Baccarat History

The present form of Baccarat can be traced back to Italy. The game was introduced to the French Court in the 15th century and became the favorite game among French nobility.

How to Play Baccarat

There are three bets available: The Player’s hand, the Banker’s hand, or a Tie. A bet on the Player pays even money. A bet on the Banker pays even money minus a 5% house commission. If neither hand is 9 a hand with a total of 8 is a Natural winner. If the Player did draw a third card, the Banker follows the rules at right. There are many debates pertaining to the history of baccarat, particularly where the game was invented: France or Italy. It's difficult to trace back the origins of this game mainly because slight variations of it name are used in both countries, each wanting to claim it as theirs. 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. There exists quite a diversity today, especially so since it has made its way onto the world wide web. 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. The layout, conforms to the regular baccarat table and each of the seven seat positions correspond to a number and betting box with spots for banker, player, and tie.

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 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 baccarat game is now ready to play. Once the bank looses it moves on to the next player. Before the cards are dealt each baccarat player has to make his bet. 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. Much like blackjack, two hands are played - a dealer and a player hand pitted against each other. 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. Two components of the game need clearing up at this point. a baccarat hand will never exceed three cards total. All cards numbered 2 through 9 are worth their numeric value. All other cards (tens and picture cards) are worth zero points. In order to calculate a hand total, simply add the value of the two cards. 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. After the dealer has finished drawing, the hands are added up and a winner is declared. If the players cards total 15, 10 is subtracted and the value of the hand becomes 5. There are two hands dealt regardless of how many players there are: the banker's hand and the player's hand. Both the banker and the player are dealt two cards, and depending on the value of the hand, might be dealt a third in either case. This is of course because there is more of a chance for a banker win. The advantage is slim, in the area 0,,8%, but in the world of gambling that's really not that small. So from reading this page you should have picked up enough about baccarat rules to play a game. 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. Dealers normally wear tuxedos and the surrounding are is quite lavish. The game of baccarat is unlike most casino games as the is no level of skill involved the reason for this is that neither the player or dealer has any options or decisions to make during the course of the game. 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. All picture cards count as 10 and aces count as 1. If your score is below 6 then you must hit and receive a third card, if you receive a third card then the dealer takes another depending on your total. If the dealer has 8 then he must stand.

Tips

- Depending on the number of decks being played, the casino advantage for the player hand wager is generally 15%, whereas on the banker hand it is only 16%. 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.
- Many online casinos will offer different versions of baccarat, such as a one deck version, and a 6 or 8 deck version with higher minimum betting amounts. For an eight deck game, the casino advantage on the banker hand is 16%, whereas it is 15% in a six deck game. For the player and tie hands in an eight deck game, the edge is slightly better in the eight deck games.
- On the banker bet, the casino charges a vig, or commission to counter the players advantage. If you can get a 4% commission, by all means take advantage of it - and bet on the banker every time.
- 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. As for other bankroll management strategies, a good one is posted on this website.

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