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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. All Tens and face cards have a value of 0. 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). There are many debates pertaining to the history of baccarat, particularly where the game was invented: France or Italy. It's been suggested that the game was first played with a deck of Tarot cards in the middle ages. The title of banker rotates around the table in a manner similar to the dice at a craps table. 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. In casinos based in the Portuguese territory of Macao, near Hong Kong, the popularity of baccarat is unrivaled. A number of casinos have installed a smaller version of the baccarat game played on standard blackjack-sized gaming tables. It is played by the exact same rules, but lacks the accoutrements of the formal version.

Baccarat Rules

Baccarat, pronounced "Bah-Caw-Rah", is probably one of the easiest and uncomplicated table games there is. 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. 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. Each player is given the bank in turn and can hold the bank as long as the bank wins. The hand closest to nine wins. If the hand you bet on wins you get a one to one payoff. This is not only the case with single card values but with the result of two cards combined. Essentially, only three bets can potentially be made - A bet for the player's hand to win, the banker's hand to win, or a tie. If both hands are the same, the game is deemed a tie. One factor is how hand values are tabulated. The other is how drawing a third card is determined. For instance, a hand of 6 and 10 will have a total value of 6. A hand of seven and four has a value of 1. If such is not the case, the Player Hand makes the first move. Player shows a 6, 7, 8, or 9 (8 and 9 win) Player Hand must Stand. 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. If the players cards total 15, 10 is subtracted and the value of the hand becomes 5. 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. (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. 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 6 or less, his selection depends on the value of his two card total and the value of the card that the player drew. The advantage is slim, in the area 0,,8%, but in the world of gambling that's really not that small. Three dealers run the game and one of these is the caller who runs the game and stands between positions 1 and 15. 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. Player put their bets on the numbered box in front of the players after the winner is called the other two dealers pay out or collect from the winners and losers around the table. 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 6 then he must draw if your card is a 6-7. If the dealer has 8 then he must stand.

Tips

- Bet on the Banker Hand most of the time. 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.
- 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. For an eight deck game, the casino advantage on the banker hand is 16%, whereas it is 15% in a six deck game.
- sometimes casinos will only impose a 4% commission, which brings the House Edge on the banker bet down to only approximately %. Any informed player would see that this bet is one of the best in the casino.
- Any system like the Martingale, which is designed to cover losses, should be avoided. Whatever you decide to follow, be sure you plan ahead of time.

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