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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. More
recently, a lot of US casinos have offered “Mini Baccarat”.
How to Play Baccarat
There are three bets available: The
Player’s hand, the Banker’s hand, or a Tie. A bet
on the Player pays even money. A bet on the Banker pays even money
minus a 5% house commission. A bet on a Tie pays 8 to 1. If neither hand is an 8 or a 9 and there is no Tie
additional cards may be dealt according to a standard set of rules. 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 was later on introduced in France around 1490 A. D. 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. Baccarat has a history overseas too, which is evidenced by its popularity among the Asian population who visit Las Vegas each year. 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.
Baccarat Rules
Baccarat, pronounced "Bah-Caw-Rah", is probably one of the easiest and uncomplicated
table games there is. 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. 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. 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". When nobody has a natural additional
cards are drawn to determine the baccarat winner. When there is a Tie and you did not bet on it
nobody looses or wins. That is
why the Ten, Jack, Queen and the King count 0 and the Ace only one. This
is not only the case with single card values but with the result of
two cards combined. Much like blackjack, two
hands are played - a dealer and a player hand pitted
against each other. After all is said
and done, the hand with a point total closes to nine
wins. 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. In order to calculate a hand
total, simply add the value of the two cards. For instance, a hand of 6 and 10 will have
a total value of 6. For instance, a hand of 5, Queen and 9 has a
value of 4 (5 + 0 + 9 = 14 - 10 = 4) Card draw determination is slightly more
involved and is often explained with a chart. I will try to simplify this as much as possible with a
few brief guidelines. If such is not the
case, the Player Hand makes the first move. Player shows a 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
or 0
Player Hand must Draw. 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. The player's objective is to get a hand that is closer to 9 in value than the banker's. Although the payoff for winning a draw bet is much more appealing, the chances of actually getting it are pretty low. If the player or banker has a two card total of 8 or 9, he/she turns the cards over immediately. With a total of 7, he stands. This is of course because there is more of a chance for a banker win. 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. 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 game of baccarat is unlike most casino games as the is no level of skill involved the reason for this is that neither the player or dealer has any options or decisions to make during the course of the game. 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. When the bank wins the house claims a %5 cut of the winnings and the total amount is collected every time the shoe is reshuffled. All picture cards count as 10 and aces count as 1. 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 9 then he must stand.
Tips
- Depending on the number of decks being played, the casino advantage for the player hand wager is generally 15%, whereas on the banker hand it is only 16%. Since the house edge is relatively similar for both bets, it is presumptuous to entirely negate the player hand wager.
- These same probabilities in a baccarat game with six decks are 457% on the banker hand, 443% on the player hand, and 91% on the Tie. For an eight deck game, the casino advantage on the banker hand is 16%, whereas it is 15% in a six deck game. For the player and tie hands in an eight deck game, the edge is slightly better in the eight deck games.
- On the banker bet, the casino charges a vig, or commission to counter the players advantage. Usually this commission is 5%, which returns a House Edge of approximately 15%.
- Manage your money wisely, without a "system". Unless you have a very hearty bankroll, and do not mind losing every bit of it, play with a money management system that does not try to chase after losses.
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