The Basics of Baccarat
Baccarat is one of the most popular casino games worldwide. Its popularity stems from its elegance and James Bond-style gambling glamour, but it also has to do with the fact that it is simple and fast paced. The game is a table card game with only three possible outcomes: a player win, a banker win and a tie.
Baccarat has been around for centuries and it owes its origins to Italy. It then found its way to France and then the UK where it was played in a number of high-class casinos. In the past thirty years or so, the game has become extremely popular in Asia and it generates over 80% of casino profits in Macau alone.
The rules of baccarat are based on the game of baccara in Italy and it has since evolved into what we know today as baccarat. There are a few different variations of the game, including punto banco and chemin de fer, but the basic rules are the same. In baccarat, the dealer and player are dealt two cards each and the hand closest to nine wins. There is no real strategy involved as decisions are mostly made by the dealer and are based on the rules of the game rather than any player choice.
There are between seven and 14 seats for players in a baccarat table and the betting area is blocked off from other players and the rest of the casino floor. Depending on the variation of the game, the Player and Banker hands are dealt from a shoe that contains eight inter-shuffled decks. Picture cards and Tens are worth zero points while numbered cards from 2-9 are worth their face value and the Ace is worth one point. The goal is to get a score as close as possible to 9.
A player or banker bet is placed before the cards are dealt. Then the game takes place in a private room away from other casino activity and the bets are tracked by the dealer in a special commission box. The dealer also collects any lost bets and pays winning player bets. In addition, the dealer will collect a 5% commission from the winning Banker bets.
The game is very easy to play and there are a few important things to remember. Firstly, always bet on the Banker. This is the best bet as it pays off at 8:1 and has the lowest house edge. In contrast, the Tie bet pays 9:1 but has a much higher house edge. This is why it is rarely chosen by serious gamblers. If you want to increase your chances of winning, always bet on the Banker and never try and make a bet on the tie as it will only see you lose money. The reason for this is that the house edge on the Tie bet is a staggering 14.2%. That is why if you are serious about Baccarat, only a crazy, degenerate gambler would bet on the Tie bet!