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. More recently, a lot of US casinos have offered “Mini Baccarat”.

How to Play Baccarat

A bet on the Banker pays even money minus a 5% house commission. A bet on a Tie pays 8 to 1. All Tens and face cards have a value of 0. 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. Eventually, baccarat evolved into European baccarat and the French game 'chemin de fer'. The result of the die decided her fate. 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. The infamous Dunes casino introduced baccarat in the late 50's. 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 highest of the high rollers often come from overseas to try their hand under the chandeliers of the stylish Vegas baccarat rooms.

Baccarat Rules

Baccarat is a game of chance, all you have to decide is which hand you think will win. So never mind what the other players bet on or how much they bet. 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". The baccarat game is now ready to play. If the first two cards dealt count Eight or Nine it is called a "Natural" and wins automatically, unless both hands have the same value then it is of course a Tie. 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. Unlike in Black Jack it is impossible to overdraw in Baccarat. 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. 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. If both hands are the same, the game is deemed a tie. One factor is how hand values are tabulated. Tabulating the hand value is straightforward and only takes simple mathematics of addition. All cards numbered 2 through 9 are worth their numeric value. For instance, a hand of 6 and 10 will have a total value of 6. First off, know that right from the beginning a hand of 8 or 9 automatically wins. If such is not the case, the Player Hand makes the first move. Banker shows a 7, 8 or 9 (8 and 9 win) Banker Hand must Stand. If the players cards total 15, 10 is subtracted and the value of the hand becomes 5.
  • 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
. (In online baccarat cards are always face up) A 9 value wins over any lesser total, and if neither player has a 9 then 8 wins over any lesser total. This is of course because there is more of a chance for a banker win. So from reading this page you should have picked up enough about baccarat rules to play a game. 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. Dealers normally wear tuxedos and the surrounding are is quite lavish. 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. The aim of the game is to get as close to 9 as possible and if you are nearer then you win. All picture cards count as 10 and aces count as 1. 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. Once all the hands are dealt it is closest to 9 that wins.

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.
- 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. A slight difference of only one hundredth of a percent shows, which is apparent when looking at the House Edge.
- sometimes casinos will only impose a 4% commission, which brings the House Edge on the banker bet down to only approximately %. 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". If you want to take your chances, then by all means use a system - just know when to quit.

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