Baccarat Tutorial

Baccarat History

Baccarat is one of the oldest card games in Europe. Due to a lack of documentation, it is possible that the true origins will never be known. A paper published by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, that Theodore Whiting wrote for the Center of Gaming Research states it has Italian origins, though others believe it may have origins in France. Although one thing is for sure Baccarat is one of the oldest casino games in the history of gambling. The game is named Baccarat because one of the main game rules is that all ten-value cards — including queens, kings, and jacks all have a value of 0. It is also used to describe a hand with a total of 10. For instance, if a hand has a 7 and a 3, the total is 10, equal to 0. Thus the hand is called Baccarat.

The game was documented for the first time in the 1400s in Italy and then spread to France. Although the game debuted in 1400, it took more than five hundred years to become mainstream and, in turn, become a premier casino game in Europe. Baccarat was a popular gambling game among royalty in France, and there was more than one version of the game. In the rest of Europe, Chemin de Fer was the most popular, while Punto Banco was the most commonly played version in England. Interestingly enough, the baccarat version that made its way through South America to the United States was the English version of the game.

Over time, only three main versions remained popular: Punto Banco, Chemin de Fer, and Baccarat Banquet. These three Baccarat games follow the same guidelines and basic rules, but they differ in the gaming procedure and the dealing order of the cards. The most commonly played Baccarat version in the United States is Punto Banco, also called Mini Baccarat. When all of the cards are dealt players will only bet on one of the 3 possible outcomes. In US casinos, players will find mini-baccarat tables all over the casino. Mini baccarat has lower betting limits, so they are often found on the regular casino floors.

Of course, with the development of online gambling, Baccarat became one of the greatest online casino games available. Whether players live in the United States or Europe, they can find any version of Baccarat at their favorite casino. Due to its popularity, the game is one of the few that can be found in the Live Casino section of online casinos. Live Casino Baccarat allows players to interact with a live dealer and other players during the gameplay, which adds to the fun and excitement of the online Baccarat experience.

How to Play Baccarat

In this section, we will discuss the gaming procedure of the most popular Baccarat version, which is also the original baccarat version that came from France, Chemin de Fer. There are six decks and are all shuffled together. Players are seated around an oval-shaped table, and any discarded cards are placed in the middle of the table.

The game starts with the player to the dealer’s right and takes a counterclockwise direction. One of the seated players becomes the banker and who deals the cards while the other players become the bettors. The banker’s position is passed in the same direction of the play. The banker will also place a bet and the punters will determine if they want to opt to match the wager of the banker. One of the players will go bank, which means that he will match the wager. If no one chooses to go bank, the player who has placed the highest individual wager will be the one who will speak on behalf of the punters. If the total bets do not match the wager of the banker, other punters who are observing the game will be permitted to place wagers so the total bet can match the banker’s bet.

The banker will then deal two cards to the players and 2 cards to himself. The banker and the player who represents the punters will check and view the cards. If any of the hands have a total of 8 or a 9, they need to declare it. When they do, the hands will be revealed and a comparison will take place. The hand that has the highest total will win.

On the other hand, if none of the hands are equal to 8 or 9, the player will decide if he wants a third card. If he accepts the third card, it will be dealt facing up for everyone to see. Of course, mathematically, players are advised to ask for 1 more card if they have a hand total of between zero and four. They should not ask for another card if the hand total is equal to six or seven.

After the player makes his choice regarding the 3rd card, the banker will have his turn to make the same decision. After both the player and the banker have made their choices, all of the cards will be turned face up and the hand that has the highest total will be declared the winning hand. If the player’s hand wins, punters will get their wagers back plus their winnings and the position of the banker will be passed to the next player. If the banker wins, he or she will continue being the banker and players will lose all of their bets and another round will begin.

Baccarat Rules

Baccarat is considered a “Single Play” game. This means that players will only make one move for each hand, unlike other card games such as Blackjack where players will keep making decisions during gameplay. In Baccarat, players will simply choose one of the 3 available bets and will bet on the banker, the player or a tie; the cards will then be dealt according to a set of rules. Although the 3 different versions of the game have slightly different rules, they all have the same basic guidelines and rules that we are going to discuss in this section.

The purpose of the game is to get a total hand that is closer to 9 than any other player’s hand. Nine is the maximum hand total because whenever a hand total reaches 10, it will equate to zero, making 9 the highest hand. Whenever a hand total goes over 9, it will restart back to zero. Here is an example of how to calculate the hand total:

If the 2 cards forming the hand are 7 and 2, the total is nine; if the 2 cards are a 7 and a 3, then the total is zero; and if 2 cards are 7 and 4, then the total is 1.

The game begins when the dealer deals out 2 cards to the player’s hand and 2 cards to the banker’s hand. It is important to note that the player’s hand is not yours; it is a hand that will be dealt with the square on the table that says “Players.” No matter how many players are seated at the Baccarat table, there is only one “Player” hand dealt on the table.

When the two hands are dealt the comparison will take place — the gaming procedure depends on the hand total of the two hands. If any of the two hands has a hand total of 8 or a 9, the round ends and the winning hand will be paid off. In that case, the hand that has the hand total of 9 will beat the other hand that has any other total.

If none of the hands has a natural hand (hand total of 8 or 9), then more cards will be dealt. These cards are dealt according to the rules and not the decision of each player. According to these rules, the player’s hand will get the card first. If the hand total is equal to a 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, or 5, another card will be dealt with. On the other hand, if the hand total is equal to 6 or 7, the hand will stand.

The hand of the dealer has another set of rules:

• If the hand total is 3 and the player has a hand total between 0 and 7, then the banker will draw.
• If the banker has a hand total of 4 and the player has a hand total of 0 or from 2 to seven, then the banker will draw.
• If the dealer has a total of 6, he will get a card if the player has a total of 6 or 7.

Baccarat is a casino card game that offers players relatively good odds because the game is quite simple and fair. Players will only have three wagering options and each hand is played depending on a fixed set of rules. The rules of Baccarat were carefully constructed in order to create a small but measurable advantage for the house in terms of the two bets, the player, and the banker. All this while creating a huge advantage for the house in the tie bet.

According to complex studies and calculations, it is estimated the banker hand will win approximately 50.68 percent of the times of all of the hands that do not end in a tie and that the player bet will win 49.32 percent of the time. For example, players who place 100 credits worth of wagers on the player hand will expect to lose 50.68 of these credits while winning 49.32. The exact difference between the two is equal to 1.36 percent, which means the house has a 1.36 percent edge against the player’s wager.

If the banker bet does not offer any house advantage, and if it wins more than 50% of the time, then the question is why do casinos offer this game? The fact is, casinos know this and therefor charge a 5% commission on any winnings from the banker bets, thus making up for the advantage.

The betting odds for the banker bets can be calculated like this: If baccarat players wager 100 credits, taking into consideration the five percent commission, players are going to win 0.95 of every 1 credit they wager. If they are expected to win 50.68 percent of the time (multiply 0.95 by 50.68), it means that players will get 48.15. Players are still expected to lose 49.32, so the difference is equal to 1.17 which means that the house has a 1.17 percent advantage.

In any game of baccarat, a tie will occur almost 9.55 percent of the time, which means the real odds of this bet are 9.47 to 1. Dividing 9.55 into one-hundred results in 10.47 while taking into consideration that players will get their original bet back. So instead of winning 10.47, players will end up with only nine. If we divide the difference, 1.47, into 10.47, it shows that the house has an advantage that is equal to 14.4 percent. Although a lot of players might be tempted by the eight to one payout that the tie bet offers, it is unfavorable if it is compared to the player and the banker bets.

After all, is said and done, it is obvious, according to the given odds that the best logical bet. Even after deducting the five percent commission, the banker bet still has the most favorable odds that a game of baccarat has to offer.

Baccarat Strategy

Baccarat is, after all, a card game, so luck has a lot to do with the outcome of the game. There are strategies, tips, and advice but none of them guarantee a player will win. This does not mean that the tips and strategies are not useful, but it does mean that since it is a card game, a win is not 100% guaranteed.

One of the simplest tips is to always put your money on the banker. This is because the house advantage on the banker bet is lower than the other two available bets. Even after calculating the commission out of the winnings, betting on the banker is still the better choice. It has to be noted that such a strategy is only fruitful in the long term and not the short term. Mathematically, and after a large amount of hands, the banker wager will come out on top.

Many players tend to record the outcome of each hand while they are at the Baccarat table to see which hand wins more. This can be quite useful as it gives you an idea on the preferred hand once again, it is not a guarantee. It resembles keeping track of the roulette table outcomes; it will help you decide on the numbers but it can never guarantee a win, as this is the case with Baccarat.

Players will find a lot of online Baccarat systems. These systems guarantee players a win, which is a flat out lie and a total scam. This is because there is no possible way that any system can guarantee you a win. The only people making money out of these systems are the people who are selling them.

One of the most common betting systems is the -/+ progression betting system. Theoretically, this system seems like a good idea. According to this system, you will bet one unit on one of the hands. If you lose, bet two units on the same hand, and so on. This is because, in the long term, you should win sooner or later by placing bets on the same hand and when you win; you will make up for your losses because you kept doubling the bet. This only succeeds in theory because you can hit the table limit, and you can run out of money before you actually win.

The last tip is related to the tie wager. It is a very tempting choice simply because of its pretty generous payout. The reason behind that is not the generosity of the casinos but the fact that it has the highest house advantage, not only in baccarat but in all casino games. The house advantage is equal to 15%. This is why it is recommended to stay away from it since the other two bets, the player, and the banker bets have a house advantage of only 1% only.