Baccarat
Baccarat is one of those games with a very low house edge and that requires no strategy. In fact, playing it is as simple as betting heads or tails in a toss coin.
A game of baccarat begins with players betting on the side of “banker”, “player” or a tie. When all best have been made, the dealer gives each player and the banker two cards. The score of a hand is the right digit of the total value of the cards. If, for example, you get a card of 7 and 8, the total is 15 while the score is 5.
Even though it is played with a deck of 52 cards, the cards in whatever combination will always lead to scores from 0 to 9.
Baccarat is always played with eight card decks. Cards that are less then 10 are worth their face value, while aces are worth 1, and tens, jacks, queens and kings are worth 0.
A player or the banker may or may not be dealt a third card depending on these rules:
- If the player or banker has a total of 8 or 9, they both stand.
- If player’s total is 5 or less, the player hits, otherwise player stands.
- If player stands, banker hits on a total of 5 or less.
There is the big table baccarat and there is the mini baccarat.
Big table baccarat is played in a cordoned area inside the casino, with players usually dressing to impress. Minimum bets are often high. A regular baccarat table is about equal to the size of a craps table. At any given time, three casino dealers and 12 or 14 players are at the table.
A player and the dealer can bet on either the player or the banker. Customarily, the dealer bets on the banker.
Players take turns in dealing the cards, although a player can pass up dealing duty. A player will keep on dealing as long as the banker’s side keeps on winning.
When all the players have been dealt their cards, each card set is turned face up as a casino dealer announces the totals.
Depending on the totals, the banker may instruct the person who is distributing the cards to deal a third card. Thereafter, the banker will pay the players with the winning cards, and collect the money on those with losing cards, out of the banker’s tray.
In mini baccarat, the same rules in big table baccarat apply, only that it is dealt from a six-deck shoe.
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