Baccarat is one of the most popular games in casinos, even though it doesn’t get much attention from pop culture. The game is a high-stakes card game that requires no complicated strategy and has one of the lowest house edges in all casino games. It is a game of pure luck, and the results of each hand are determined in seconds with no impact on other players. The game is a good choice for new or casual gamblers and is easy to learn.
The game is played with anywhere from seven to 14 seats and a dealer’s area. The dealer deals two hands of cards: a Player’s hand and a Banker’s hand. The winning hand is the one that comes closest to nine. Picture cards and tens count as zero points, cards numbered from 2-9 have their face value, and aces count as one point. The totals are added up and if the sum crosses 9 or enters double digits, the second digit is dropped. The Banker’s hand must be a total of eight or higher to win, while the Player’s must be a total of six or lower to win.
A croupier (dealer) manages the baccarat table and handles all betting. The game is a little confusing to some, but it is actually quite simple. Players can bet on the player’s hand, the banker’s hand, or a tie. The banker’s hand pays 8-to-1, and the player’s bet pays 1-to-1. A game of baccarat usually lasts three to five rounds, but the number of rounds may vary depending on the casino’s rules.
While many baccarat players will admit that they do not have a clear strategy, some will tell you that they have one. A former card counter who’s been banned from global blackjack pits, we’ll call him Francois, has a clear strategy that works. He claims that he has a system to beat baccarat that he refuses to share with anyone, but his scorecards prove it.
Another aspect of baccarat that’s important to understand is the use of “free hands.” A free hand occurs when a dealer makes a mistake when dealing the third card. Instead of burning the error card as in blackjack, the hand is dealt again. This creates a “non-revenue” event in the player-tracking system that can damage a casino’s income potential.
Baccarat is so popular that it’s spawned variations and additional ways to play. The most common version in the US is Punto Banco, which pays out winnings at eight-to-1. The more complex Chemin de Fer and Mini Baccarat, which pay out at 9-to-1, are played in some European casinos. Both of these games involve a commission, which is 5% of the winning bets. The commission is tracked in a “commission box” by the dealer, and collected when the winning Banker’s hand is won.