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Baccarat History

The present form of Baccarat can be traced back to Italy. 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

The winning hand is the hand that holds two or three cards totaling closest to nine. In Mini Baccarat a casino dealer handles the deal. If either hand dealt is a total of 9, it is called a “Natural” and automatically wins. If neither hand is 9 a hand with a total of 8 is a Natural winner. 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. It's been suggested that the game was first played with a deck of Tarot cards in the middle ages. It was later on introduced in France around 1490 A. 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 title of banker rotates around the table in a manner similar to the dice at a craps table. 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

Baccarat, pronounced "Bah-Caw-Rah", is probably one of the easiest and uncomplicated table games there is. Betting on Tie is not really recommended because it decreases your winning chances. The only thing you are betting against is the cards. 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 hand closest to nine wins. When nobody has a natural additional cards are drawn to determine the baccarat winner. 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. The game begins with players placing bets. One factor is how hand values are tabulated. If this sum goes over ten, subtract ten and you will have the final value. For instance, a hand of 6 and 10 will have a total value of 6. I will try to simplify this as much as possible with a few brief guidelines. Player shows a 6, 7, 8, or 9 (8 and 9 win) Player Hand must Stand. Player shows a 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 or 0 Player Hand must Draw. 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 4 Banker Hand must Draw if player's draw card is a 0, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 Banker Hand must Stand if player's draw card is a 0, 1, 8 or 9. After the dealer has finished drawing, the hands are added up and a winner is declared. (Thus the value of a hand is always between 0 through 9). 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

. The other must do so also. Tied 9s or tied 8s are a stand off; no money changes hands (unless ties can be bet on) If neither the player or the banker has a natural (a total of 8 or 9) then play goes to the player. With a total of 7, he stands. 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. 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. All picture cards count as 10 and aces count as 1. 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 the dealer has 0 then he must draw. If the dealer has 2 then he must draw.

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. in the long run, a player should be making more bets on the banker than on the player.
- Play Baccarat Games with the fewest decks. For the player and tie hands in an eight deck game, the edge is slightly better in the eight deck games.
- Play Baccarat at Casinos with the lowest commission possible. sometimes casinos will only impose a 4% commission, which brings the House Edge on the banker bet down to only approximately %.
- Manage your money wisely, without a "system". Whatever you decide to follow, be sure you plan ahead of time.

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