Baccarat is the French version of an old Italian card game called baccara.  "Baccara" means zero and in this game all the 10's and Picture cards normally worth 10 are counted as zero.

    The French version of the game was introduced in the 17th century at the time of Louis XIV. For a few decades, gambling was prohibited in France and baccarat was played only in illegal gambling dens.  When gambling was legalized again, baccarat's popularity spread to Great Britain. There, King Edward VII was quite fond of gambling and developed a passion for baccarat.  The game was established in most English casinos and a version of baccarat called chemin de fer remains one of the most popular games there today.

    In the early days, there were two popular French versions of the game: chemin de fer (sometimes called baccara a un tableaux) and baccarat banque (sometimes called baccara a deux tables).  Today, the game is known around the globe by many names, including baccarat punto, puto banco, chemin de fer and baccarat banque.  The actual differences are minor.

DID YOU KNOW...

    The average baccarat table in Las Vegas makes over $2.5 million annually - for the casino.

    Baccarat is a very elegant game with huge wagers, excellent payoff odds and plenty of excitement.  As well, it is relatively easy to learn and play.  Unlike poker and blackjack, players can do little to improve or diminish their odds by using strategies.  All you really need to know before playing the game is how to pronounce the word baccarat (bah-cah-rah, the "t" is silent) and where to place your bets.  In front of each player are three spots marked "banker," .player" and "tie" You must decide on which of these three spots to place your bet.

 OBJECT OF THE GAME

    The object of baccarat is similar to that of blackjack.  The goal is to wager on a hand whose total will be closest to 9.

    While in blackjack, you lose automatically when the number 21 has been exceeded, it is not possible to exceed 9 in baccarat.  Remember, all the cards usually worth 10 are now worth 0. As well, the first digit of a total is dropped when it exceeds 9. For example, if a player is dealt a 9, 5 and 3, the total is 9 + 5 + 3 = 17, but this is immediately reduced to 7 by dropping the first digit.

    In American casinos, the dealer does all the dealing and all the other work.  In European casinos, players have the option of getting involved in the game by dealing the cards.  This has no effect on the outcome, but does add a measure of excitement.
 

SEQUENCE OF PLAY

    In baccarat, up to 12 players can play at the same time.  Casinos have also developed two smaller tables: a "midi" which seats up to nine people and a "mini" which seats up to seven.

    In front of each player are three boxes - each represents options for betting:

Banker Bet here if you expect the banker's total to come closest to 9. Player Bet here if you expect the player to win.
Tie Bet here if you expect both sides will get equal totals.

    After all the bets are placed, the dealer deals out the cards.  He deals first to the player, then to the banker, then another to the player, then a fourth card to the banker.  All of the cards are facedown; the bank's cards are usually kept beneath the shoe.

    After the four cards have been dealt, the dealer passes the two
unexposed cards for the player to whomever has placed the largest bet on the table.  This player, in turn, flips them over and passes them back.  The banker then exposes her cards and the two hands are compared.

    Whichever hand is a natural (totals either 8 or 9) wins, unless there is a tie.  If a player's first two cards total 0 to 5, then another card is drawn for the player's hand.  If the first two cards total 6 or 7, then no more cards are drawn to the player's hand and play goes to the banker.  The banker's hand is always played last.

    If the player's hand did not receive a third card, then the following rules apply: if the banker's first two cards total 5 or less, another card is drawn to her hand; if the banker's first two cards total 6 or more, then the banker's hand must stand.

If the player's hand gets a third card, the following rules apply:

     Fortunately, you do not have to memorize any of this.  The dealer knows exactly what to do when any particular combination is played.  All that is required is that you place your bet with the banker or the player (or for a tie) and watch the game unfold.  The payout is 1 to 1.

 TIPS FOR WINNING AT BACCARAT

1.Your best odds are when you bet with the bank. Statistically, your odds
   are 1.06 percent when you bet with the bank and 1.24 percent when you
   bet with the player.
2. Never bet on a tie.  The odds are 14 to 1 against you
3. Smart players keep an eye open for runs or trends in the play.  Always
     bet for a continuation of the run.
 

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