Baccarat is one of the simplest and easiest casino games. In the late 1950’s, the game of baccarat reached the shores of the United States of America and introduced in Dunes Casino -one of the famous casinos in USA. It was touted as a combination of European card game and “Chemin de Fer” and was an immediate hit among casino aficionados.
Baccarat (as pronounced bah-kah-rah) does have a couple of things in common with blackjack. Baccarat, which was in the past a game of the rich and famous, a game that took part in films as James Bond, were the game starts with 8 decks of cards and you place bets before dealing of every new hand.
Originated in France, baccarat is an equally popular casino game among the casino enthusiasts. And since online casino offers it, more and more casino lovers visit and play baccarat. Bettors may wager on the “banker”, the “player” or the “tie”. Despite what appears obvious, the banker in this scenario is not the dealer and you are not the player. These are merely positions to which cards are dealt.
First of, there are 3 bets in a game of baccarat banker hand, a player hand, and a tie. The “banker” holds the shoe and deals the cards to all the players.
In any baccarat game, a hand initially consists of 2 cards. A third card may be drawn or not, depending on the initial hand results. The drawing of third card is always subject to the conditions of each baccarat variations.
The “players” turn over the cards and the croupier calls the cards. You need to “bet” on whichever hand you feel will win the game before dealing the cards. If the banker’s hand wins, he retains the title and if the player’s hand wins, the “shoe” passes to the player from the banker. You can also pass on the shoe if you like.
In Baccarat, the highest possible score is 9; if a player gets a score of 10 it is equal to 0. If for instance you have 2 cards, a seven and a nine, you do not have a score of sixteen (as the sum of the two cards), but a six (if ten is equal to zero, and you minus the ten from sixteen, you get a six). An ace is counted as one, and the picture cards are considered zero. The cards with numbers retain their value.
All bets become void in case of a tie unless any player has bet on a tie, which is a very rare occurrence. You need to stand if your score is six or seven and hit if your card score is less than four.
Baccarat Card Values
First is the card point value system. All Aces in baccarat have a point value of 1. All J, Q, K, and 10 have a point value equal to zero. The rest of the cards have face value.
The rules in baccarat specifies that the banker and player wager receive even money. However, all winning banker’s bets have to pay a charge of 5%. In case of a tie, the pay out is eight times the bet amount.
In terms of house edge, it varies depending on the position upon which you bet. A baccarat player position generally carries a 1.24% house edge; banker position stands at 1.06%; tie position is highest at an average 14%.