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Baccarat


ONE OF THE BEST CASINOS FOR TABLE GAMES	OUR REVIEW

1. HOW TO PLAY BACCARAT

Baccarat is a very simple game to play with no decisions made after a bet is placed. There are three bets available: The Player’s hand, the Banker’s hand, or a Tie. The winning hand is the hand that holds two or three cards totaling closest to nine. A bet on the Player pays even money. A bet on the Banker pays even money minus a 5% house commission. A bet on a Tie pays 8 to 1.

All Tens and face cards have a value of 0. Aces count as One and Two through Nine are counted at face value.


1	FACE VALUE	0

In the classic game of Baccarat the deal rotates among the players. Even though the player dealing is acting as the Banker, he is not obligated to bet on the Banker’s hand. In Mini Baccarat a casino dealer handles the deal. After players make their bets the dealer deals a two-card hand to the Banker and Player. A Tie at any point in the game ends the hand and pays Tie bets. If either hand dealt is a total of 9, it is called a “Natural” and automatically wins. 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).

If neither hand is an 8 or a 9 and there is no Tie additional cards may be dealt according to a standard set of rules. The Player’s hand is dealt to first, and only if the current value is 5 or less [top right].

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. If the Player did draw a third card, the Banker follows the rules at right.

PLAYER’S 2-CARD HAND RULES
Total	Outcome
6–9	Stands
0–5	Draws 3rd card

BANKER’S 2-CARD HAND RULES (IF THE PLAYER HAS DRAWN A CARD)
Total	Outcome
7–9	Stands
0–6	Banker draws when:
6	Player has 6 or 7
5	Player has 4–7
4	Player has 2–7
3	Player has 0–7 or 9
0–2	Player has anything

SUCKER BET
Baccarat Tie Bet. This bet has a House Advantage of 15.75% in a single deck game and doesn’t get much better in multi-deck games.

» SUCKER BETS

OTHER RESOURCES AT WORK THE ODDS
BEST BETS	SUCKER BETS	LUCK VS SKILL	GLOSSARY

2. TIPS FOR BACCARAT PLAYERS

Although many US players are intimidated by Baccarat because of its perceived exclusivity, it is a simple game of luck that is one of the easiest casino games to play. With the introduction of Mini Baccarat, the stakes have been lowered to allow the casual gambler with a lower budget access to the game. Following are the house advantages on Baccarat bets for a single deck game.

BANKER’S HAND
1.01%

PLAYER’S HAND
1.29%

TIE
15.75%

A bet on the Banker’s hand in Baccarat has one of the lowest house advantages in the casino and qualifies for a Work the Odds Best Bet.

HISTORY

The present form of Baccarat can be traced back to Italy. The game was introduced to the French Court in the 15th century and became the favorite game among French nobility. Although it has always been a popular game in European and Latin American casinos, it never caught on as strongly as Blackjack in US casinos. 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. Targeted towards high rollers, Baccarat tables used to be exclusive territory with roped off access and dealers dressed in tuxedos. More recently, a lot of US casinos have offered “Mini Baccarat”. Mini Baccarat has the same rules as Baccarat but has lower stakes and is played on a standard Blackjack shaped table.


ONE OF THE BEST CASINOS FOR TABLE GAMES	OUR REVIEW