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How to Play Winning Baccarat
Index:
House Edge (Betfair Zero Baccarat)
Introduction:
Baccarat or Punto Banco as it is known in some Casinos originated in Italy during the middle ages. Baccarat is derived from the Italian word for zero. The Casino game of Baccarat originated in England and spread to South America. It was introduced into the USA after the closure of the Cuban Casinos in 1950.
Table Layout:
Click for Full Size Image of Table
The big version of the game can be very intimidating. It is a game that attracts high rollers and it is not unusual to see thousands being bet on the outcome of a single hand. However if you can afford the minimum bet (usually $100), it is a simple game that provides you with a good chance of winning in the Casino. It is this reason that attracts the high rollers to this uncomplicated game.
Object of Game:
Baccarat is a game with only three possible bets. Banker, Player and Tie. The odds for Banker or Player winning are almost 50-50. The deciding factor is luck.
The Baccarat table is oblong with seven numbered positions on each side of the table. Sometimes the number 13 is skipped so the numbers reach 15. At each numbered position there are three bets, Banker, Player and Tie. B-A-N-K-E-R and P-L-A-Y-E-R are spelled out on each side of the table in the corresponding areas. The position for Tie bets is generally above the Banker and Player bets. Three dealers work the table at all times. Two dealers stand behind the chip rack and pay or take the players’ bets on each side of the table. A croupier, sometimes referred to as the “Caller”, stands on the opposite side of the table and makes the calls on the hands, directing the players on the procedures of the game. Baccarat is the only game where the player actually deals the cards.
Before starting the game, the dealers shuffle the six or eight decks of cards together and place them in a covered shoe. Even the shuffling procedure is elegant. After shuffling the cards the croupier will ask one of the players to cut the deck. They will hand the cut card to a player of their choice. After the cut the dealer will count at least seven cards and insert the cut card above it. This gives a final hand once the cut card is drawn from the shoe. After placing the cards in the shoe the dealer takes the first card and turns it face up. Cards are then burnt (discarded) according to the value of this card. Example: Ten cards for picture card or Five cards if card is a Five.
The player at the lowest numbered position is then given the opportunity to deal the cards. After bets have been completed the croupier will tell the player dealing to deal the cards. The first card is the first Player card. The second card is the first Banker card. The third card is the second Player card and the fourth card is the second Banker card. The Rules of Play then determine whether a third card can be taken. The croupier will instruct the dealer to deal the third if it is needed. The winner is the hand closest to nine. If the Banker wins the same player deals again. If Player wins the shoe passes to the next player. The dealer is not responsible for settling the winning bets. The dealer only deals the cards.
Players need not accept the shoe to act as the dealer. You can pass the shoe, but you must make a bet if you want to deal. You can bet Banker or Player if you are dealing. Other players might comment if you bet on Player, but the rules are predetermined and the cards are already in the shoe, so it does not make a difference what side you bet on when you deal the cards.
Some Casinos don’t allow the players to deal the cards. Instead the person betting the highest amount on Player and Banker is allowed to handle the cards after the dealer has dealt them. In this version cards can be folded or bent, but not torn. The rest of the Rules of Play remain the same.
The only other bet in Baccarat is a Tie. It is a side wager that is usually placed along with a Banker or Player bet. A Tie occurs when both hands end up with the same total (See Above). Neither Banker nor Player bets lose and the Casino pay for the bets that were placed on the Tie for that hand only. Tie bets normally pay 8 to 1. If Player or Banker wins all bets placed on Tie are lost. The odds might sound impressive, but this bet favours the house to such an extent that it is considered a Bad bet. Some Casinos offer odds of 9 to 1 on a Tie bet, but it is still a Bad bet.
Winning Player bets are paid at even money. Because there is a slightly better chance of Banker winning a 5% commission is payable on all winning Banker bets. This is normally paid on payout of the winning bet. You will see that each player has a stack of change (smaller value chips) in front of them. On paying a winning Banker bet, the croupier will take the 5% commission before paying the winnings. Some tables have a box marked C in front of each player for the change. If no change is available, the croupier will pay the winning bet in smaller value chips and place them in the change box. Leave them there, they will be used as commission for future winning Banker bets.
Hand Values:
All cards, Ace through 9, are valued according to their count. Tens and face cards count as zero. Thus if the first two cards dealt are a King and a 9, the count is 9. When any two cards total over 10, 10 must be subtracted to get the card count. Thus if the first two cards are 8’s, the card count is 6 (8+8=16-10=6)
In the above Example Banker has a Two, a King and an Ace = 2+10+1 = 13 = 3. Player has a Five, a Nine and an Ace = 5+9+1 = 15 = 5
In the above Example Banker has an Ace and a Four = 1+4 = 5. Player has an Eight, a Three and a Jack = 8+3+10 = 21 = 1
Rules of Play:
The following Rules apply at most Casinos. Printed copies of the rules are available wherever Baccarat or Punto Banco is played. Check for variations.
| Baccarat Player Rules | |
| When First Two Cards Total | Player Action |
| 1-2-3-4-5-10 | Draws a Card |
| 6-7 | Stands - No Card |
| 8-9 | Natural - No Card |
Dealers act according to these rules. The croupier will call and ask the dealer for another card if it is needed. The dealer and the rest of the players have no input into whether another card is needed or not.
The highest total any Baccarat hand can have is Nine. A two-card total of Nine (See Above) is called a Natural and can't lose. A two-card total of Eight is the second best hand and can only be beaten by a Nine. It's also called a Natural.
The Player hand always stands on a two-card total of 6,7,8 or 9. It always draws on a two-card total of 1,2,3,4,5 or 10 (0), unless the Banker hand has a two-card total of 8 or 9 (Natural).
| Baccarat Banker Rules | ||
| 2 Cards Total | Draws when Player 3rd card | Stands when Player 3rd card |
| 0 | Unless Player Natural 8 or 9 | |
| 1 | Unless Player Natural 8 or 9 | |
| 2 | Unless Player Natural 8 or 9 | |
| 3 | 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-9-10 | 8 |
| 4 | 2-3-4-5-6-7 | 1-8-9-10 |
| 5 | 4-5-6-7 | 1-2-3-8-9-10 |
| 6 | 6-7 | 1-2-3-4-5-8-9-10 |
| 7 | Always Stands - No Card | |
| 8 | Natural - No Card | |
| 9 | Natural - No Card | |
The Banker hand always stands on a two-card count of 7, 8 or 9. It always draws on a two-card count of 1,2 or 10 (0) unless Player hand has a two-card count of 8 or 9 (Natural). On all other counts the Player hands’ third card determines whether the Banker hand draws another card or not. See the table above for the applicable rules.
The rules might seem confusing at first, but a player need not worry about the rules. The croupier will tell the dealer whether another card is required or not. The only decision a player needs to make is whether to play Player or Banker. After this decision the game is played according to the rules.
After the final cards are dealt the count of the Banker hand and the Player hand are compared. The hand closest to nine wins the hand. In the event of both hands having the same count a Tie is declared. All bets on Banker and Player remain and the bets on the Tie bet are paid at odds of 8-1. If the Banker hand wins all bets on Tie and Player are collected by the croupier. The bets on Banker are paid at odds of 1-1 minus 5% commission. If the Player hand wins all bets on Tie and Banker are collected by the croupier. The bets on Player are paid at odds of 1-1. No commission is payable on a winning Player bet.
House Edge:
| House Edge For Baccarat Bets: | |||
| 8 Deck Games: | |||
| Bets | Combinations | Probability of Winning | House Edge |
| Banker | 2292252566437890 | 45.8597% | -1.24% |
| Banker -5% | 2292252566437890 | 45.8597% | 1.06% |
| Banker -4% | 2292252566437890 | 45.8597% | 0.60% |
| Banker -2.75% | 2292252566437890 | 45.8597% | 0.026% |
| Player | 2230518282592250 | 44.6247% | 1.23% |
| Tie - 8/1 | 475627426473216 | 9.5156% | 14.3596% |
| Tie - 9/1 | 475627426473216 | 9.5156% | 4.57% |
Above is calculated for Casinos using 8 Decks. Using Less decks lowers the House Edge for Banker Bets, But Increases House Edge for Player and Tie Bets.
If you compare the House Edge with other Casino games, you will understand why Baccarat attracts the high rollers at the Casino. Don’t be intimidated by the atmosphere that surrounds the game. For a reasonable amount you can also experience the game of the rich. Feel what it feels like to be treated like a king and with careful planning you have a good chance of winning regularly at the Casino.
An Interesting Change to the Rules Occur With Betfair - Zero Baccarat. It pays the Banker -2.75%, lowering the House Edge to 0.026%. However Player is still paid at 1/1 (1.23% House Edge) and the Tie Bet at 8/1 (14.3596% House Edge) You will only benefit from this Rule change if you play Banker
You can play Betfair - Zero Baccarat. For Free if you want to try it first. Just click on the Banner Below and select Play for Fun option after registering
Baccarat Superstitions:
Baccarat like all Casino games have created many superstitions. None of them have any Factual value. The following are a few of the more popular ones.
- The number 8 seat is a lucky seat
- Check the amount of cards that are burnt. An even number will result in more Banker hands in the shoe and vice versa
- A Tie result will be followed by the hand opposite to the one winning before the Tie bet.
- A long run of Player (or Banker) wins will be followed by a single Banker (or Player) win, before returning to Player (or Banker).
- One winning Tie bet is followed by another winning Tie bet
Although these superstitions have no factual base it’s a good idea to be aware of them. Gamblers are by nature very superstitious and saying or doing the “wrong” thing can upset the other players and create unnecessary arguments.
Betting Strategies:
Although the House Edge for Banker and Player bets in Baccarat are amongst the lowest in the Casino, it still takes careful planning to win regularly. As noted before the odds for the two bets winning are almost 50/50. Banker bets have a slight advantage. Please note that it doesn’t guarantee winning. The odds of winning are just better if you use these statistics to your advantage.
Another reason why people lose at the Casino is unrealistic winning expectations. All Casinos operate on greed. They know that once people start winning, they find it difficult to resist the temptation to win more and more money. Remember that the longer you play a game, the bigger the chance gets of you losing eventually
The most important thing to realize with Baccarat is that you are not required to bet on each turn. The only time that you must make a bet is when you want to deal. If you don’t want to bet when it is your turn to deal, pass the shoe to the next player. Don’t feel obliged to place a bet
Be careful not to be tempted into increasing your bet after a few consecutive wins. Another fatal mistake is to increase your bets when you are losing. Don’t be tempted to do this, more often than not you will end up losing your money quicker. Rather consider cutting your losses and try again on another day.
Don’t be tempted to bet against a streak. The odds of a Player hand winning after ten consecutive Banker hand wins is still only 44.62%
There are no systems that can guarantee winning. By using the information available you can improve your chances of winning, but winning still depends on luck
Statistically a shoe should have more Banker bets than Player Bets winning, but remember that this is only true over millions of hands. In a run of 50 hands it is very common to find a lot more than 25 Player hands winning. Don’t be tempted to start playing Banker bets and increasing your bets when you have a long run of Player hands.
Most “Guaranteed Winning” Baccarat systems that are sold rely on the Martingale System of doubling after every loss. As I’ve discussed earlier this is doomed to failure in the long run.
Keeping Record of the Shoe:
When playing Baccarat you will always see people keeping record of the shoe. They mistakenly believe that by looking at past hands they can predict the next hand. If you want to keep record of the shoe, the following method is the most popular way of doing it.
4 Banker wins followed by a Tie followed by 1 Banker and then 3 Players, 1 Banker, 2 Players, 1 Banker, 3 Players, 4 Bankers and finally a Tie would look like this.
| O | X | O | X | O | X | O |
| O | X | X | X | O | ||
| O | X | X | O | |||
| O | O | |||||
| / | / | |||||
| O |
O = Banker
X = Player
/ = Tie
Mini Baccarat:
As we’ve seen, Baccarat has been considered the game of the rich. When it was introduced into Las Vegas, Casino managers tried to maintain that aura, and succeeded beyond their wildest imaginations. High rollers from around the world today visit Las Vegas to experience the game in its most luxurious settings.
Other Casinos saw the success with the high rollers and tried to interest the rank and file gambler in Baccarat in order to expand its appeal. In order to put it within reach of most gamblers, the mini version of the game was invented. It is essentially the same as the big game, but played on a blackjack-sized table. All the accounterments have also been stripped away.
The table seats seven to nine players. Each player has three betting spots, Banker, Player and Tie bets. A single dealer conducts the game. The players do not handle the cards in the mini version of the game. The dealer draws the cards according to the same Rules of Play as in the big game. Winning Banker bets are charged the same 5% commission and the House Edge remains exactly the same.
The only major difference between the mini version and the big version is the speed of the game. At the large game, only two, maybe three, hands can be dealt per minute. At mini-baccarat, five, sometimes six, hands can be dealt per minute. As the tempo of the game increases, the house gets more shots at your money. Even though the House Edge doesn't change, if there are more decisions per hour, you’re going to lose at a faster pace. The minimum bet in mini-baccarat is lower and you’ll lose less than at a larger table.
Mini-Baccarat is a good way to learn how to play Baccarat without losing more than you'd like. It's also a good game for anyone who wants to play a simple game that requires little player input.
But bear in mind that for all the similarities with the big game, Mini-Baccarat is not Baccarat. The trappings, elegance and appeal of the big game are worth spending the extra time and investing the money. You’ll get the attention normally reserved for the high rollers, and feel like one, as well.
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