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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. 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 Banker pays even money minus a 5% house commission. Aces count as One and Two through Nine are counted at face value. In Mini Baccarat a casino dealer handles the deal. 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. It's difficult to trace back the origins of this game mainly because slight variations of it name are used in both countries, each wanting to claim it as theirs. It was later on introduced in France around 1490 A. And remained an exclusive game to the French nobility for some time before becoming a casino game. Eventually, baccarat evolved into European baccarat and the French game 'chemin de fer'. The title of banker rotates around the table in a manner similar to the dice at a craps table. The interesting bit to observe of course is that the casino is taking no risk here; they simply charge a fee from each banker. 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. The Baccarat we know today originated in Great Britain and was then passed along to South America and finally to Nevada.

Baccarat Rules

Baccarat, pronounced "Bah-Caw-Rah", is probably one of the easiest and uncomplicated table games there is. The most important thing you need to know is whether you are betting on the Player, on the Bank or on Tie. It doesn't matter which seat you take at the baccarat table because unlike in Black Jack you are not playing against other players or against the house. Baccarat is played with eight decks of cards without Jokers. Each player is given the bank in turn and can hold the bank as long as the bank wins. The player with the bank deals two sets of two cards, if of course the game is played by two players. When there is a Tie and you did not bet on it nobody looses or wins. Unlike blackjack, but rather, like craps, multiple players around the table can bet on which hand will win. The game begins with players placing bets. After all bets are made, which cannot be added to or retracted once play begins, the House will deal four face-down cards - two cards each to both the player and banker (House) After the cards are finished being dealt, they are revealed and tabulated. The hand closest to a total value of nine wins. The other is how drawing a third card is determined. For instance, a hand of 6 and 10 will have a total value of 6. If both hands have an 8 or 9, the game is deemed a tie, in which all Tie Bets win. If such is not the case, the Player Hand makes the first move. 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. After the dealer has finished drawing, the hands are added up and a winner is declared. If the players cards total 15, 10 is subtracted and the value of the hand becomes 5. An ace counts as 1, two counts as 2, etc,, , up through nine counts as 9, but tens (jacks, queens and kings) count as 0.

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

. Although the payoff for winning a draw bet is much more appealing, the chances of actually getting it are pretty low. 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. There aren't many rules, and the baccarat rules that do exist are fairly simple, they just differ from other games you may have played at the casino, so may take a little getting used to. Dealers normally wear tuxedos and the surrounding are is quite lavish. 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. Player and dealer are both dealt two cards to start with, if either of them has a two card total of 8 or 9 then they must immediately turn over the cards. A 9 is the best hand and beats all other totals followed by 8, if both the dealer and the player has an 8 or 9 the hand is tied and no money changes hands. 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 6 then he must draw if your card is a 6-7.

Tips

- Bet on the Banker Hand most of the time. When the wager is counter-weighed by the player hand, the edge lowers to more near the 1% mark. This tip is not to say that a player should never bet on the player hand, for sometimes a hunch can be the best thing going for a gambler.
- Many online casinos will offer different versions of baccarat, such as a one deck version, and a 6 or 8 deck version with higher minimum betting amounts. A slight difference of only one hundredth of a percent shows, which is apparent when looking at the House Edge.
- On the banker bet, the casino charges a vig, or commission to counter the players advantage. Any informed player would see that this bet is one of the best in the casino.
- If you want to take your chances, then by all means use a system - just know when to quit. At the least, set yourself limits on losses and stake amounts.

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