Baccarat
From High Roller Guides
| Download Baccarat Now. |
Baccarat is a gambling card game. It is believed to have been introduced into France from Italy during the reign of Charles VIII of France (ruled 1483-1498), and it is similar to Faro and to Basset. There are three accepted variants of the game: baccarat chemin de fer (railway), baccarat banque (or a deux tableaux), and punto banco (or North American baccarat). Punto banco is strictly a game of chance, with no skill or strategy involved; each player's moves are forced by the cards the player is dealt. In baccarat chemin de fer and baccarat banque, by contrast, both players can make choices, which allows skill to play a part.
Baccarat is a simple game with only three possible results - 'Player', 'Banker' and 'Tie'. The term 'Player' does not refer to the customer and the term 'Banker' does not refer to the house. They are just options on which the customer can bet.
Contents |
[edit] Valuation of Hands
In Baccarat, cards 2-9 are worth face value, 10's and face cards (J, Q, K) are worth zero, and Aces are worth 1 point. Players calculate their score by taking the sum of all cards modulo 10. Simply, when the total value of cards in a hand equals or exceeds 10, the tens digit is dropped. For example, a hand consisting of 2 and 3 is worth 5 (2+3=5). A hand consisting of 6 and 7 is worth 3 (6+7=13=3) - the first digit is dropped because the total is higher than 10). A hand consisting of 4 and 6 is worth zero, or Baccarat (4+6=0). The name "Baccarat" is unusual in that the game is named after the worst hand, worth 0 (or 'Baccarat'). The highest score that can be achieved is 9.
[edit] Perfect Strategy Chart
- If either the player or the banker has a total of an 8 or a 9 they both stand.
- If the player's total is 5 or less, then the player hits, otherwise the player stands.
- If the player stands, then the banker hits on a total of 5 or less. If the player does hit then use the chart below to determine if the banker hits (S = Stand, H = Hit)
| Banker's Score | Player's 3rd Card | |||||||||
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
| 7 | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S |
| 6 | S | S | S | S | S | S | H | H | S | S |
| 5 | S | S | S | S | H | H | H | H | S | S |
| 4 | S | S | H | H | H | H | H | H | S | S |
| 3 | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | S | H |
| 2 | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H |
| 1 | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H |
| 0 | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H |
[edit] Return Probability
- House edge Banker Bet: 1.06%
- House edge Player Bet: 1.24%
- House edge Tie Bet: 14.36%
| Banker Bet | ||||
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
| Banker wins | 0.95 | 2292252566437890 | 0.458597 | 0.435668 |
| Player wins | -1 | 2230518282592250 | 0.446247 | -0.446247 |
| Tie | 0 | 475627426473216 | 0.095156 | 0 |
| Total | 4998398275503360 | 1 | -0.010579 | |
| Player Bet | ||||
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
| Banker wins | -1 | 2292252566437890 | 0.458597 | -0.458597 |
| Player wins | 1 | 2230518282592250 | 0.446247 | 0.446247 |
| Tie | 0 | 475627426473216 | 0.095156 | 0 |
| Total | 4998398275503360 | 1 | -0.012351 | |
| Tie Bet | ||||
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
| Banker wins | -1 | 2292252566437890 | 0.458597 | -0.458597 |
| Player wins | -1 | 2230518282592250 | 0.446247 | -0.446247 |
| Tie | 8 | 475627426473216 | 0.095156 | 0.761248 |
| Total | 4998398275503360 | 1 | -0.143596 | |
[edit] Alternative Versions
Punto Banco, Baccarat Chemin de Fer, Baccarat Banque
[edit] Trivia
- Baccarat Chemin de Fer is the game of choice of Ian Fleming's secret agent creation, James Bond. He can be seen playing the game in numerous novels – most notably 007's 1953 debut, 'Casino Royal', in which the entire plot revolves round a game between Bond and SMERSH operative Le Chiffre (the unabridged version of the novel includes a primer to the game for readers who are unfamiliar with it). It also features in several filmed versions of the novels, including 'Dr. No', where the character is first introduced playing the game, the 1967 spoof Casino Royale (which is ironically the most detailed treatment of a baccarat game in any Bond film).
- In the Casino Royale (2006 film), however, Chemin de Fer is replaced by Texas hold 'em poker. This change was probably made due to the sharp rise in the popularity of Texas hold 'em in casinos, on-line, and on TV, beginning around the turn of the millennium.
- The game was central to the Royal Baccarat Scandal of 1890 in England which involved the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom.
- Baccarat was also a central point in Jackie Chan's movie City Hunter.
- Baccarat is also the name of the casino town that appears in the Square-Enix video game Dragon Quest VIII.
