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Baccarat History

Targeted towards high rollers, Baccarat tables used to be exclusive territory with roped off access and dealers dressed in tuxedos. More recently, a lot of US casinos have offered “Mini Baccarat”.

How to Play Baccarat

A bet on the Player pays even money. In the classic game of Baccarat the deal rotates among the players. Even though the player dealing is acting as the Banker, he is not obligated to bet on the Banker’s hand. In Mini Baccarat a casino dealer handles the deal. 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. Eventually, baccarat evolved into European baccarat and the French game 'chemin de fer'. The interesting bit to observe of course is that the casino is taking no risk here; they simply charge a fee from each banker. The Baccarat we know today originated in Great Britain and was then passed along to South America and finally to Nevada. 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. In casinos based in the Portuguese territory of Macao, near Hong Kong, the popularity of baccarat is unrivaled. It is played by the exact same rules, but lacks the accoutrements of the formal version.

Baccarat Rules

Baccarat is a game of chance, all you have to decide is which hand you think will win. Knowing the basic rules will help you understand what is going on on the baccarat table and will make the game more fun to play for you. At the beginning of the new game the shoe or the bank is given to the player on the right of the dealer. Once the bank looses it moves on to the next player. The hand closest to nine wins. 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. Unlike in Black Jack it is impossible to overdraw in Baccarat. Unlike blackjack, but rather, like craps, multiple players around the table can bet on which hand will win. After all is said and done, the hand with a point total closes to nine wins. The game begins with players placing bets. 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. Two components of the game need clearing up at this point. Please note that both hands are allowed a maximum of one card draw. All cards numbered 2 through 9 are worth their numeric value. For instance, a hand of 5, Queen and 9 has a value of 4 (5 + 0 + 9 = 14 - 10 = 4) Card draw determination is slightly more involved and is often explained with a chart. I will try to simplify this as much as possible with a few brief guidelines. After the dealer has finished drawing, the hands are added up and a winner is declared. The payout for winning a bet on the banker's or the player's hand is even money, or 1 to 1 and winning draw bets are paid off at 8 to 1 odds or 9 to 1 depending on where you are playing. The other must do so also. (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. Baccarat rules state that winning banker bets are subject to a 5% house commission. This is of course because there is more of a chance for a banker win. 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. This means the game is quite simple especially as there are only three possible bets that can be made. 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. If the dealer has 1 then he must draw. If the dealer has 5 then he must draw if your card is a 4-5-6-7. If the dealer has 9 then he must stand.

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. 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. Looking at the House Edge, it is lowered, albeit not substantially, for every deck taken out of the equation. 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 %.
- Any system like the Martingale, which is designed to cover losses, should be avoided. If you want to take your chances, then by all means use a system - just know when to quit.

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