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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
A bet on a Tie pays 8 to 1. Aces count as One and Two
through Nine are counted at face value. After players make their bets the dealer
deals a two-card hand to the Banker and Player. 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. 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. 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. The interesting bit to observe of course is that the casino is taking no risk here; they simply charge a fee from each
banker. 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. A number of casinos have installed a smaller version of the baccarat game played on standard blackjack-sized gaming tables. 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. Baccarat is a game of chance, all you have to decide is which
hand you think will win. 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". Then he will take the very first card
out and whatever the value of this card is indicates how many cards will
be Burned. If the value of the first card is a four, for instance,
the dealer will take the next four cards out of the shoe and discard them
in a tray next to it along with the first card. At the beginning of the new game the shoe or the bank is given to the
player on the right of the dealer. When there is a Tie and you did not bet on it
nobody looses or wins. Depending on hand outcomes, the player hand will either
draw a third card or stand. The hand closest
to a total value of nine wins. Tabulating the hand value is straightforward
and only takes simple mathematics of addition. I will try to simplify this as much as possible with a
few brief guidelines. If
both hands have an 8 or 9, the game is deemed a tie, in
which all Tie Bets win. Player shows a 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
or 0
Player Hand must Draw. Banker shows a 7, 8 or 9 (8
and 9 win)
Banker Hand must Stand. 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 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. After the dealer has finished drawing,
the hands are added up and a winner is declared. 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. The other must do so also. 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. With a total of 7, he stands. Baccarat rules state that winning banker bets are subject to a 5% house commission. 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. Dealers normally wear tuxedos and the surrounding are is quite lavish. Three dealers run the game and one of these is the caller who runs the game and stands between positions 1 and 15. 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. 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 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. If the dealer has 2 then he must draw. Once all the hands are dealt it is closest to 9 that wins.
Tips
- Bet on the Banker Hand most of the time. Since the house edge is relatively similar for both bets, it is presumptuous to entirely negate the player hand wager. 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.
- Looking at the House Edge, it is lowered, albeit not substantially, for every deck taken out of the equation. For an eight deck game, the casino advantage on the banker hand is 16%, whereas it is 15% in a six deck game. Although this difference is so negligible that most players do not advise picking one version of baccarat over the other, it is advisable to take all the advantage one can possibly take.
- Play Baccarat at Casinos with the lowest commission possible. 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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