Baccarat – The Easiest Game in the Casino
Written by
Baccarat is a game of choice for many high rollers in the casino. The reason is simple: it’s the least intimidating and easiest to play of all casino games. Unlike other table games that require a lot of complicated decisions, the only decision you have to make in Baccarat is whether to bet on Player or Banker. Then the rest of the hand is pre-determined by the cards and a fixed set of rules, making it one of the easiest games in the casino to understand.
There are different versions of baccarat, but the one most commonly played in casinos is called Punto Banco. It is a variation of the game created in France in the 19th century that is quicker and simpler than the original version, Chemin de Fer.
The game is played on a large circular table with anywhere from seven to 14 seats for players and one spot for the dealer. The dealer deals the cards, and each player has their own betting area. The Player’s and Banker’s hands are dealt two cards each. If either the Player’s or Banker’s total is 8 or 9 on the first two cards, no additional cards are drawn and the game is over.
If the Banker’s total is 2 or less, they draw a third card. If the Player’s total is 6 or 7, they stand. A Super Six bet is an optional bet placed alongside the Player and Banker bets that wins if both the Player and Banker’s hands have a total of 6. The payout for a winning Super Six bet is 12x the original bet amount.
Baccarat’s fixed rules mean that it is very easy to calculate the odds of a win or loss. The most common way to do this is to use a baccarat calculator, which is free and easy to download from the internet. Simply enter the distribution of the cards and the calculator will give you the odds for both the Player and Banker bets, along with the tie bet odds. You can even calculate the commission rate for the banker bet, which is a 5% house edge on winning bets.
Baccarat is also an excellent game for learning how to count cards. A simple card counting system can reduce the house edge to 0.05%, and can be employed even by casual players. Using the basic system, a player can expect to win about 80% of their Banker bets, and lose only about 20% on their Player bets. With the right strategy and a little practice, it is possible to become a very successful baccarat player.