Baccarat

Baccarat has been known as a rich man’s game since the early 1400’s when it was introduced to France centuries ago. It wasn’t until the early 19th century that Baccarat made its way around the world to land in the United States. The popularity of the game wasn’t greatly accepted in America in the beginning like it was with other countries around the world. That would eventually change in the 1950’s when more players began to play it more and more in the early land-based casinos. In today’s industry, Baccarat is among one of the most popular games played within the casinos and with the evolution of internet gambling and online casinos, Baccarat has reached an all-time high.

There are 3 versions of Baccarat that are and have been played throughout the world. Chemin De Fer, Baccarat Banque, and Punto Banco (American Baccarat). Chemin De Fer and Baccarat Banque were the earliest versions that were played, while Punto Banco was the adopted version preferred by American casino players. Each variation has its own unique rules that vary between each version. Baccarat also has a low house advantage and is one of the top reasons the game is so popular throughout the gambling industry.

In Baccarat, cards 2-9 are worth face value, 10s and face cards (J, Q, and K) are worth zero, and Aces are worth 1 point. Players compute their score by taking the sum of all cards and then the tens digit is ignored. For example, a hand consisting of a 2 and a 6, it is worth 8 (2 + 6 = 8). A hand consisting of 8 and 8, it is worth 8 (8 + 8 = 16 = 6) – the first digit is dropped because the total is higher than 10. A hand consisting of 3 and 7 is worth zero, or Baccarat (3 + 7 = 10 = 0). The name “Baccarat” is unusual in that the game is named after the worst hand, worth 0. The highest score that can be achieved is 9 (from a 4 and 5, 10 and 9, or an Ace and 8, etc).

Basic Rules of Baccarat is pretty easy to understand. The game battles 2 hands against each other, the Player’s hand and the Banker’s hand. The object of the game is to bet correctly on either that the “player” will get closest to “9”, the Banker will get closest to “9”, or the result will end in a tie between the player and banker. One key rule to the game to remember is that just because you bet the “Player”, does mean you are actually the Player. The player is just the opposing hand to the banker. When betting on Baccarat, you bet on the “Player”, “Banker”, or “a tie”. Two cards are then dealt to the player and the banker and depending on what those two cards are, the player or banker may draw a third card. If either the player and/or the banker has a total of 8 or 9, they both stand and the game is over. If not, the rules on what hands get an additional 3rd card are already pre-determined.

The 1st hand to act is the Player’s hand. The rules for the “Player” are as follows:

#1. If the player is dealt a hand with a point value of 6 or higher, the player stands (for instance a 4 and a 2, or a 3 and a 6, or a king and a 7, etc).

#2. If the player is dealt a hand with a hand value of 5 or lower the player draws one additional card.

Once the player’s hand is finished, the banker is next to play his cards. The rules are a little more complicated with the banker, but not difficult to understand. Here are the rules for the Banker.

#1. If the player stands, the banker hits on a total of 5 or less.

#2. If the banker has a total of 8 or 9, he stands no matter what.

The player closest to 9 at the end wins. If you bet on the player and the player wins, your payout is 2 to 1 on your bet. If you bet on the banker and the banker wins, your payout is 2 to 1 minus a 5% bank commission. If you bet on the tie and both the player’s hand and the banker’s hand have equal totals, your payoff is 9 to 1. Once you understand the rules, Baccarat is a pretty easy game to play and enjoy.