If you’ve ever been to a casino in Las Vegas, chances are you’ve seen baccarat players in action. This high-stakes game has a long history of glamour and luxury, which is partly why it attracts the most wealthy patrons in the city. Baccarat is played with real money and often occurs in a separate alcove from the rest of the casino floor. In American casinos, $100 bills are used; in Europe, high-denomination chips in oblong “plaques” are spread around the table.
Unlike games such as blackjack that require a player to make decisions before the cards are dealt, baccarat is essentially a one-player game. Before the dealer deals the cards, players place bets on either the Banker hand or the Player hand. A win on a Banker bet pays out 1 to 1, while a winning Player hand wins two times your stake. Those who bet on a tie pay eight to 1.
The goal of the game is to correctly guess which hand will come closest to nine points. Two cards are dealt to the Bank hand and the Player hand; sometimes a third card is dealt. The winner is the hand that totals closest to 9. Unlike poker, the suits of cards have no bearing on the game. The only exception is the Ace, which equals one. All other cards are worth their face value, so a 7 and an 8 would have a score of 14.
After placing their bets, players sit down at the table and do not touch any of the chips until the end of the session. There is also a certain amount of etiquette surrounding the game, with players not speaking to the dealer or any other players at the table until the session is over. Moreover, it is not a good idea to walk by the table while a game is in progress, as this is considered bad form.
Despite its glamorous trappings, baccarat is not without its drawbacks. The house edge on Banker and Player bets is high at over 14 percent. A third bet, on a Tie, is less lucrative at over 19 percent and is not often offered in online baccarat, though it does exist.
Aside from these issues, the game itself is fairly simple. Players simply have to decide on which hand they want to bet on and how much to wager. Then, the dealer does the rest, dealing the cards and determining whether any additional bets should be placed. The most confusing aspect of the game, in many cases, is when a third card will be drawn. Fortunately, the dealer follows a set of rules that determine when a player hand or a Banker hand will need an extra card.