Baccarat is one of the most popular card games that can be found in most casinos throughout the world. It is also the type of gambling that is known to attract high stakes players, prompting many casinos to create separate baccarat gambling areas for their high volume gamblers. Because it is one of the simplest games in the casino and offers only three results for a given hand (“banker”, “player”, and “tie”), many novice players like to try their hand at this game before stepping up to other games in the casino.
History
Baccarat is said to have been invented by a prominent Italian gambler named Felix Falguieren during the middle ages. At its earliest and most infantile stage, the game was played with a deck of tarot cards and it was representative of the nine gods that were worshipped during that time.
Over the course of time, much about the game has changed. Following the experimental play in the middle ages, it was introduced in France during the 1400s. That is when Baccarat really became to develop as a popular card game. The French knew it as a game of nobility, as only the highest in French society knew how to play. From there, more people learned the nuances of Baccarat and it evolved into a popular casino pastime.
Rules and Variations
In Baccarat, there are three accepted variations of the game. North American baccarat is most common today and is the game played in the majority of American casinos. Baccarat is large dependent upon hand value. For that purpose, cards 2-9 in the deck are worth their face value. Face cards (king, queen, jack) are worth zero points. Aces are actually worth only one point. Players calculate the overall value of their hand by adding the total of their cards. If their score exceeds nine, then the first digit is dropped. As such, a hand of 6 and 7 would combine to make a score of 3, since the tens digit would be dropped.
The basic rules of Baccarat are a little bit complicated. It starts simply, with two cards being dealt face down to the player and to the dealer. The players then flip those cards and the overall scores are announced. Depending upon the scores of the player and the banker, play may either continue or end there. If either the player or banker has a total initial score of 8 or 9, then play ends after the initial deal, with the highest score being the winner.
If neither player nor banker is so lucky, then there are options available. First, the player will draw a card if his score is between 0-5. If he has a score over five, he stands. The dealer then reacts to the player’s action by either standing or pulling a card of his own.
The terms “dealer” and “player” aren’t absolute in this game. A player in the casino has the chance to bet on either the “dealer” or “player” in order to win a hand. Baccarat is growing in popularity as more casinos feature the game. It has long been a game of nobility and the game of choice for Ian Flemming’s James Bond character. Once the rules are mastered, it is an easy game to play and enjoy. |
