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Baccarat History
The present form of Baccarat can be
traced back to Italy. More
recently, a lot of US casinos have offered “Mini Baccarat”.
How to Play Baccarat
A bet
on the Player pays even money. A bet on the Banker pays even money
minus a 5% house commission. Aces count as One and Two
through Nine are counted at face value. A Tie at any point
in the game ends the hand and pays Tie bets. The Player’s hand is dealt to first, and only if the current value
is 5 or less. There are many debates pertaining to the history of baccarat, particularly where the game was invented: France or Italy. 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. It was later on introduced in France around 1490 A. The interesting bit to observe of course is that the casino is taking no risk here; they simply charge a fee from each
banker. 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. There exists quite a diversity today, especially so since it has made its way onto the world wide web. 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. Lacking the formality and large group of players, mini-baccarat is played fast and is a good place to learn how to
play.
Baccarat Rules
Baccarat, pronounced "Bah-Caw-Rah", is probably one of the easiest and uncomplicated
table games there is. The most important thing you need to know is whether
you are betting on the Player, on the Bank or on Tie. 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. 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". 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. Much like blackjack, two
hands are played - a dealer and a player hand pitted
against each other. 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. After the players
turn, and depending on both the outcome of the players
hand and its own, the dealer hand will either draw a
third additional card or stand. Two components of the game need clearing up at this
point. One factor is how hand values are tabulated. 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. 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. Player shows a 6, 7, 8, or 9
(8 and 9 win)
Player Hand must Stand. After the dealer has finished drawing,
the hands are added up and a winner is declared. 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 maximum number of cards in a baccarat hand is three,,
- If the banker or the player has an eight (natural eight) or a nine (natural nine) on the first two cards dealt, no further cards are
drawn,,
- The player always draws when the hand is a five or less, unless the banker has a natural, and stands on a six and
seven,,
- the banker always stands if the player stands on a six or a seven
. There are two hands dealt regardless of how many players there are: the banker's hand and the player's hand. 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. Baccarat rules state that winning banker bets are subject to a 5% house commission. 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. 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. If the dealer has 2 then he must draw. If the dealer has 6 then he must draw if your card is a 6-7. If the dealer has 7 then he must stand. Once all the hands are dealt it is closest to 9 that wins.
Tips
- The banker hand does carry with it a 5% vig, or commission, bringing the House Edge up to 2%. When the wager is counter-weighed by the player hand, the edge lowers to more near the 1% mark. As for the tie wager, it should be out of the question since it gives a casino advantage of nearly 15%.
- 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. 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.
- 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 %.
- Manage your money wisely, without a "system". 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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