Baccarat

    Baccarat is probably most famous for being the game that James Bond 007 plays while in Monte Carlo. Its a game in which the dealer plays all the cards for you. Which leaves you with only 1 thing to worry about, and that is how to bet. The game is a relaxing and enjoyable one where, it makes no difference what or how the others bet because it will have no affect on your bet. Also the house advantage in this game is among the lowest you will find. Which means that you can be a winner more often than at almost any other game.

    The object of the game is to wager on who you think will come closer to a total count of 9. You can place a bet on either the banker, the player, or a tie. The dealer or croupier will deal 2 cards to each hand, banker and player. The point totals of the hands determine if a third card is dealt, again this is taken care of by the croupier. He will use the following to determine point values of the hands. A Ace is counted as 1 all Face cards ( kings, queens, and jacks ) and 10's have no point value. All other cards ( 2 through 9 ) count as their face value.

    To total up the value of the hands just add the value of each card. If the hand value goes over 10, such as a 9 plus 9 then just drop the first digit. Which would give you a value in this case of 8. example:  9 plus 9 = 18, drop the first digit leaving a value of 8. But again you dont have to worry about that because the dealer will figure all this for you.

    To play the dealer will deal 2 cards to each hand. He then will check to see if there is a immediate winner. If either the player or the banker have a hand that totals 8 or 9 then that is a natural and the hand wins.  A natural hand of 8 is refered to as a Le Petit natural while a hand of 9 is refered to as a Le Grande natural. If both the banker and the player have a natural hand one with a 8 and one with a 9 the 9 or Le Grande natural wins. If both have a natural hand of equal value the game ends in a tie. If neither hand has a natural then the hands are played according to the following.

Rules for Completing Players Hand:                                                

 When the players hand draws a third card the bankers hand is played according to the following chart:                                                    

     Baccarat rules state that the players hand is always plated out first, giving the banker hand a slight edge. As a result the bankers hand will win about 50.7 % of the time. the players hand wins about 49.3% of the time, so betting the banker gives you a 1.4% edge except that the house will take 5% of all winnings from a win on a banker bet. So actually there is a 1.17% edge on all banker bets and a 1.36% edge over all player bet when you include the ties. Ties pay 8:1 and the odds of a hand ending in a tie are actually 10:1.                    

    That covers the basics for baccarat. The game is one of the easiest to play, all you have to worry about is who to bet. The odds are among the best in a casino, giving you a good chance to win. If playing in a real casino look for mini-baccarat tables. You will find they have lower table limits and are smaller in size. Also some casinos impose a dress code on full scale baccarat and will only allow those dressed for the part to play. Where mini-baccarat is much less formal allowing casual wear.