If you’re looking for a casino table game with few complexities and a little James Bond-style gambling fun, Baccarat may be the perfect game for you. It’s simple to learn and has three possible outcomes: a player win, a banker win, and a tie. With a little luck and some practice, you can play baccarat like a pro in no time.
Players place bets before the game begins, either on the player hand, the banker’s hand, or both. They do so by placing a colored bet chip in the designated box for their choice. As with other casino table games, no cash is used – instead, you use playing chips that you exchange for real money at the cashier’s station.
After all bets are placed, the dealer calls “no more bets.” Then he or she deals two cards to the banker and player boxes. If your bet is on the banker, a third card is dealt if the banker’s hand has a 7 or higher total. But if your bet is on the player hand, no third card is dealt and the hand stands.
Once the hand is dealt, the croupier announces the winning hand and the loser. The winning hand is the one whose value is closest to 9. Points are added differently from other casino games. The value of a hand is determined by adding the values of each card: 9 is worth 9, 8 is worth 0, and the cards numbered from 2 to 10 are worth their face value. The ace is worth one point.
The game is played on a large table, about the size of a craps table. Eight 52-card packs are shuffled together and then dealt by the croupier from a shoe that releases one card at a time, face down. There are six seats on each side of the table, and a table for the croupier. There are also bet boxes that are referred to as the Player, Banker, and Tie bets.
Depending on the platform or establishment, there are a number of other side bets that you can place on a round of baccarat. The Player Pair bet, for example, pays 11:1 odds and wagers that the player will receive identical cards on the deal. The Banker Pair bet, on the other hand, pays 5:1 and wagers that the banker will receive a pair.
The game of baccarat is famous for its glamorous trappings, which make it one of the most popular tables at luxury casinos. It’s typically played in an alcove, away from the hustle and bustle of other casino tables. The game is usually played for high stakes, and winning hands are celebrated with champagne. Unlike other table games, Baccarat is not played with actual cash – instead, players use playing chips that range from $1 to $100. These chips are not the standard square-shaped chips found at American casinos – they’re often oblong, and they’re much larger than those used in European casinos.