Baccarat, also called Punto
Banco, is played on a table much like the Craps
game. It is set up in a seperate area of the casino, and has up to 14
players, and three dealers. Baccarat originated in Italy, around 1490
A.D.
Some researchers have traced
the origin back to a middle age game called Tarrochi, and it was played
with Tarot cards. Baccarat was played in high aristocratic class, and
is still considered elegant and sophisticated to this day.
The bets are made on either
the Punto (player), or Banco (bank). Sometimes there is also the Standoff
bet, but it is rarely done. The dealing is mostly done by the players,
who take turns, or by the casino dealer. When the cards are dealt, the
players make their bets on either the Punto or the Banco. The player
dealing usually bets on Banco.
The player doesn't have to deal
the cards. He can opt out, and pass the shoe to the next person playing.
The shoe is a box, usually wooden, that contains the cards and dispenses
them for dealing. The shoe stays with the player if the Banco wins.
If the Punto wins, it is passed on to the next player.
Screenshot
of a typical Baccarat Table at 7 Sultans Casino
You place your bet on either
of the two hands dealt, that one will win, or it will be a tie. It's
similar to Roulette, when betting
on black or red. There is a difference between the Punto bet and Banco
bet. If the Banco bet wins, it will cost that player 5% comission. The
reason for this, is that it has been proven that the odds for the Banco
to win are greater than the Punto.
Your hand has at least two,
but no more than three cards. The dealer puts two cards face down, under
the shoe. Then two more cards are given to the player who bet the highest
on the Punto. These cards are also face down. The player betting Punto
takes a look at the cards, and then hands them back to the dealer. The
dealer then flips both hands over, and a casino dealer gives the results
as to who wins.
If one of the two hands dealt
equal 8 or 9, no more cards are dealt, and it is called "natural". Depending
on the amount of each hand, if it does not total 8 or 9, the dealer
will decide if there should be another card dealt. After all the dealing
is done, the hand with the highest total wins. The casino dealer will
collect on the losing bets, then payout to the winners. The player that
dealt the hand does not pay out or collect the losing bets, as he is
a regular player.
You can play Baccarat with either
6 or 8 deck shoes. Face cards and tens have no point value. Single digit
cards are played at face value. Aces count as 1 point. If your cards
reach the double digit values, the left digit is dropped. So if you
have 15, it would only be counted as 5.
