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Baccarat History

The present form of Baccarat can be traced back to Italy. 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

A bet on a Tie pays 8 to 1. Aces count as One and Two through Nine are counted at face value. If neither hand is 9 a hand with a total of 8 is a Natural winner. Natural hands always immediately win or Tie (although a 9 beats an 8). After the Player’s hand is complete, the Banker’s hand is dealt out according to the following set of rules: If the Player did not draw a third card, then the Banker only draws a card to a hand of 4 or less. And remained an exclusive game to the French nobility for some time before becoming a casino game. Eventually, baccarat evolved into European baccarat and the French game 'chemin de fer'. 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 has kept it's elegant trait and is still one of the most appealing games to the well situated individuals in our society. Baccarat has a history overseas too, which is evidenced by its popularity among the Asian population who visit Las Vegas each year. The highest of the high rollers often come from overseas to try their hand under the chandeliers of the stylish Vegas baccarat rooms. A number of casinos have installed a smaller version of the baccarat game played on standard blackjack-sized gaming tables.

Baccarat Rules

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. 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". At the beginning of the new game the shoe or the bank is given to the player on the right of the dealer. When nobody has a natural additional cards are drawn to determine the baccarat winner. You can bet on a Tie where you get a one to eight payoff but a Tie is very rare, it occurs less than once in ten hands. When there is a Tie and you did not bet on it nobody looses or wins. Unlike in Black Jack it is impossible to overdraw in Baccarat. 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 all bets are made, which cannot be added to or retracted once play begins, the House will deal four face-down cards - two cards each to both the player and banker (House) After the cards are finished being dealt, they are revealed and tabulated. Depending on hand outcomes, the player hand will either draw a third card or stand. The hand closest to a total value of nine wins. If both hands are the same, the game is deemed a tie. Please note that both hands are allowed a maximum of one card draw. If one hand is an 8 and the other is a 9, the 9 wins. Player shows a 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 or 0 Player Hand must Draw. Once the player hand is finished and standing, the bank hand will determine whether it must draw a third card. Banker shows a 3 Banker Hand must Draw if player's draw card is a 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 Banker Hand must Stand if player's draw card is an 8. 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. Both the banker and the player are dealt two cards, and depending on the value of the hand, might be dealt a third in either case. If the player or banker has a two card total of 8 or 9, he/she turns the cards over immediately. The player stands on a total of 6 or 7, but if the player has a total of 5 or less he/she must draw one card (face up) Now it is the bankers turn. So from reading this page you should have picked up enough about baccarat rules to play a game. It may still be a good idea to try it online first, and within minutes you'll feel comfortable enough to play anywhere. There aren't many rules, and the baccarat rules that do exist are fairly simple, they just differ from other games you may have played at the casino, so may take a little getting used to. 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 hand is greater than 10 then 10 is subtracted from the total, this means that the value of the hand is always 0-9. Player and dealer are both dealt two cards to start with, if either of them has a two card total of 8 or 9 then they must immediately turn over the cards. 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 either you or the dealer has a 6 or 7 then you must stand if you stand on a 6 or 7 then the dealer must hit on a score of less than 5. If the dealer has 1 then he must draw. If the dealer has 3 then he must draw if your card is a 0-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-9.

Tips

- The banker hand does carry with it a 5% vig, or commission, bringing the House Edge up to 2%. This tip is not to say that a player should never bet on the player hand, for sometimes a hunch can be the best thing going for a gambler. When more 4's are leaving the deck, the banker bet has slightly better odds, whereas when 6's leave the deck, the player bet has a slightly better chance of winning than it does from the start of a fresh deck.
- Play Baccarat Games with the fewest decks. 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. 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.
- Usually this commission is 5%, which returns a House Edge of approximately 15%. Any informed player would see that this bet is one of the best in the casino.
- Manage your money wisely, without a "system". Whatever you decide to follow, be sure you plan ahead of time.

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