|
Baccarat History
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. Mini
Baccarat has the same rules as Baccarat but has lower stakes and is
played on a standard Blackjack shaped table.
How to Play Baccarat
There are three bets available: The
Player’s hand, the Banker’s hand, or a Tie. A bet on the Banker pays even money
minus a 5% house commission. A bet on a Tie pays 8 to 1. Even though the player dealing is acting as the Banker, he is not
obligated to bet on the Banker’s hand. If either hand dealt is
a total of 9, it is called a “Natural” and automatically wins. 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. Chemin de fer is very similar to
baccarat as it's played in American casinos today. 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 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. The highest of the high rollers often come from overseas to try their hand under the chandeliers of the stylish Vegas baccarat rooms. The limits are lower and usually range from a $2 to $5 minimum, up to $500 maximum.
Baccarat Rules
Baccarat, pronounced "Bah-Caw-Rah", is probably one of the easiest and uncomplicated
table games there is. So never
mind what the other players bet on or how much they bet. Baccarat is played with eight decks of cards without Jokers. 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. At the beginning of the new game the shoe or the bank is given to the
player on the right of the dealer. In Baccarat you always have to keep in mind
that the fist digit in a two-digit number does not count. So if you draw an eight in baccarat and a three, for
instance, the value of both together would be eleven but since the first
digit does not count your hand counts only one. 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. 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. If both hands are
the same, the game is deemed a tie. Please note that both hands are allowed a maximum of one
card draw. In order to calculate a hand
total, simply add the value of the two cards. (7 + 4 = 11 - 10 = 1) A hand that has drawn
and composed of three cards is calculated in the same
fashion. If one hand is an 8 and the
other is a 9, the 9 wins. Player shows a 6, 7, 8, or 9
(8 and 9 win)
Player Hand must Stand. Once the player hand is finished and
standing, the bank hand will determine whether it must
draw a third card. The player's objective is to get a hand that is closer to 9 in value than the banker's. 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. 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 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. 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. 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. 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. Player and dealer are both dealt two cards to start with, if either of them has a two card total of 8 or 9 then they must immediately turn over the cards. 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 7 then he must stand.
Tips
- When the wager is counter-weighed by the player hand, the edge lowers to more near the 1% mark. 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.
- 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. A baccarat game using eight decks will deliver a probability of 456% of winning on the bank hand, 442% of winning on the player hand, and 92% of winning on a Tie. 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.
- Usually this commission is 5%, which returns a House Edge of approximately 15%. 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. If you want to take your chances, then by all means use a system - just know when to quit.
Baccarat game for United Kingdom players: find tips for baccarat, strategies, terms, top baccarat casinos and other gambling information at Baccarat9 UK
Baccarat Casino Online Bonus | Baccarat Internet Game Internet | Casinos Gaming Baccarat | Casinos Online Baccarat Casino | For Fun Baccarat Game | Games Baccarat Card | Internet Games Baccarat Games | Online Gambling Baccarat Table | Optimal Gambling
|