The Las Vegas Gambler
BACCARAT
There are currently two ways of playing the game. The most common is "Mini-Baccarat" where the players are seated opposite the dealer and only the dealer handles the cards. Wagers are placed in either of three ways, on the "PLAYER" hand or the "BANKER" hand a third bet may be made on a "TIE". When all bets are placed, The dealer deals two cards for each of the "Player" and "Banker" hands from an eight deck "shoe". In this game, cards are totaled by their face values. All tens and picture cards carry a value of zero. After ten (0) is reached in the total of the two cards, only the last significant figure is considered (14 = 4, 16 = 6 etc.) If either of the hands totals eight or nine, that hand is a "natural" and is declared the winner. Winning bets on either the banker or player hand are paid $1.00 for each $1.00 bet. Winning wagers on "Tie" are paid at a higher ratio, sometimes as much as $9.00 for each $1.00 bet. Winning bets on the "Banker" hand are assessed a 5% "Vig" or commission on their winnings. The dealer keeps a tally of each player's vig and payment is usually due either at the end of a shoe or when a player leaves the table. A player may also choose to pay his vig at any time. If neither hand totals either eight or nine, there are formulas determining the number of cards that should be drawn dependent on the total of the hand. Typically, If the players first two cards total 0-1-2-3-4-5, a card is drawn. If the players hand is 6-7 it stands. If the player hand is an 8 or 9 it is a "natural" and neither hand draws. If the first two cards of the banker hand total 3, a card is drawn if the player hand is 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-9-10, No draw if the player hand is 8. If the banker hand totals 4, a card is drawn if the player third card total is 2-3-4-5-6-7. No card is drawn if the player third card is 1-8-9-10. The formula continues, but do not get hung up on figuring what cards are drawn when. This along with shuffling are just other tasks that are assigned to the dealer. Casinos that feature Baccarat will have informative cards available for players that explain the rules that are observed specifically in that casino. This can be a very enjoyable game. If you observe other players, you will come to experience the James Bond thrill of beating the house. SYSTEMS Whenever I play Baccarat, I am in a constant state of amazement by the various systems that people use at the table. You will see people going through very complicated record keeping processes and spending extended amounts of time in making their decision as to bet on the DEALER hand or the PLAYER hand. I could never understand the logic of making a simple process so complicated. Whenever I see a player using a complex methodology to figure his next bet, I observe him very closely. If he continually wins I will sit at the table and bet with him. Conversely, if the player loses more than he wins, I will sit and bet THE OPPOSITE of what he is betting. When it all is boiled down, disregarding ties, where a BANKER or PLAYER bet is a push, the odds are exactly the same. That is to say it is a 1:1 bet that any hand will come up either PLAYER or BANKER. The actual play, if you disregard the suspense of watching the cards being drawn, is exactly like betting HEADS or TAILS on a flip of a coin. Don't make it any more complicated than that. We are in a constant state of improvement on all of our pages. Come back and check our progress frequently. Thank You
The Las Vegas GAMBLER
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