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Baccarat History

Although it has always been a popular game in European and Latin American casinos, it never caught on as strongly as Blackjack in US casinos. 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.

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 Banker pays even money minus a 5% house commission. Aces count as One and Two through Nine are counted at face value. If either hand dealt is a total of 9, it is called a “Natural” and automatically wins. Natural hands always immediately win or Tie (although a 9 beats an 8). It was later on introduced in France around 1490 A. Chemin de fer is very similar to baccarat as it's played in American casinos today. 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 basis of this game is very similar, but the rules and payoffs are much less dramatic. The Baccarat we know today originated in Great Britain and was then passed along to South America and finally to Nevada. It is played by the exact same rules, but lacks the accoutrements of the formal version. The table is staffed by only one dealer who is responsible for handling the cards. 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

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. Once the bank looses it moves on to the next player. The player with the bank deals two sets of two cards, if of course the game is played by two players. 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. When there is a Tie and you did not bet on it nobody looses or wins. This is not only the case with single card values but with the result of two cards combined. Unlike in Black Jack it is impossible to overdraw in Baccarat. 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 is said and done, the hand with a point total closes to nine wins. The game begins with players placing bets. The hand closest to a total value of nine wins. Please note that both hands are allowed a maximum of one card draw. If this sum goes over ten, subtract ten and you will have the final value. (7 + 4 = 11 - 10 = 1) A hand that has drawn and composed of three cards is calculated in the same fashion. If both hands have an 8 or 9, the game is deemed a tie, in which all Tie Bets win. Player shows a 6, 7, 8, or 9 (8 and 9 win) Player Hand must Stand. Banker shows a 4 Banker Hand must Draw if player's draw card is a 0, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 Banker Hand must Stand if player's draw card is a 0, 1, 8 or 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. The task for you as a player is to bet on the banker's hand, the player's hand, or a draw, which means that the two hands are tied. (In online baccarat cards are always face up) A 9 value wins over any lesser total, and if neither player has a 9 then 8 wins over any lesser total. 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. With a total of 6 or less, his selection depends on the value of his two card total and the value of the card that the player drew. 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. 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. All picture cards count as 10 and aces count as 1. 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 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%. in the long run, a player should be making more bets on the banker than on the player.
- 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. For an eight deck game, the casino advantage on the banker hand is 16%, whereas it is 15% in a six deck game.
- Play Baccarat at Casinos with the lowest commission possible. Usually this commission is 5%, which returns a House Edge of approximately 15%.
- 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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