Gaming: How To Gamble: Baccarat
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BACCARAT AND MINI-BACCARAT
Next to slot machines and keno, Baccarat and Mini-Baccarat are possibly the easiest casino games to learn and play. We're not kidding. It's true.
Pull up a chair and place your bet on either the section labeled Player or the section labeled Banker (dealer). You could also bet on Tie, but the odds are slim that a tie will occur, so just focus on the Player bet or the Banker bet.
That's it. You're done. Once you've made your bet, your decision-making is complete. Now, watch the money accumulate or disappear. OK, you probably want to know why your money is coming or going.
The Basics
First of all, the main difference between Baccarat and Mini-Baccarat is that with the former, the Players alternate being the Banker by passing the shoe (the container holding the cards) and with the latter, the dealer is always the Banker and the Players never touch the cards. Being the Banker in Baccarat may be intimidating at first, but there are Callers at the table to assist you. The rest of the rules apply to both versions.
Eight decks of cards are used. The suits of the cards are irrelevant.
Face cards and 10s count as zero and Aces count as one. When two cards are dealt and the total of the cards equals more than nine, remove the first number of the total. For example, if the Player's hand is a 7 and a 6, the total is 13, or 3 in Baccarat. Another example is an 8 and 6. The Baccarat total is 4.
Since it has been proven that the Banker's hand wins more than the Player's hand, the casino collects a 5 percent commission when a bet is placed on the Banker and the Banker's hand wins. However, if a bet was placed on the Player and the Player's hand wins, no commission is required. The dealer collects the commissions; so don't worry about bringing a calculator. In the event of a tie and no one bet on Tie, the hand is considered a push and no one wins or loses.
9 is the Magic Number
The winning hand is the one with a total of 9 or as close to 9 as possible. The following chart explains what happens after you've bet on the Player or Banker and each participant has been dealt two cards. It's not necessary to memorize the chart since your decisions in this game are limited. All you do is make the bet. It's a good idea, though, to look it over so you know why you're winning or not. It's also important to remember that when the Banker or Player must draw, only one card is being drawn. In other words, the most cards any Player or Banker will have are three.
| Player's Rules | |
| If Player's First Two-Card Total Is | Player Must |
| 0,1,2,3,4,5 | Draw |
| 6,7 | Stand |
| 8,9 | Natural - an automatic winner or tie if Banker's two-card total also is 8 or 9 |
| Banker's Rules | ||
| If Banker's First Two-Card Total Is | Dealer Draws If Player's 3rd Card Is A | Dealer Does Not Draw If Player's 3rd Card Is A |
| 0,1,2 | Must Draw | Must Draw |
| 3 | 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,9 | 8 |
| 4 | 2,3,4,5,6,7 | 0,1,8,9 |
| 5 | 4,5,6,7 | 0,1,2,3,8,9 |
| 6 | 6,7 | 0,1,2,3,4,5,8,9 |
| 7 | Must Stand | Must Stand |
| 8,9 | Natural - an automatic winner or tie if Player's is a Natural | Natural - an automatic winner or tie if Player's is a Natural |
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