Baccarat: a casino card game with three phases and a bit of history

Before explaining this Baccarat game dating back to the 15th century, let’s review a little history. Americans first saw this casino game during the 1962 James Bond movie Dr. No, when Bond, played by Sean Connery, was winning at a Monte Carlo casino. The game was Railway.

Phase I – Rail

In this original version, players bet on each other and won or lost with their own money. A dealer shoe rotated around the table counterclockwise after each hand. Players can reject the bench and pass the shoe to the next player. A 5% commission on winning bank hands paid to the house was to cover the casino’s overhead.

Phase II – Punto Banco

Punto Banco, which means player, banker, was introduced to Nevada from Cuba in the late 1950s, where it was very popular until Castro closed the casinos run by the mob. The main difference with the French version is that the house deposits the game. FOR tie bet was added to increase the house edge, and the 5% house commission for a winning bank bet remains in place. Eventually the name baccarat, Italian for zero, It was coined. Today, baccarat is played in high-limit rooms around the world where millions are won and lost every day.

Phase III – Mini-Baccarat

Eventually, gambling establishments saw profit potential with Baccarat, however they had to make it attractive to the average player. Thus, a new version was born, Mini-Baccarat.The rules of this game are exactly the same as Bank Point Except a house dealer controls the game for up to seven players. Table minimums are as low as $ 5 or $ 10. Numerous optional side bets have been added to increase the house edge.

How to play baccarat

The object of baccarat is to get the player as close to the number 9 as possible. Aces count as one, 2 – 9’s are face value, and 10 – K’s count as zero.

Regardless of the number of players, the dealer only deals two hands from a six- or eight-deck shoe. Before the deal, players must place a bet on the dealer’s hand, the player’s hand, or the tie. The croupiers pass the shoe so that the players have the option of dealing the cards. In Mini-Baccarat, the shoe remains in place and the dealer controls all of the action.

When a hand is added, it cannot exceed 9. If the two cards add up to more than 9, the first digit is removed. The second digit becomes the total. Ex: 7.8 = 15. (the 1 is eliminated) total = 5.

Baccarat does not require skill to play. All the player needs to do is place a bet before the deal. The dealer examines both hands to determine if a third and final card should be drawn. The determination is made according to a fixed set of rules of the game. Are here:

Rules of the game for player bets

The player’s position is always based on a 0, 1 and 2, 3, 4, 5, unless the dealer has an 8 or 9. The player always stands on 6, 7, 8 and 9. When the bet of game has a natural value of 8 or 9, it’s game over.

Rules of the game for bank bets

The banker’s position is always based on a 0, 1, and 2 unless the player has an 8 or 9. The dealer always stops at 7, 8, and 9. When a banker has a natural 8 or 9, the game ends.

Strategy

No game strategy is required. Always bet on the bank that has the lowest house edge at 1.06%, even with the 5% commission owed to the house. A player bet has a house edge of 1.24%, while the tie bet that pays 8 to 1 has a huge house edge of 14%. This bet is not recommended. Several optional side bets on the mini tables have house odds of 2-13%. They are not recommended.

Good luck!

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