BACCARAT

The History of Baccarat

The game of baccarat is one of the oldest casino games.
It was first documented as early as the 1400s when it
appeared in France via Italy. The name baccarat is in fact
derived from the Italian word baccarat which quite
simply means zero. This refers to the fact that all tens,
jacks, queens and kings have a value of zero. It also refers
to any hand that has a total od zero so for instance a hand
of seven and three also equals zero and therefore
baccarat.
While the game was first noted in the 1400s it took over
500 years to become one of the premier casino games in
Europe. In particular the game was popular among the
French royalty. At this point there were several versions
being played. In Europe the chemin de fer variation was
the most popular while in England punto banco was the
game of choice. Interestingly enough it was the English
version that would make its way to the US via South
America.

Today in most casinos in the United States you will most

often only find mini baccarat tables. This is for several
reasons. The big table versions almost always have high
minimum bets so tend to be tucked away in the high roller
sections of the casinos. The mini baccarat tables have
much lower limits so are quite widespread across casino
floors.
Much like the game was popular with the French
nobility it is now one of the most popular games among
the casino royalty - the high rollers. The world biggest
gamblers all seem to love the game and it is not
uncommon for millions of dollars to change hands in
session. In fact baccarat is such a big bettors game that
occasionaly you will see the losses at the baccarat tables
reflected in casino annual bissiness reports.
The most recent development in baccarat history is online
baccarat. Online casinos offer mini baccarat tables using
the standard American rules. The cards are dealt using a
random number generator or RNG and displayed as

Baccarat Game Variations

Over the years three variations of baccarat have emerged.
The most popular is punto banco which is sometimes called
American baccarat as it is the most widespread version
you will find in US casinos. Other variations include
Baccarat Chemin de Fer and Baccarat Banque. In this
section we explain the differences between the three.
The punto banco version of the game can be played at
big tables or at mini tables. It is played with from between
four to six decks of playing cards with no jokers. The
distinct difference between the mini table and the big
table versions is that the croupier deals all of the cards
according the the pre determined set of rules. At mini
baccarat tables the players only input is the betting on one
of the three outcomes.
At the big table games of punto banco you will find up
to 14 players at the table. The croupier does all of the

Baccarat Chemin de Fer gives the players a more active

roll in the game. Each player has the option of shuffling the
cards and dealing the cards. The dealing is also different
to punto banco as the cards are dealt face down rather
than face up. The player with the biggest bet gets to see
the face down cards while the other players must wait for
the outcome. Interestingly enough baccarat Chemin de Fer
is the only version where you can choose whether to take
an additional card. This is the most rare game variation
and is quite hard to find.
Baccarat Banque is much like Baccarat Chemin de Fer
with the exception that one gambler will remain the dealer
and banker for the entire shoe. All of the drawing and
turning the card rules are the same as Baccarat Chemin de
Fer. To determine who will act as the banker the croupier
will pick either the player with the biggest wager or the
first player to their right. In general you will find that
baccarat bank games are played with less decks than
punto banco or chemin de fer.
Regardless of which baccarat variation your casino

Baccarat Terminology
In this section we cover all of the common terminology
involved with the game of baccarat.Many of the worlds
come from Italian and French which is where much of the
game developed. Interestingly enough even after decades
of the game being available in the US all of the original
terminology is still used.

Baccarat
Translates to mean zero. When either the player or the
bank hand have a total of zero this is known as
baccarat. Unlike blackjack this is a negative situation.

Banker
One of the three possible bets on a standard baccarat
table. Pays off 1 to 1 minus 5% banker commission. The
house edge is just over 1%.

Bankroll
The amount of money that you have to gamble with.

Chemin de Fer
A version of baccarat that is rarely seen in the casinos

 Coup
A round of play comprising of a player hand and a
banker hand.

Dealer
The person in charge of the drawing of the cards. When
playing at the big table version the dealer position can
be taken by players.

Dealing Shoe
The container from which the cards are dealt

Dragon Bonus
A side bet option for either the player or banker hand.
Wins if the chosen hand wins by four or more points or a
natural.

Game Supervisor
A casino employee who makes sure that the correct
rules are followed.

Mini Baccarat
A popular version of casino baccarat where the dealer
deals all of the cards. Mini baccarat tables tend to be on

 Player
One of the three possible baccarat bets.Pays of at 1 to 1
and has a house advantage of just over 1%. Player is the
opposite bet to banker.

Punto Banco
Translates literally to player banker. Punto Banco is the
most widely seen version of baccarat at casinos in the
US and abroad.

Run
A side bet that is sometimes offers that gives you the
opportunity to bet on a series of hands. For example you
could bet on five banker hands in a row.

Table of Play
The set of rules which dictate when and if a third card
will be dealt to either hand.

Tie
One of the three possible outcomes of a baccarat coup.
The tie bet has the highest pay off at 8 to 1 but also

Baccarat Rules
The game of baccarat is a Single Play game that is
you only get to make one move per hand as opposed to
blackjack for example where you can make further plays
after the cards have been dealt. In baccarat you simply
choose from one of the three available bets, player, banker
or tie and then the cards are dealt according to a pre
determined set of rules. The three versions of baccarat all
have very slight rule variations but it this section we cover
the widest spread rule variation that you will find in
casinos today.
The aim of the game is to get a hand totaling as close
to nine as possible without going over. All tens, jacks,
queens and kings have a value of zero; aces have a value
of one and all other cards have their face value. Any hand
that has a value of over ten has the ten disregarded, so for
example at total of 12 counts for 2 in the game. The best
possible hand is a natural which has a total value of eight
or nine.
The game begins with the dealer dealing two cards to

At this point the hands are compared. If either the

player or the banker has a hand total of 8 or nine the hand
ends with the winning bets paid off. In the case of an 8
versus a 9 the nine wins. If neither the player nor the
banker has a natural hand then the draw of the third card
comes into play. This draw is done according to the rules
and cannot be decided by the player.
The player hand is always drawn first with the following
rules. If the hand total is 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 the player must
draw an additional card. If the hand is 6 or 7 the player
stands. The banker drawing rules are determined by the
players hand and are decided as follows.
The banker draws if the banker hand is totals three and
the player hand totals 0 to 7. If the banker hand totals four
then another card is dealt if the players hand is zero or 2
through 7. If the banker has a hand with a total of five
then an additional card is dealt when the player has 4, 5, 6
or seven. Finally if the dealer has six and other card is
dealt if the player has six or seven.

How To Play Baccarat

Before you start playing baccarat or any other gambling
game for that matter you should decide what your bankroll
is for the session. Once you have decided how much you
want to play with you should decide what size bets you will
be making. In general you do not want to over bet your
bankroll so make sure you have enough for at least 20 or
30 hands.
Your next step is to find the baccarat tables. On the
main casino floor you should be able to locate mini
baccarat tables by identifying the tables or by asking a
casino employee. If you are looking for the big table
baccarat games then look for a roped off area. At most
casinos we have visited the big table baccarat games are
located in the high roller sections.
You will find that the table limits are clearly marked on
the tables so make sure the limit is right for you before

For the purposes of this guide we will assume that you

have sat down at the start of a new shoe. The cards will be
shuffled and the dealer will offer the cards to be cut to
either the player with the highest seat number or the
player decided by the dealer. The dealer will the burn
(discard) the first card from the shoe. In most cases you
will not get to see this card. The dealer will then call for
bets, this is the time to get some chips on the table and
get in on the action!
You will find three clearly marked sections on the table
in front of you. These are player, banker and tie. Place
chips on one of the sections and wait for the dealer to call
no more bets. Now the fun begins. The dealer will deal two
cards to the player hand and two cards to the dealer hand.
At this point if either hand has a natural the game ends
and winnings are paid out or losing bets are cleared from
the table.
In the majority of hands however you will find that

Once the final hand totals have been reached the

dealer will clear the table of losing wagers and pay the
winning wagers to the players. Once this has happened
the dealer will call for bets again and the whole process
starts again.
If you are betting on the dealer hand you have to
remember that there is 5% commission taken from every
win. In some cases this is taken directly out of the pay out
the dealer gives you and in other cases the dealer will
place a marker indicating how much commission you owe.
This must be paid at the end of the shoe or when you
leave the table so be sure keep some chips to cover the
commission. If in doubt ask the dealer.
In some casinos around the world you will also find that
there are some additional betting possibilities. These tend
to be run bets. These bets have quite a high house edge
but can sometimes pay off big. What you are aiming for is

The Different Baccarat Bets

There are only three types of bets that you can make.
These are Player, Banker or Tie. Each betting option has a
betting spot on the baccarat table and each has a different
pay off. Below we tell you all about the different bets
including information on the house edge as well as what
you get for a winning hand. Further down you can see a
diagram of a mini baccarat table which shows you where to
place your bets.

The Banker(Pays off 1 to 1 minus 5% commission)

Betting on the banker is the most popular baccarat bet.
The banker bet has the lowest house advantage and
favorable third card rules. Because of this you will
always find that wins on the banker attract a
commission deduction of 5%. If you do play the banker
bet be sure to keep enough money to pay the
commission at the end of the shoe or when you leave
the table.

 The Tie(Pays off 8 to 1)

With this bet you are aiming to see both hands end with
an equal value. Unfortunately the odds of this happening
are not great which leads to a house advanatge on the
tie bet ove over 15%. Compared to the relatively low
edge on the other two bets the tie bet is often called a
sucker bet.

How To Make Each

of the Bets
Each baccarat table
whether it be a big table
game or a mini baccarat
game has a round betting
area section off into seat
numbers. Closest to you is
the player betting area. Next
furthest away is the banker
area and closest to the
center of the table is the tie
betting area. In front of the
dealer you will find chips
and commission boxes. Place
a bet in one of the areas to
play.
On the right is an

Baccarat Hand Examples

To illustrate how the hand values in baccarat work we
have several example hands listed below. Keep in mind
that in a game of baccarat you CANNOT have a hand value
of ten or more. If you do go over ten then ten in removed
from the value. Please note that the hands listed on this
page are only examples and there are many other ways to
get the same hand values.

Card Values
Baccarat is the only casino game where the face cards of
jacks, queens and kings are actually bad. This is because
they all have a value of zero. Tens also have a value of
zero. Aces are always worth one and the other cards,
two through nine all have their face value. Like
blackjack, suits have no value and are irrelevant.

 General Examples
The following examples show you how the count works
for baccarat hands. For a very simple way to always
know the count always use the number on the right if
you have a double digit count and discard the number on
the left.

Hand A : 6 + 3 =
9(Hand Value is 9, A
Natural)
The first hand shown
above is the best
possible baccarat
hand to get. There
are many ways to get
a total of nine from
the first two cards so
six and three is just
an example. This

Hand B : 6 + 9 =
15(Hand Value is 5)
The second hand is
an example of what
happens when you
go over ten. In this
case the total of the
cards is 15 so to get
the baccarat hand
value you have to
deduct the 10 which
makes the hand

Hand C : 10 + 10 +
3(Hand Value is 3)
The third hand is an
example of a hand
that has has an
additional third card
dealt to it. The initial
two card hand was
worth zero or
baccarat (10 + 10 =
20, Take away the 2
and you have 0). In

Baccarat Playing Tips and Strategies

The simplest tip we can share with you is to always bet
on banker. The house advantage on this bet is the lowest
when compared to the other two bets. Even with the
commission taken out of the wins you will have the best
chance of coming out ahead if you stick to the banker bet.
Please not that this is not in the short term but rather
after thousand or millions of hand mathematically the
banker bet will come out on top.
You will find that many players at the baccarat table
keep a note of what the outcomes have been. This is in
order to follow streaks or runs of outcomes. In reality this
record keeping will not give you any guarantees of
winning although it can be quite useful in the short term
as you will occasionally find that a shoe produces a
massive run of one outcome.
There are numerous baccarat systems for sale on the
internet and via mail order. Unfortunately these are 100%
scams as there is no way to guarantee that you will win in

One of the core features of almost all systems we have

reviewed in the negative or positive progression system. In
theory these systems would seem to be quite a good idea.
The way they work is you bet one unit, if you lose you bet
two units on the nest bet. Lose again and you bet 4 units
and continue doubling your bet until you win. The theory is
that eventually you will win and that will get you back to
even.
The problem with this is that even the most skilled
gambler will find occasions where you will have a quite a
few losing bets in a row. You can quickly reach the table
limits at which point you cannot continue the doubling of
your bets. Plus even if you win after several losses you
have not really won anything as you are basically back to
even. In effect you are making a big bet to simply get back
to where you started - hardly a winning strategy.
Our final tip relates to the tie bet. While it is a tempting
choice with a big payout it has one of the highest house
advantages of all casino games coming in at a massive
15%.Compare this with the just over 1% advantages on

Learn How to Play Baccarat (1).mp4