Official Baccarat Rules

James Bond's drink was a martini shaken, not stirred. And his card game was Baccarat . Now, whether you like martinis or not, you have to admit the man had an impeccable taste in cards. Not only does this ancient game have an aristocratic air to it, it's also got the best odds of any game in the casino.

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The game we now call Baccarat has been played since the Middle Ages in Europe , and resembles the French game Chemin de Fur . However, as it's Italian name suggests, this version came to the United States from Italy in the late 1950s.

Baccarat is the simplest of card games for the player, as the dealer does all the work; yet it remains a mystery to most people. So let's go beyond the velvet ropes and discover why Baccarat is where the smart money gambles.

 

How It's Played

Baccarat is played with 1-6 decks of 52 cards. The goal of the game is simple. Create a 2 or 3 card hand with a value that is closer to 9 than the banker's hand. You needn't even play yourself; if there is another player at the table, you can bet on their hand, or the banker's hand. Let's take a look at the values of the cards.

 

Baccarat Card Values

1. The Ace counts as 1.
2. The Ten, Jack, Queen, and King count as zero.
3. Numbered cards (2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9) count as their face value.
4. If the value of your cards is greater than 10, you subtract 10. For example, a 7-9 hand is worth 6 points (7+9=16-10=6)

 

Each player at the table will make a wager; betting either that they will win, or that the banker will win, or that the game will be a tie. Remember, you don't even need any cards to play; you can just sit at the table and bet on the banker or another player, if you like.

The dealer, known as the banker, will then deal each player, and themselves, 2 cards. The results of these two cards will determine whether you stand (stay with your cards) or hit (draw a third card.)

 

Player's 2-Card Total:
0,1,2,3,4,5 – Hit
9,8,7,6 – Stand

 

Banker's 2-Card Total:
0,1,2 – Hit
3 - Hits if player's third card is 0-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-9 (not 8.)
4 - Hits if player's third card is 2-3-4-5-6-7
5 - Hits if player's third card is 4-5-6-7
6 - Hits if player's third card is 6-7
7 - Stand

 

After the final cards are dealt, the side with the total closest to 9 wins

Sound a bit complicated? Don't worry, the dealer will total all the points, so you really don't need to worry about it. Instead, let's think about which way we want to bet this game.

Some people believe that Baccarat is strictly a game of luck and that no strategy is involved. Not so.

There are 3 bets you can make in Baccarat . The first is for the player to win, the second is that there will be a tie, and the third is for the bank to win.

Let's look at each one in turn. The best odds of the player winning are fixed at 44.62% making this a negative expectation game because the winning wagers are paid 1-to-1. For example, if you had $100 and made 100 one-dollar bets for the player, you would win between 44-45 bets. So, at the end of your session, you would have lost about $10-$12.

This is still much better odds than blackjack or roulette, for example, but it's still a negative expectation.

Now let's look at the tie bet. There is a 9.53% chance of a tie, but this bet is paid at only 8-to-1 – also a negative expectation. Again, if we bet that same $100, we would expect to win 9-10 tie wagers, which equate to a loss of $10-$19 at the end of our session.

The third option would be to bet the banker to win, which pays 1-to-1, minus a 5% house commission. The odds of the banker winning are 54.15%, so betting our $100 dollars again, we would win 54 bets, for a total expectation of $108 before the commission. If we take off the house commission ($54 x 5%) we end up with $105 at the end of our session, making this a positive expectation bet, one of the only ones in the casino.

If you can find a casino offering a lower commission, that will increase your profits.

 

Summary:

Well, now you know the basics of Baccarat , and you have the key to the winning strategy – always bet the banker. That means even if you're the only player at the table, you bet the house to win, because the odds are with you. Now, where's that waitress with your martini?

 

 

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