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Baccarat History

The game was introduced to the French Court in the 15th century and became the favorite game among French nobility. More recently, a lot of US casinos have offered “Mini Baccarat”.

How to Play Baccarat

Baccarat is a very simple game to play with no decisions made after a bet is placed. A bet on the Player pays even money. A bet on a Tie pays 8 to 1. All Tens and face cards have a value of 0. If either hand dealt is a total of 9, it is called a “Natural” and automatically wins. 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. It was later on introduced in France around 1490 A. D. 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. If an eight or a nine was thrown, she would become the priestess; if she threw a six or seven, she would be banned from any further religious activities; if she threw any number less than six, she would walk into the sea. 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 limits are lower and usually range from a $2 to $5 minimum, up to $500 maximum.

Baccarat Rules

The only thing you are betting against is the cards. So never mind what the other players bet on or how much they bet. Baccarat is played with eight decks of cards without Jokers. The baccarat game is now ready to play. When nobody has a natural additional cards are drawn to determine the baccarat winner. When there is a Tie and you did not bet on it nobody looses or wins. At first the value of the cards might seem a little odd, but it's really simple to understand. 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. 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. Depending on hand outcomes, the player hand will either draw a third card or stand. A hand of seven and four has a value of 1. (7 + 4 = 11 - 10 = 1) A hand that has drawn and composed of three cards is calculated in the same fashion. 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. If both hands have an 8 or 9, the game is deemed a tie, in which all Tie Bets win. 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. Banker shows a 7, 8 or 9 (8 and 9 win) Banker Hand must Stand. 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). 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. 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 7, he stands. This is of course because there is more of a chance for a banker win. 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. 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 2 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 8 then he must stand. Once all the hands are dealt it is closest to 9 that wins.

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%. 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.
- 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. A slight difference of only one hundredth of a percent shows, which is apparent when looking at the House Edge. Although this difference is so negligible that most players do not advise picking one version of baccarat over the other, it is advisable to take all the advantage one can possibly take.
- On the banker bet, the casino charges a vig, or commission to counter the players advantage. 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. 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.

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