Baccarat - About

Baccarat is one of the oldest and easiest casino games. It also offers one of the best house edge opportunities with the house edge 1.06% for betting on banker and 1.24% for betting player. Baccarat has a certain amount of glamour associated with it as it is the game James Bond plays in the early Bond movies.

The main difference between Blackjack and Baccarat is that the only decision that a player makes is taken before the hand is dealt. All you have to do is decide which hand you think might win. Players can bet on the side of the banker, the player, or for a tie.

In Baccarat there are two hands dealt in the middle of the table, you do not receive any cards. These hands are called Player, which is dealt first, and Banker which is dealt second. The object of the game is to predict, prior to the deal, which hand will get closest to a points value of 9.

This gives three betting options:
Dealer gets closer point’s value to 9.
Player gets closer point’s value to 9.
Both hands have the same point’s value, a Tie, pays 9 to 1.

Any combination of the above can be wagered on.

Points Values
All picture cards and tens have a value of 0; aces have a value of 1. The rest of the pack count as face value.

Baccarat History
The early history of Baccarat is vague, it is generally believed that it was first invented around the middle ages in France or Italy and Tarot cards were used.

From there it moved and evolved through the centuries. In England the French version of Baccarat called “Chemin de fer” was altered and renamed “European Baccarat”.

From Europe it spread to South America and specifically Cuba, where it was one of the Casino games played in pre Castro casinos.

Baccarat was then introduced to Las Vegas in the late 1950s and evolved into “American Baccarat”.