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Baccarat History
The game was introduced to the French Court in
the 15th century and became the favorite game among French nobility. In the 1950’s the game was popularized in Vegas because of
the efforts of Frank Sinatra, a co-owner of The Sands at the time.
How to Play Baccarat
Aces count as One and Two
through Nine are counted at face value. After players make their bets the dealer
deals a two-card hand to the Banker and Player. If
neither hand is 9 a hand with a total of 8 is a Natural winner. The Player’s hand is dealt to first, and only if the current value
is 5 or less. If the Player did
draw a third card, the Banker follows the rules at right. 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. It's been suggested that the game was first played with a deck of Tarot cards in the middle ages. The basis of this game is very similar, but the rules and payoffs are much less
dramatic. The Baccarat we know today originated in Great Britain and was then passed along to South America and finally to Nevada. There exists quite a diversity today, especially so since it has made its way onto the world wide web. Unlike the heavily ordered and systematic American casinos, these Portuguese tables often allow multiple players to bet on a single spot at the same time, while the expert dealers mentally keep track of each players commission on winning bank
bets. It is played by the exact same rules, but lacks the accoutrements of the formal version. The layout, conforms to the regular baccarat table and each of the seven seat positions correspond to a number and betting box with spots for banker, player, and tie.
Baccarat Rules
Knowing the basic rules will help you
understand what is going on on the baccarat table and will make the game more fun to play for
you. The only thing you are betting against is the cards. 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". If the value of the first card is a four, for instance,
the dealer will take the next four cards out of the shoe and discard them
in a tray next to it along with the first card. The hand closest to nine wins. In Baccarat you always have to keep in mind
that the fist digit in a two-digit number does not count. This
is not only the case with single card values but with the result of
two cards combined. Unlike in Black
Jack it is impossible to overdraw in Baccarat. Much like blackjack, two
hands are played - a dealer and a player hand pitted
against each other. Unlike blackjack, but
rather, like craps, multiple players around the table
can bet on which hand will win. After the players
turn, and depending on both the outcome of the players
hand and its own, the dealer hand will either draw a
third additional card or stand. The hand closest
to a total value of nine wins. Two components of the game need clearing up at this
point. Please note that both hands are allowed a maximum of one
card draw. a baccarat hand will never exceed
three cards total. I will try to simplify this as much as possible with a
few brief guidelines. If one hand is an 8 and the
other is a 9, the 9 wins. If such is not the
case, the Player Hand makes the first move. 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 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. Although the payoff for winning a draw bet is much more appealing, the chances of actually getting it are pretty low. The other must do so also. Tied 9s or tied 8s are a stand off; no money changes hands (unless ties can be bet on)
If neither the player or the banker has a natural (a total of 8 or 9) then play goes to the player. With a total of 6 or less, his selection depends on the value of his two card total and the value of the card that the player drew. This is of course because there is more of a chance for a banker win. 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. Each player takes it in turns to deal from the shoe there is however no advantage to be gained from it and it is just part of the tradition of the game. If the hand is greater than 10 then 10 is subtracted from the total, this means that the value of the hand is always 0-9. If either you or the dealer has a 6 or 7 then you must stand if you stand on a 6 or 7 then the dealer must hit on a score of less than 5. If the dealer has 3 then he must draw if your card is a 0-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-9. If the dealer has 5 then he must draw if your card is a 4-5-6-7. If the dealer has 7 then he must stand.
Tips
- The banker hand does carry with it a 5% vig, or commission, bringing the House Edge up to 2%. Since the house edge is relatively similar for both bets, it is presumptuous to entirely negate the player hand wager. As for the tie wager, it should be out of the question since it gives a casino advantage of nearly 15%.
- Looking at the House Edge, it is lowered, albeit not substantially, for every deck taken out of the equation. 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.
- Any informed player would see that this bet is one of the best in the casino. 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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