Baccarat, one of the most recognizable casino card games on the planet, has been hailed as the ultimate casino game for the elite. But despite its lofty reputation, the house edge for the most popular bet is nearly the same as betting on a coin flip and the game can be learned in just a few minutes. In addition, baccarat is a very safe game to play because it does not impact other players’ bets and the rounds are usually finished in seconds.
In recent weeks, several readers have asked us to cover baccarat. While we don’t write about table games much, we are happy to oblige. Baccarat is not only a safe and fun game to play, but it may be the easiest game for the new or casual gambler. Unlike poker, which requires complex strategy and decision making, baccarat is a simple game that has no impact on other players’ bets. Moreover, the best bets are practically a coinflip (
The rules of baccarat are simple: bet on either the Banker Hand or the Player’s Hand and hope that their total is closest to nine. The dealer deals two cards to each hand, face up for everyone at the table to see. The game is over if the player or banker hand totals 8 or 9 and no additional cards are drawn. In the event that neither hand totals 8, 9 or a natural win, a third card is drawn to determine which hand wins.
Traditionally, eight new decks of cards must be carefully inspected – backs and faces – by both the floor supervisor and dealer before they can be introduced into the game. But a few casinos are now using pre-shuffled cards, which can be instantly introduced into the game without this time-consuming inspection process. In addition, a few of these cards are pre-marked with the banker’s or player’s winning hand, which saves time at the end of a baccarat round.
Another benefit of pre-marked cards is that the dealers can quickly track and record the results of each hand in a baccarat shoe. This allows the casino to quickly and accurately track the number of player vs banker decisions per shoe, and adjust player reinvestment credit accordingly.
Baccarat is a fast and easy game to learn, but it is important to set a budget ahead of time. You don’t want to spend more than you can afford to lose! Decide how much you want to spend in advance and treat the money as you would any night out. Then, stick to your plan — even if you make a big score, don’t let that money go to waste!