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Baccarat is a game for everybody, not just the high rollers!
Baccarat has often been considered a game for high rollers game, with a degree of prestige and exclusiveness. For those unfamiliar with the game, it can be somewhat intimidating to participate with large crowds gathered around a table, especially when not completely understanding the nuances of baccarat. In addition, when it appears that you may need some sort of social status to join in, it can be very off putting.
Today, however, the high roller status could not be much further than the truth. With the growth of the gaming industry in Asia, baccarat has become one of the most popular games to be played! The simplicity and “feng shui” aspect of the game, makes baccarat a favorite for Asians. The rise in popularity has spread across the world. Baccarat is a simple game for all Players, it’s easy to master because there is no skill involved (although some may think differently). And most importantly the house odds are great for Players in comparison to other table games.
Often you will see many Players around the baccarat table, a testament to the fun factor! Their behavior may seem a little odd at first. Often at times you will hear people screaming at the top of their lungs, or you will see a Player bending a pair of cards that are face down on the table appearing taking a sneak peak then suddenly flipping them over so that everyone can see!
So what makes baccarat such a simple and great game? We delve into How to play the game, strategies, the history and much much more.
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Gaming rules of Baccarat
Traditionally baccarat is played on a table which can hold up to 12 to 14 individual Players. Often found in casino limiting rooms.
The shoe containing eight decks of such cards revolves round the table, giving each of its Players the opportunity to act as a “dealer”. Cards 2 to 9 are valued as face value. Aces are valued at one point and picture cards at zero. Players would have to place their bets on either the ” banker”, ” player” or the “tie”.
The person marked out as the dealer shares two cards to himself, the banker and two other cards to the person also marked out as the Player (usually the individual who has bet the most cash on the Player part).
A hands score is given as the right digit of the sum of the two cards, while the left digit is cancelled. So this makes for example, a 5 and 6 scoring as one, a pair of 5 scoring as zero and so on and so forth. The score would always have to range from zero to 9, with 9 as the highest possible score.
After the deal is made, the Player stands and is dealt a hand with a score of 8 or 9 ( being a natural). The Player would also have to stand if his dealt a 6 or 7 card. If not, the Player would have to draw a third card. When such a Player does not have a natural, the banker would have to hit on totals of 0 to 2. If the Player stands, the Banker would have to hit on 5 or less. If the Player gives a hit, the Banker would have to act according to the rules of the game, to determine whether he hits or stands.
A player’s hand with a larger score wins the game. Betting on a banker pays 19-20 or a 0.95-1, tie pays 8-1, betting on player pays even money, while bets on banker and player would have to push in the occurrence of a tie.
Baccarat in the United states, is mostly played at traditional casinos as opposed to those on native american land. The limitations of table gaming on native American land is attributed to the Indian Regulatory Gaming Act which prescribes gambling as three classes, Class I, Class II and Class III. Class III which includes baccarat is usually banned or restricted.
In low-end casinos, a simple and small baccarat is usually offered, with the dealer handling all cards and thus speeding up the pace of the game. The rules remain the same.
Baccarat Strategies
1-3-2-4 strategy: The 1-3-2-4 system entails a player would have to place one unit in the first round, three units in the second, two units in the third, so on and so forth. The hint of this strategy is to keep following it as long as you still flow in the winning side of the game. Once you notice you begin to lose, you’ll have to start all over again in the beginning of the bet order, which is one unit, thereby starting all over again. Even if you keep on winning the four round in the system, you’ll still have to stick to the sequential rounds In the system. If this strategy is rightly applied, you’ll minimize your losses. And if you’re most lucky, you might have the chance to increase winning in all rounds of the game.
Watch your bets: Being that since the odds between the Banker and the Player is 50-50, it’s important that a Player would have to keep track of the games history, in other to analyze present trends.
Start safe by placing low bets. For example, you lose a few bets on the Banker to win, then you’ll have to place a more higher bid in the next round to therefore increase your chances of winning back your former losses.
Go with the trend: This principle is that you shouldn’t change your bets simply because a Player has been winning so many times in a row, that you begin to think that it must be the bankers time to win. You make your move, only when you see that the game has begun to have a change, then you’ll have to also change your strategy and place your bet on the other alternative. This strategy is really good in combination with the 1-3-2-4 strategy.
Have a trust with your instincts: Well baccarat isn’t good enough when you use mathematical patterns. This is one of the reasons it’s most interesting. Often, those who win baccarat are Players who follow their instincts and do have fun while playing the game. Always develop your baccarat basic strategy.
Have an incline to call it quits: You don’t always have to be a loser in baccarat, all you have to do is to know when to stop playing. With this inclination of yours, you can be able to gather as much profit back home. If you’re the type that plays for a long period of time, you’ll most likely lose than winning at the end. This is the reason why you’ll have to make a plan of how much you’ll want to bet with and also be ready to quit when you’ve made enough gain.
Online Baccarat
Playing online baccarat is just as fun as playing at a traditional brick and mortar casino. In fact, the bonus of playing online is that you don’t have to put up with the constant passive smoking, the yelling and screaming of excitable Players, the slow play of superstitious Players.
To play online baccarat games, the rules are very similar if not the same as the real money casino game. You hold two cards (or three cards) depending on the outcome of drawing the cards, and the cards closest to 9 is the hand that is the winner. Similarly, if the Banker and Player hands hold the same value a “tie” is produced and paid out accordingly, this is exactly the same rules as the land based baccarat.
Don’t forget the online baccarat bonuses!
Online baccarat bonuses should also form part of your gaming strategy. There are many online baccarat casino sites, that offer real money gaming experience, with the real money bonus for being a new Player (Sign Up Bonus).
A pure online baccarat gaming provider differs from a live dealer in that you are playing against a program. These online baccarat programs are required to be certified by third parties to ensure that RNG (Random Generated Numbers) is coded accordingly. Therefore when looking to sign up to an online baccarat provider look for the third party certification of:
- eCOGRA
- International Gambling Council (IGC)
- Gaming Laboratories International (GLI)
- iTechLabs
Live Dealer Baccarat
If you are looking for something with a human touch but also with the luxury of playing online, that look for a live dealer baccarat provider. Here you will be able to play baccarat from the comfort of your home, but still see and interact with a live dealer. You can even chat with other Players online and be rewarded with sign up bonuses.
The beauty of playing with a live dealer is that you can be assured that the cards being dealt are truly random. If you have any doubt about online baccarat then live baccarat is the way to go for you.
Origins of Baccarat
The game of baccarat can be traced to more than 500 years ago in medieval Italy. For over a century, the game of baccarat was known as a card game of the nobles. But only recently with the advent of technology in the 21st century, has the game of baccarat been made to all people, through online casinos.
This card game was created in the 1400s in Italy by a man named Falguierein. He had called it ” baccara” (Italian for zero). This is because all the picture cards were valued at zero. It is a folktale, that the game of baccara is based on the Etruscan legend of a virgin who had to throw a 9 sided dice. The outcome determined the virgin’s fate.
Over the years baccarat has transformed to what it is today. Historically the cards were dealt by four dealers, each player having the opportunity to be a banker or player and place bets against other players. The players even had the ability to play against the house too. In contrast, today’s baccarat we have only one dealer, and bets are placed either against the Bank or Player.
From the origins of Italy, barracat became a game played in France, in which it was called chemin de fer. Chemin de get was a favorite of king Charles VIII and all his noble kinsmen. Over time, it became very popular among the French nobility. Baccarat then quickly became popular across the channel to England. It was there that such a notable author of James Bond, Ian Fleming had learnt how to play baccarat and had included it in his fictional character in his James Bond books.
Soon the game of baccarat was introduced across the Atlantic ocean to South America and the Caribbean countries. In Cuba baccarat was named Punto Banco; this type of baccarat became renowned as the American type of baccarat. The changes made were this, the players played against the house and not against each opponent. The casinos were also introduced to act as cash banks, thereby changing the rights of individual players to be cash banks.
In the 1990s, the advent of technology brought on online casinos. Having the advantage of low bet minimums and convenience. Online baccarat gained popularity among all people of the world.
Currently, although the historical significance of baccarat has largely been forgotten, the modern day baccarat has boomed in the Chinese markets and other Asian countries. (Just think Macau!)
Asians have always loved the features of baccarat. It’s appeal is largely due to the systemics of the game, from shuffling, cutting and placing the cards in a shoe. This involvement, albeit very little, gives the player the power of luck, the power of feng shui to determine the outcome of the game.
It could be seen that the fate of players at a baccarat table is determined by how a fresh deck of cards is shuffled. Mistakes can interpreted as bad feng shui or luck, particularly when losses are experienced.
Most baccarat games in the western societies are international, especially in the United States. There can be found little localized or domestic baccarat play in these westernized societies. Such individuals in these countries would rather want to play a game that gives them the opportunity to make decisions in their minds and on their hands. Without further more to say, Asians are where the real money and game of baccarat is.
Frequently Asked Questions
Baccarat is a very simple game to learn and that’s because the action is basic and straightforward. The language used when playing this game is also easy to learn. Although made in medieval Italy, the game gained popularity in France, and also across the globe. There are three main types:
Punto Banco
Chemmy
Banquet
The American type of game is wholly based on luck, being that the player makes or takes no action in the game. While the other two types, the player would have to take an action by bringing skill and technique to the game.
The American type of baccarat is by far the most popular of all the baccarat type of games, even online.
The game of baccarat entails that a Player can make a bet on whether the banker wins, the player wins or a tie can be between both of them. When the bets have been places, the dealer would have to face up two cards for both the Player and the Banker. These cards would then be placed a value each, based on the card ranks.
If certain values are claimed by either the Banker or Player the hand would have to be over. If otherwise, then more cards will be dealt based on such values of both hands. The hand with the much higher value wins and all other important players will be given a win based on their initial bets. The banker and player bets pay out at even money and a tie bet is paid out at 9 to 1 or 8 to 1, all depending on the rules of the casino.
A shoe in the game of baccarat is used to deal in cards and it contains either 6 or 8 decks, which have all been shuffled before time. In the American type of game (Punto Banco) high stakes are played, a large table used with 3 dealers. One of them manages the game, while the other two takes the commission, controlling bets and winnings.
Baccarat is a very simple game and you don’t have to know all the rules because the dealer controls all the action. Picking up the game in your own time is simple. Make a bet on either the player or banker and take note of such action. Let me break it down here for you:
1. Begin with bets and cards dealt: After all bets are made at the table, the dealer gives both the banker and player two cards each to begin in the game.
2. Baccarat Hand rank: In the Small or mini kind of baccarat they’re dealt on face up. Then from the two cards, a hand value is therefore determined. Zero and face cards have a value of zero, while Aces are worth one point and the rest of the cards are worth their actual rank values. 0 is the lowest score a rank has, while 9 is the highest. If either an 8 or 9 is dealt for starters, it is known as natural and the hand is quickly over. When the hand value goes above 9, therefore the second digit of the hand would be used. So this makes a hand with a rank value of 15, will have to be a score of 5 in baccarat.
3. Hands comparing: Whichever hands have the highest value would have to win the hand. Both dealers and the players would have to be evenly paid. While the losing hand bets would have to be removed from the house.
4. A Tie: If the hands peradventure is a tie, then only those who had a bet on the tie bet would have to win. This would be paid 8 to 1 or 9 to 1, depending on the rules of the house. Bets by a player and bank by a tie hand will have to be pushed and can remain in place for the next hand or claimed.
There are three different types of baccarat and we have Punto Banco, Chemin de fer ( Chemmy), Banque. Punto Banco or the American type of baccarat is most popular and usually played in small casinos. The full game would have to be played in high stakes places, being that it would have to involve more dealers and a broader table. This kind of baccarat would need bets of thousands of dollars per hand.
Then we have the online baccarat which offers players extra bets and large jackpots. Such types of the game have a higher house edge and seduces such players in the hopes of winning the large cash prize. Then if you are playing with the intent of having a low house edge, then you should avoid such jackpot baccarat games but if you’re playing for the fun of it, then you’ll have to play the jackpot baccarat game, as they are quite dynamic and gives such a player an amazing time of fun.
There is also what I call “the private seating baccarat”. This type has a central dealer and computer terminal in a stadium style. The players would first of all make each of their bets on the computer terminal and proceed with the actions shown on the television screen, which shows the dealer and cards. This is sort of like the small or mini baccarat at a table but the difference lies on the private space and you can also play without interacting with other players of the game. To top it all up, you can play at low stakes, which is very good for newbies.
The Banker bet is made on the Banker to win the hand, while the player bet is done, so as the player wins the hand. And the Tie bet is for the hopes of either the Banker and Player score will be equal at the end of the hand.
The best bet to make in baccarat is the banker bet and the worst to make is the Tie bet. The Tie bet should be avoided due to its high house edge compared to the payout you’ll have to receive. The odds of a Tie happening is 9.55, in comparison to the best possible cash you can get of 9 to 1.
So as described above, it is now a fact that you don’t claim very good odds in the long run, when you hit a Tie compared to the simple payouts, which could be worsened, only if the casino you’re playing with only pays out at 8 to 1.
Oh yes! You can. You can win outright in just a single session of baccarat, only if you choose to quit at the right time. But when staying too long, it would be hard for such a person to win this game.
The casino could offer a good strategy that can keep you winning even in the long run when playing, then please you’ll have to ignore such. Is a business and such casino would only want to make money as their principle. No strategy will work in the long run or an extensive period and it would certainly not change the house edge.
All that being said, you can still be a big winner playing baccarat if you are most fortunate with the hands that are dealt and play skillfully. The game is quite easy and fun to play. You can either choose the right table or play online from your house, all being very exciting and entertaining.
Yes. Many Players would have to keep track of former hands and their values so as to determine bet decisions for the following hand. Well this can be completely delusional in explanation, although each hand is completely different from former hands.
The cards in baccarat do not have an impact in the game with such high level of variance as is done most times in blackjack. Just by counting your cards most times won’t work at all and there’s no strategy that’ll allow the player to claim a lower house edge in such respects.
When at a baccarat table, you’ll often see players being dealt their cards face down, irrespective of Player or Banker in the hand. They’ll just give a sneak peek and bend the cards of the game fully to see what they’ve got before giving it a turn. All this is just for the show and to spice the game up. To sum it all up, baccarat is very fun game where the Players at the table have the ability to touch the cards! Not many games at a casino offer this. This makes betting not only fun to play but to also watch.
To make the game more fun, Players have begun trends such as bending the cards to increase the excitement towards what they’ve been dealt.
When playing baccarat, it isn’t a must to bend the cards as some players do and even some casinos do frown against it, especially if it’s a low stakes game. Baccarat is a game for everyone!
Appendix
- 7 reasons to play online baccarat
- What are the odds of winning in Baccarat?
- Is online baccarat beatable?
- Wikipedia: All about Baccarat