this as much as possible with a few brief guidelines. First off, know that right from the beginning a hand of 8 or 9 automatically wins. If one hand is an 8 and the other is a 9, the 9 wins. The following guidelines determine what action the Bank Hand will take: On a side note, if the player hand does not draw a card, the banker hand will always draw if its value is lower than the player hand or if its own two-card value is 0, 1, or 2. Banker shows a 6 Banker Hand must Draw if player's draw card is a 6 or 7 Banker Hand must Stand if player's draw card is a 0,1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8 or 9. Winning bets on the player hand pay back 1 to 1, while winning bets on the banker hand do the same, but with a 5% vig (commission) winning tie bets pay back 9 to 1.

The maximum number of cards in a baccarat hand is three,,
If the banker or the player has an eight (natural eight) or a nine (natural nine) on the first two cards dealt, no further cards are drawn,,
The player always draws when the hand is a five or less, unless the banker has a natural, and stands on a six and seven,,
the banker always stands if the player stands on a six or a seven

. There are two hands dealt regardless of how many players there are: the banker's hand and the player's hand. The task for you as a player is to bet on the banker's hand, the player's hand, or a draw, which means that the two hands are tied. The payout for winning a bet on the banker's or the player's hand is even money, or 1 to 1 and winning draw bets are paid off at 8 to 1 odds or 9 to 1 depending on where you are playing. Baccarat rules state that winning banker bets are subject to a 5% house commission. It may still be a good idea to try it online first, and within minutes you'll feel comfortable enough to play anywhere. Baccarat has a reputation for being a high rollers game and the tables are normally separate from the rest of the casino in there own section called the pit. The table layout is quite simple and consists of fourteen numbered positions seven on each side of the dealer; the number thirteen is omitted as it is considered unlucky. All picture cards count as 10 and aces count as 1. If the dealer has 5 then he must draw if your card is a 4-5-6-7. If the dealer has 6 then he must draw if your card is a 6-7. If the dealer has 8 then he must stand. Once all the hands are dealt it is closest to 9 that wins.

Tips

- When the wager is counter-weighed by the player hand, the edge lowers to more near the 1% mark. When more 4's are leaving the deck, the banker bet has slightly better odds, whereas when 6's leave the deck, the player bet has a slightly better chance of winning than it does from the start of a fresh deck.
- A baccarat game using eight decks will deliver a probability of 456% of winning on the bank hand, 442% of winning on the player hand, and 92% of winning on a Tie. For an eight deck game, the casino advantage on the banker hand is 16%, whereas it is 15% in a six deck game.
- Usually this commission is 5%, which returns a House Edge of approximately 15%. If you can get a 4% commission, by all means take advantage of it - and bet on the banker every time.
- Manage your money wisely, without a "system". Any system like the Martingale, which is designed to cover losses, should be avoided.

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