Whether you’ve visited sticky-floor California card rooms or the tuxedo-laden casinos of Monaco, chances are you’ve seen Baccarat played. This elegant casino game combines simplicity with sophisticated style, and it’s one of the few casino games where it’s possible to win large sums of money by simply betting on a hand to be the best.
The rules of Baccarat are relatively simple, though some players may find the rules concerning the drawing of a third card confusing. While these decisions are covered by the game rules, it’s always a good idea to understand these decisions in advance in order to make better wagering decisions.
Once all the bets are placed, the dealer deals two cards to the Player and Banker boxes. A third card may then be drawn if the Banker’s total is seven or higher, or if either the Player or the Banker’s total is eight. A winning hand is whichever one comes closest to nine, with the goal of achieving this score by dealing a card that has the first digit equal to the number being counted (for example, an 8 and a 6 would be scored as five). The tens, jacks, queens, and kings count as zero; aces count as 1.
After all the cards are dealt, the players place their wagers on whether the Player or Banker will win. If you correctly bet on a winning Player hand, your wager will be paid out at a ratio of 1:1. If you bet on a winning Banker hand, the house will charge a 5% commission which lowers the payout odds to 8-to-1. A winning Tie bet pays out at 8-to-1 as well.
Baccarat’s most famous designs are its tableware, especially the 1867 ‘Jusivy’ set made for the Exposition Universelle in Paris. This glassware was prized for its prismatic lustre, which causes it to reflect a range of colours depending on the angle at which the glass is held against light. Baccarat also designed one of the most popular wine glasses of the 19th Century – the short-stemmed Harcourt glass, commissioned in 1841 by Louis-Philippe of France.
Baccarat tables can be found at all major gambling establishments, from the tuxedo-laden tables of Monte Carlo to the high-limit areas of Las Vegas and Macau. Whether you’re looking to try your luck in one of these baccarat tables or just want to learn the game, there are some key things that you should keep in mind. These six baccarat tips will help you get started and improve your game.
