Baccarat
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About
Baccarat, also known as 'Chemin de Fer', is considered a casino game favorite among many of the world's elite gamblers. It is the game famously played by James Bond in many of those hit movies. It has a very low house edge of about 1%, and can be found in many exclusive casino VIP areas, to which the general public does not have access. Its origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages, first appearing in the royal courts of Europe, making Baccarat one of the oldest known casino games still around today.
Chemin de Fer was first introduced to the US in Las Vegas during the 1950s. Also known as 'European Baccarat', it made its debut in casinos as an exclusive game carrying a high overhead in terms of dealers (three dealers were required) and involving complex rules that required players to take turns in the role of the banker. While it became somewhat popular among wealthy players, the stakes were far too high for the average recreational gambler. Thus, European Baccarat could not compete with Blackjack, Roulette, or the other popular casino table games found on the main casino floor.
This issue was resolved by simplifying the game and making it possible for a single dealer to manage the game. Play was simplified to only require the gambler to place an initial bet on either 'the Player', 'the Bank' or on 'a Tie' and to rely on the dealer to control the rest of the decisions based on strict rules. As a result, it became possible to play more hands and at lower stakes. These changes resulted in the popular hybrid version of Baccarat known as 'Punto Banco'.
To say that this was a success would be an understatement. Punto Banco, also known as 'American Baccarat', is now available in casinos worldwide. The overwhelming majority of casino Baccarat games in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Sweden, Finland, and Macau are Punto Banco Baccarat. About 91% of total income from Macau casinos in 2014 came from Punto Banco. In Punto Banco, the casino banks the game at all times, and commits to playing out both hands according to the fixed drawing rules. Player (punto) and Banker (banco) are simply designations for the two hands dealt out in each coup; two possible outcomes which the bettor can back. 'Player' has no particular association with the gambler, nor 'Banker' with the house.
How To Play
Placing Wagers
There are five places on the table that accept wagers. Tapping on these spots will increase the wagered amount by the default amounts ($5, $10, $25, $50, $100) that are defined in Preferences. A maximum of $500 is allowed for the Baccarat wager for Player, Bank, and Tie. The optional bonus wagers for 'Player Pair' and 'Bank Pair' may not exceed $100. Before the cards are dealt, these spots can be cleared by pressing them and holding for a brief moment.
Starting the Game
To begin, the Player must make a decision upon which hand to wager or to wager that a tie will occur between the Player and the Bank hands. At the Player's discretion, a Tie bet can be made in combination with a wager on the Player or Bank. Obviously, in cases where two wagers are made, only one of those wagers can win. Additionally, optional bonus wagers may be placed on whether or not the two hands will be dealt a pair in the first two cards. After all wagers have been placed, play starts when the Deal button is pressed.
Playing the Game
Baccarat is a comparing card game played between two hands, the Player and the Banker. Each Baccarat coup (round of play) has three possible outcomes: 'Player Wins' (the player hand has the higher score), 'Bank Wins' (the bank hand has the higher score), and Tie (both hands have the same value).
In Baccarat, each card has a point value. Cards 2 through 9 are worth face value. Tens, Jacks, Queens, and Kings are worth zero points and Aces are worth 1 point. Jokers are not used in Baccarat. Hands are valued according to the rightmost digit of the sum of their constituent cards. For example, a hand consisting of 2 and 3 is worth 5 points, but a hand consisting of 6 and 7 is worth 3 points. This is because 3 is the rightmost digit of the cards' total of 13. The highest possible hand value in Baccarat is nine.
Baccarat is dealt from a shoe containing 6 or 8 decks of cards shuffled together. The Riverboat Gambler uses 8 decks, the most common casino configuration. For each coup, two cards are dealt face up to each of the Player and the Bank. If either Player or Banker or both achieve a total of 8 or 9 at this stage (known as obtaining a 'Natural'), the coup is finished and the result is announced: a Player win, a Banker win, or a Tie.
If neither hand has an initial value of eight or nine, strict drawing rules are applied to determine whether the Player should receive a third card. Then, based on the value of any card drawn to the Player, the drawing rules are applied to determine whether the Banker should receive a third card. The coup is then finished, the outcome is announced, and winning bets are paid out.
NOTE: If the hands tie with the same point value, but the Tie wager was not placed, the hand is considered a Push; no payout is received, but the original wager is not lost.
Drawing Rules ‐ Player
If Player has an initial total of 0‐5, he draws a third card. If Player has an initial total of 6 or 7, he stands.
Drawing Rules ‐ Banker
If Player did not draw a card, the banker acts according to the same rule as did the Player. That means that the Banker draws a third card with hands 0‐5 and stands with 6 or 7.
If Player drew a third card, the Banker acts according to the following more complex rules:
- If the banker total is 2 or less, then the banker draws a card, regardless of what the player's third card is.
- If the banker total is 3, then the bank draws a third card unless the player's third card was an 8.
- If the banker total is 4, then the bank draws a third card if the player's third card was 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.
- If the banker total is 5, then the bank draws a third card if the player's third card was 4, 5, 6, or 7.
- If the banker total is 6, then the bank draws a third card if the player's third card was a 6 or 7.
- If the banker total is 7, then the banker stands.
Quick Replay
After the coup ends, a new round using the same wagers can be started by pressing the Deal button. If the same wagers are not desired, play will resume after a wager has been made and the Deal button has been pressed.
sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baccarat_(card_game) & https://casino.bovada.lv/guide/baccarat-history"
Pay Table
Main Baccarat Wager | |
| Player Wager Wins | 1 to 1 |
| Bank Wager Wins* | 1 to 1 |
| Tie Wager Wins | 9 to 1 |
Pair Wagers | |
(Based on Initial Two Cards) | |
| Player Pair | 12 to 1 |
| Banker Total | 12 to 1 |