Baccarat is one of the most popular casino table games which mostly became famous as the favorite table game of James Bond. With the opening of online casinos in the U.S.A. and Canada more people will have access to Baccarat and this article reviews its history and rules.
History
Baccarat is one of the oldest known card games and is believed to have started in the 15th century in Italy and the word Baccarat to be of Italian origin. The game was adopted in France and gained more popularity. Throughout its history, Baccarat has been considered a game of pure chance. In fact, the player’s only involvement in the game begins and ends with his wager. Otherwise, the player never makes a strategic decision and only touches the cards in land-based games if they have the highest wager on the player’s side.
General Rules
Baccarat has a few variations but all of them involve multiple 52 cards decks. All cards between Ace and Nine retain their numerical value while the Ten and the face cards are counted as zero.
Each round begins with the dealer dealing two cards face up to the banker and two cards also face up to the player. The goal of the game is to bet on the hand that will end up closest to nine points.
Note that as a participant, you’ll always have to chose between waging on “the player” or “the banker”. They are not two actual persons but simply the names used to differentiate between the two hands dealt by the dealer and offer two possible choices to bet on.
When the value of the cards exceeds nine points, the first number is dropped. For example if the two cards are Five and Six, the counted points would be 11 but after the first number (“1”) is dropped the value of the hand is one.
The bets are placed before the dealer will start dealing the cards. For this reason, Baccarat is mostly a game of chance. The options for betting include:
- the simple 1:1 bet on who will be closer to nine points: the player or the banker
- the “tie”, when the two hands will be tied in number of points after the cards are dealt. This usually pays up to 9:1
- the “pair”, when the better decide to place a bet on either “the player” or “the banker” will be dealt two cards of the same rank (e.g. two Queens). The payout on this could be up to 11:1.
Depending on the variant of the game, the dealer can continue turning the third card. We’ll explore some of this below. Generally when the banker of the player is dealt a hand with a value of eight or nine points, no more cards are turned anymore.
Whenever the player’s hand is equal to five or less then she can stand or request a third card/ If the player decides to stand, the banker is required to hit on a hand with five point or less.
Variants
Baccarat was known over time under various variants. Below is a list of the most known and the most likely to be met in your visits to an online casino:
- Baccarat Banque /Baccarat à Deux Tableaux
- Chemin de Fer
- Punto Banco
Chemin de Fer
This version requires a minimum six players at the table and the dealer is equipped with a long wooden paddle for moving chips and cards to the far end of the table. This is also the version shown in the James Bond movies. The first player to the right of the dealer is the first banker after which this will rotate in a counter clockwise fashion around the table.
Baccarat Banque / Baccarat à Deux Tableaux
This variant is played with three decks of 52 cards and the banker is allowed to play further while the player position will remain fixed. There are two players, and one banker which is situated between the two players. In this case both sides of the table will play against the banker and not compete against each other.
Punto Banco
This is essentially a game between the player and the banker. A number of 52 cards decks are shuffled together. After the cards are dealt, the dealer will call out the score. When the player stands, the banker can either hit if the hand is five or less or will stand on anything over six.
Online Game
When playing online, most likely you’ll watch live a dealer dealing the cards and calling the score. This gives additional certainty that there is a fair game but keep in mind that Baccarat is a game of chance and not so much of skill. Always make sure you understand the rules and the payouts in advance of placing your bets.