Baccarat is one of the world’s most popular casino games. It may be best known to American audiences from the scene in the James Bond movie Casino Royale where Bond plays the game against Le Chiffre, but it’s even more popular in Asia where it accounts for more than 80% of all casino profits. Its popularity has spawned variations on the game and added ways to play, including side bets and Mini Baccarat.
The game is played using six decks shuffled together. Players sit in random order around a table and the cards are dealt to them. Each player and the banker are given two cards, which are compared against each other to determine a winner. If either the player hand or the banker hand is valued at eight or nine (called a “natural”), that hand wins; if neither, it’s a tie. If any bets are lost, the dealer collects the losses and pays out winning bets. The dealer also takes a 5% commission on winning bets on the Banker’s hand.
As with other casino card games, baccarat has specific rules that are followed by the dealer and players. A maximum total value for a hand is nine points, and if the sum of a player’s cards exceeds that number, the players must subtract ten or drop the first numeral to get their new total. The same rule applies to the banker’s hand; it must subtract ten or drop the first numeral in case of a hand that totals more than nine.
It’s not unusual for high rollers to choose baccarat as their favorite game, especially in Asia where it is well-suited to the region’s cultural preferences. Bill Zender, a Nevada Gaming Control agent and longtime casino executive who literally wrote the book on managing casino games, says that over his career, he has seen Asian high rollers make baccarat their game of choice.
The game is also very popular online. Many top online casinos have dedicated baccarat tables, and some of them offer loyalty rewards specifically for this casino game. In addition, the odds of a winning baccarat bet are often much better at an online baccarat table than in a land-based casino. This is because online baccarat tables have fixed limits, which ensure that the house’s edge is low. The best online baccarat sites offer low minimum bets and high payouts. They are a great place to practice and develop a winning strategy before risking real cash.
