|
Baccarat History
The present form of Baccarat can be
traced back to Italy. Targeted towards high rollers, Baccarat tables used to be exclusive
territory with roped off access and dealers dressed in tuxedos.
How to Play Baccarat
Baccarat is a very simple game to play with no decisions
made after a bet is placed. There are three bets available: The
Player’s hand, the Banker’s hand, or a Tie. The winning hand is the
hand that holds two or three cards totaling closest to nine. Aces count as One and Two
through Nine are counted at face value. If neither hand is an 8 or a 9 and there is no Tie
additional cards may be dealt according to a standard set of rules. 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. Falguiere based the game on an old Etruscan ritual of the nine gods, who prayed to a blonde virgin on their tiptoes waiting for her to throw a nine-sided die. The basis of this game is very similar, but the rules and payoffs are much less
dramatic. 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. Baccarat has a history overseas too, which is evidenced by its popularity among the Asian population who visit Las Vegas each year. In casinos based in the Portuguese territory of Macao, near Hong Kong, the popularity of baccarat is unrivaled. The limits are lower and usually range from a $2 to $5 minimum, up to $500 maximum.
Baccarat Rules
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. 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. The baccarat game is now ready to
play. 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. If the hand you bet on
wins you get a one to one payoff. That is
why the Ten, Jack, Queen and the King count 0 and the Ace only one. This
is not only the case with single card values but with the result of
two cards combined. Much like blackjack, two
hands are played - a dealer and a player hand pitted
against each other. Unlike blackjack, but
rather, like craps, multiple players around the table
can bet on which hand will win. After all bets are made, which cannot be
added to or retracted once play begins, the House will
deal four face-down cards - two cards each to both the
player and banker (House) After the cards are
finished being dealt, they are revealed and tabulated. 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. Two components of the game need clearing up at this
point. The other is how drawing a third card is determined. Please note that both hands are allowed a maximum of one
card draw. (7 + 4 = 11 - 10 = 1) A hand that has drawn
and composed of three cards is calculated in the same
fashion. If such is not the
case, the Player Hand makes the first move. 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. (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. If the player or banker has a two card total of 8 or 9, he/she turns the cards over immediately. 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. So from reading this page you should have picked up enough about baccarat rules to play a game. 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. If the dealer has 4 then he must draw if your card is a 2-3-4-5-6-7. If the dealer has 5 then he must draw if your card is a 4-5-6-7. If the dealer has 8 then he must stand. If the dealer has 9 then he must stand.
Tips
- The banker hand does carry with it a 5% vig, or commission, bringing the House Edge up to 2%. 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.
- 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. These same probabilities in a baccarat game with six decks are 457% on the banker hand, 443% on the player hand, and 91% on the Tie.
- sometimes casinos will only impose a 4% commission, which brings the House Edge on the banker bet down to only approximately %. If you can get a 4% commission, by all means take advantage of it - and bet on the banker every time.
- Manage your money wisely, without a "system". At the least, set yourself limits on losses and stake amounts.
Baccarat game for United Kingdom players: find tips for baccarat, strategies, terms, top baccarat casinos and other gambling information at Baccarat9 UK
Baccarat Games Gaming Internet | Baccarat Software Casinos Games | Casinos Software Baccarat Game | Casino Gaming Baccarat Game | For Fun Baccarat Software | Gaming Internet Casino Baccarat | Internet Casino Baccarat Table | Online Game Baccarat Online | Baccarat Rules
|