From sticky-floor California card rooms to the tuxedo-laden casinos of Monaco, Baccarat is one of the most recognizable casino games around. Though it traces its roots back to Italy and France, it reached the United States in the 19th century. Today, the game is a staple in casinos across the country, especially in high-limit gambling areas. While the rules vary slightly, the basic concept is always the same: Bet on the hand, Player or Banker, that will total closest to nine.
Despite its reputation as a grand and elegant game, Baccarat is actually quite simple to play. From seven to 14 players sit around a table, and only two hands are dealt – the Player’s and the Banker’s. Each hand is dealt three cards. Picture cards and Tens count as zero points, while numbered cards count according to their face value. Aces count as one point. If the total of the hand exceeds a double digit, only the second digit is counted. The hand with the highest total wins.
Once the dealer deals the cards, the players must decide if they will bet on the Player or Banker hand. To make a bet, a player places their wager in a betting box on either side of the table. The Player bet is the easiest to understand: You’re wagering that the Player’s hand will have a higher total than the Banker’s. If the bet is successful, it pays out 1:1. A Banker bet, on the other hand, is more complicated. When you place a bet on the Banker hand, you’re betting that the Banker will win. If the bet is successful, it also pays out 1:1, minus a five percent commission that varies by casino.
In addition to the bets, baccarat players can use the game’s unique rules to develop winning strategies. One of the most common is the Martingale strategy, where a player increases their bet size after each loss, with the goal of eventually recouping all previous losses and turning a profit. This method requires a large bankroll and the discipline to stick with it, however.
The game’s popularity is partly due to its prominence in the James Bond movies – Sean Connery as Bond dominated the table in Dr. No, Thunderball, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and GoldenEye. Baccarat is so popular in Macau that the country’s 40 casinos produce more money from the game than Las Vegas Strip casinos do from blackjack and slots combined. Baccarat is a great option for casino goers who want to try something new and exciting. It’s also an excellent choice for people who don’t enjoy the tuxedo-clad pageantry of other casino games like blackjack and roulette. Baccarat can be played on a regular casino floor with much lower minimum bets than other high-limit tables. In fact, many casinos have even shifted away from the traditional European style of a double table and moved Baccarat onto a single table that looks a lot more like blackjack.