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Baccarat – The Number One Casino Game

Baccarat

Baccarat is the number one casino game in the world and a popular choice of high-rollers. The game originated in Italy and France but has made its way into casinos worldwide in recent years. It is a relatively slow-moving and ritualistic game played on a large table with a minimum wager of $25.

The Rules

Each hand is dealt with 2 cards and a third may be optionally dealt. The card values are summed up and the sum closest to 9 wins. Unlike blackjack where you need to remember a lot of different rules, baccarat is quite simple and requires only a few basic strategies.

The Game

In baccarat the players and banker are divided into two groups, some on the left and some on the right. A total of three hands is dealt, one for each group. Then both the player and banker are given a chance to draw a third card, which is usually dealt face up.

When the player has a total of 3 or less they call ‘carte’, and when they have a total of 6 or 7 they call ‘non’. The player must choose whether they want to play or not based on what the banker has drawn and how much is staked by other players on each hand.

The banker also has a chance to draw a third card and must choose whether to stand or play. If he stands the player’s stakes are returned and the banker’s bets are paid out. If he draws a third card and plays the player’s bets are lost.

In Baccarat the dealer takes a commission of 5% on winning Banker bets. This is a small amount of money for the casino, but it helps them cover their costs and increase profits. The dealer records the commission in his commission box, and collects it each time the banker wins a bet.

Baccarat is also a very popular game in Asia. This is due to the fact that it can be played in any casino that accepts bets from Asian customers, and because of its low house edge.

Several versions of the game exist, and these vary in how much freedom they give the players and banker to make decisions. The original version, Baccarat a deux tableaux (Two Table Baccarat) is the most well-known and is still in use in many places around the world.

This version of the game has a lower house edge than Punto Banco but gives the players no real choice in how to play their bets. Hence it is not recommended for beginners as it requires little skill and can be very frustrating for novices.

Another variant of the game is Mini Baccarat which is played on smaller tables and requires slightly more skill. It is also a variation of the traditional game and can be found in some casinos in the United States.

Some people claim that the rules of Baccarat are more complicated than they really are, but it is actually quite straightforward to learn. The key is to play with the correct strategy. The main advantage of playing a strategy is that it will reduce the chances of losing if you are not very good at identifying patterns in the results. In addition, you will need to learn when it is appropriate to bet more or less on the banker and player.