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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
Baccarat is a very simple game to play with no decisions
made after a bet is placed. A bet
on the Player pays even money. A bet on a Tie pays 8 to 1. Natural hands always immediately win or Tie (although a 9 beats an
8). After the Player’s hand is
complete, the Banker’s hand is dealt out according to the following
set of rules: If the Player did not draw a third card, then the
Banker only draws a card to a hand of 4 or less. There are many debates pertaining to the history of baccarat, particularly where the game was invented: France or Italy. 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 difference is one of the players banks the game instead of the casino. The interesting bit to observe of course is that the casino is taking no risk here; they simply charge a fee from each
banker. It has kept it's elegant trait and is still one of the most appealing games to the well situated individuals in our
society. In casinos based in the Portuguese territory of Macao, near Hong Kong, the popularity of baccarat is unrivaled. Lacking the formality and large group of players, mini-baccarat is played fast and is a good place to learn how to
play.
Baccarat Rules
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. The baccarat game is now ready to
play. At the beginning of the new game the shoe or the bank is given to the
player on the right of the dealer. The hand closest to nine wins. When nobody has a natural additional
cards are drawn to determine the baccarat winner. So if you draw an eight in baccarat and a three, for
instance, the value of both together would be eleven but since the first
digit does not count your hand counts only one. 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. The hand closest
to a total value of nine wins. If both hands are
the same, the game is deemed a tie. Two components of the game need clearing up at this
point. The other is how drawing a third card is determined. All
cards numbered 2 through 9 are worth their numeric
value. In order to calculate a hand
total, simply add the value of the two cards. A hand of seven and four has a
value of 1. First off, know that right from
the beginning a hand of 8 or 9 automatically wins. 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. The game is played modulo 10, that is if the total of the hand is greater than 10, then 10 is subtracted from the total. If the players cards total 15, 10 is subtracted and the value of the hand becomes 5. The player stands on a total of 6 or 7, but if the player has a total of 5 or less he/she must draw one card (face up)
Now it is the bankers turn. Baccarat rules state that winning banker bets are subject to a 5% house commission. It may still be a good idea to try it online first, and within minutes you'll feel comfortable enough to play anywhere. 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. 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. The aim of the game is to get as close to 9 as possible and if you are nearer then you win. 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. 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.
Tips
- 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. When more 4's are leaving the deck, the banker bet has slightly better odds, whereas when 6's leave the deck, the player bet has a slightly better chance of winning than it does from the start of a fresh deck.
- 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. If you can get a 4% commission, by all means take advantage of it - and bet on the banker every time.
- Any system like the Martingale, which is designed to cover losses, should be avoided. 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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