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Baccarat History
Although it has always been a popular game in European and Latin
American casinos, it never caught on as strongly as Blackjack in US
casinos. 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
There are three bets available: The
Player’s hand, the Banker’s hand, or a Tie. A bet on the Banker pays even money
minus a 5% house commission. A bet on a Tie pays 8 to 1. Aces count as One and Two
through Nine are counted at face value. If
neither hand is 9 a hand with a total of 8 is a Natural winner. There are many debates pertaining to the history of baccarat, particularly where the game was invented: France or Italy. 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. 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 basis of this game is very similar, but the rules and payoffs are much less
dramatic. The highest of the high rollers often come from overseas to try their hand under the chandeliers of the stylish Vegas baccarat rooms. 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
Betting on Tie is not really recommended because it decreases your winning
chances. 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. The only thing you are betting against is the cards. The hand closest to nine wins. When nobody has a natural additional
cards are drawn to determine the baccarat winner. You can bet on a Tie where
you get a one to eight payoff but a Tie is very rare, it occurs
less than once in ten hands. At first the value of the cards might seem a little odd, but it's
really simple to understand. Unlike in Black
Jack it is impossible to overdraw in Baccarat. After all is said
and done, the hand with a point total closes to nine
wins. 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. Depending on hand outcomes, the player hand will either
draw a third card or stand. Two components of the game need clearing up at this
point. The other is how drawing a third card is determined. a baccarat hand will never exceed
three cards total. First off, know that right from
the beginning a hand of 8 or 9 automatically wins. Banker shows a 3
Banker Hand must Draw if player's draw card is a
0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7
Banker Hand must Stand if player's draw card is an 8. Banker shows a 5
Banker Hand must Draw if player's draw card is a 4, 5,
6, or 7
Banker Hand must Stand if player's draw card is a 0,1,
2, 3, 8 or 9. 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. 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
. 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. 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. It may still be a good idea to try it online first, and within minutes you'll feel comfortable enough to play anywhere. 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. 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. 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. If the dealer has 0 then he must draw. If the dealer has 4 then he must draw if your card is a 2-3-4-5-6-7. If the dealer has 8 then he must stand.
Tips
- The banker hand does carry with it a 5% vig, or commission, bringing the House Edge up to 2%. 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. Going back the card-counting issue, if a player does indeed insist on counting cards, they should pay attention to 6's and 4's.
- Play Baccarat Games with the fewest decks. Looking at the House Edge, it is lowered, albeit not substantially, for every deck taken out of the equation. 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.
- On the banker bet, the casino charges a vig, or commission to counter the players advantage. If you can get a 4% commission, by all means take advantage of it - and bet on the banker every time.
- As for other bankroll management strategies, a good one is posted on this website. At the least, set yourself limits on losses and stake amounts.
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