Baccarat is a casino card game with a Bond-dipped mystique. It’s often tucked away in high-roller enclaves, where cocktail waitresses bring doubles of 18-year-old Macallan and cigar smoke curls toward the ceiling. It’s a world of ritual, sexiness and intrigue, where the stakes are astronomical.
But despite the exoticism, baccarat is actually fairly simple to understand. You place your chips in one of three areas – Player, Banker or Tie. Bets on the Player hand pay 1:1, those on the Banker hand win even money (minus a 5% commission) and ties pay 8-1.
Two cards are dealt to each hand, face up and visible to everyone at the table. The hand that totals closest to nine wins. If either the Player or Banker hands have a “natural” (a value of eight or nine) they win; if both have a natural, the game is a tie.
The rules of baccarat differ slightly from country to country. The game originated in France, under the name “chemin de fer.” In this version of the game, players controlled the bank. But when the game crossed the channel to Britain, this changed. The game became more like a baccarat à la carte, in which the casino owns and controls the bank and the dealer. The name also changed at this point, becoming baccarat in Europe.
Aside from this minor change, the game of baccarat has remained relatively unchanged for thousands of years. Its roots in ancient times are unclear, but it may be based on an Etruscan legend of a virgin who had to throw a nine-sided die to determine her fate. In some versions, she was elevated to priestess if she threw an 8, but was banished to the sea if she threw anything lower.
In modern baccarat, the dealer is a professional who is trained to deal and keep track of the game’s rules. He or she deals two cards to each hand, then a third, if necessary. The goal is to get the hand that is closest to nine, while taking into account any tens values in the cards.
The game of baccarat can be an exciting and rewarding experience, but it is important to know the rules and strategies before playing. It is also helpful to set a budget and stick to it. Treat it as you would a night out, and only spend what you are comfortable losing. Baccarat is not a game for big losers, and it’s easy to get carried away. You’ll regret it later if you lose a lot of money.