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Baccarat Play Rules
by
Gayle
Mitchell
This lesson will teach Baccarat Play and rules for this easy
to learn, and exciting game.
If you like blackjack, you will probably like this game,
because the two are similar.
The game was discovered first and, unlike blackjack, does
not require extensive strategy. All
you
really have to do is pick a side: banker or player. I can see the
growing
popularity of such a simple and fast game with fixed rules and
easy
decisions.
I know how easy it is to feel intimidated to play baccarat.
The table is
usually in a secluded pit area
with rich decor and tuxedo-clad people everywhere.
For a
long time I wouldn’t even get close enough to find out
the rules or what was going on in those plush areas.
Now I
know what I was
missing by not participating in baccarat play...a lot!
The game is dealt from a shoe.
Some tables can accommodate 16 players (with
no #13). The shoe
holds eight decks of
cards.
In each game, the player and the banker are each
dealt a hand of two
cards.
You bet on either of the two hands to win.
Winning means coming closest to a value of
nine, and not over.
Directly in front of you are two boxes.
The box closest to you is for betting that
the player will win the next hand, and the box furthest from you is for
betting
that the banker will win.
Most
casinos
have a minimum bet.
All number cards, 2 through 9, count as their face value or
the number of pips on the card. All
10s
and face cards count as 10. Aces
count
as 1. No hand can be worth more than 9.
If it is, the last
digit of the total
is used.
For example, if the hand has a king (10) and a 2, then it
totals not 12, but 2.
To quickly determine the value of a
hand greater than 9,
simply use the last digit of the total number--such as 9 for 19, 0 for
20 or 7
for 17.
It’s important to remember that no hand is too bad or too
good to win, because the count can change with the third card, if one
is
required. This
creates a mounting suspense--and
that’s what makes the game such an exciting adventure.
The casino encourages players to deal cards from the shoe,
but you are not obligated to deal.
The
shoe passes around the table in a counterclockwise direction. The
player
holding the shoe is considered the banker.
However, the banker does not take any additional
risk. Technically he/she
is not the banker but represents the banker’s hand.
The dealer will determine which player has the largest bet
on the player’s hand, and will give that person the two cards
representing the
player’s hand. Both
hands are displayed
and the totals for each hand are called out.
At this point, baccarat play may not be over, depending on
whether or not a third card is required. A player does not need to know
third-card rules.
The dealer instructs the banker when and if to draw a third
card.
After the third card is dealt, if required, the dealer
announces the winner--saying,
for example, ‘Banker wins 5 over 3’.
Mathematically, the banker hand has a slight edge over the
player hand, because of the third card rules.
This would mean that you should always bet on
the banker
hand.
However,
the casinos have come up with a solution to this: they charge players a
5%
commission each time they bet on the banker to win.
The dealers are responsible for keeping track
of how much commission is owed in dollars.
In front of each dealer is a row of numbered boxes. Each
time you have a
commission payable; it
is noted at your corresponding box number with token chips. When you
are
finished playing, make sure you have enough money in front of you to
cover this
debt.
Besides betting that the player or banker will win, you
could bet that there will be a tie. With a casino advantage of 14%, the
tie bet
is the only bad bet.
A tie is always a push, so the banker or player bets stand
when a tie is dealt.
Most casinos will provide a score sheet and pen if you
ask. Use
these to track trends, patterns
and streaks in the making.
Unlike blackjack, you can sit out or skip hands; just tell
the dealer “no bet”. Use
this break to
analyze your scorecard for your next strategy move.
Some gamblers keep these scorecards for a running history of
their play.
Play Baccarat - Enjoy the Game
You may have noticed that I have not
gone into a lot of
detail about the third-card rules for standing or drawing.
That
information can
be found in the next baccarat play lesson.
Baccarat
Play is followed by Strategies
OR
Return
to Gambling: Learn
Other Games
Program.
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