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| | Author: Michael Shackleford
| Procedure of Play
Baccarat is played in a snooty roped off area to separate
itself from the other games. The players are usually very
well dressed and the table minimums are often high. The
regular baccarat table is about the size of a craps table
with 3 casino dealers and up to 12 or 14 players. Each
player, including the player dealing, may still bet on
either the player or the banker but it is customary for the
dealer to bet on the banker.
The deal will rotate around the table, much like the dice
rotate around the craps table. If a player does not want to
deal they may pass the shoe to the next player. The same
person will keep dealing as long as the banker keeps
winning. The person dealing will put two cards, face down,
tucked under the shoe, and give the player with the greatest
bet on the player the other two cards, face down. This
player then looks at the cards and then gives them back to
the player who is dealing. Then the player who is dealing
will turn over the cards and one of the casino dealers will
announce the totals. Depending on the totals the dealer may
then instruct the person dealing the cards to deal a third
card. Finally the dealers will pay winning wagers and
collect losing ones out of the dealer's tray. The player who
actually deals is not assuming any financial responsibility
of the other players bets, unlike pai gow, and is just
turning over cards.
The Rules
- Baccarat is played with eight decks of cards. Each
numbered card less than ten is worth its face value, aces
are worth 1, and tens and face cards are worth 0. The
suit does not matter.
- Play begins by all players betting either on the
'player', 'banker', or a tie. I put player and banker in
quotes because that is the correct terminology but they
do not necessarily represent the dealer or the actual
players.
- After all bets are down the dealer gives two cards
each to the player and the banker. The score of the hand
is the right digit of the total of the cards. For example
if the two cards were an 8 and 7, then the total would be
15, and the score would be a 5. The scores will always
range from 0 to 9 and it is impossible to bust.
- A third card may or may not be dealt to either or
both the player and the dealer depending on the following
rules.
- If either the player or the banker has a total of
an 8 or a 9 they both stand. This rule
overrides all other rules.
- 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 (H) or
stands (S).
Banker's
Score
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Player's Third Card
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0
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1
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2
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3
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4
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5
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6
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7
|
8
|
9
|
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7
|
S
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S
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S
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S
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S
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S
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S
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S
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S
|
S
|
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6
|
S
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S
|
S
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S
|
S
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S
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H
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H
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S
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S
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5
|
S
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S
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S
|
S
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H
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H
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H
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H
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S
|
S
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4
|
S
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S
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H
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H
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H
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H
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H
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H
|
S
|
S
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3
|
H
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H
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H
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H
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H
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H
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H
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H
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S
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H
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2
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H
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H
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H
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H
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H
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H
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H
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H
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H
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H
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1
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H
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H
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H
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H
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H
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H
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H
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H
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H
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H
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0
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H
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H
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H
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H
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H
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H
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H
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H
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H
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H
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- The score of the player and dealer are compared, the
winner is the one which is greater. Winning bets on the
banker pay 19 to 20 (or even money less a 5% commission),
winning bets on the player pay 1 to 1, winning bets on a
tie usually pay 8 to 1.
You may wonder how the dealer collects the 5% commission on winning banker
bets. If they did so every hand it would involve a lot of change and slow
down the game. To avoid this during the course of play the dealer will pay
even money to winning banker bets and consider the 5% an IOU. As the dealer
plays through an eight deck shoe he/she will keep track of the commissions
every player owes. At the end of the shoe or when a player wants to leave
mid-shoe the dealer will collect on the commissions. Make sure you don't
run out of money with outstanding commissions.
The House Edge
Except for the tie bet, baccarat is one of the best bets
in the casino. The following table shows the house edge on
all available bets. Usually a tie will pay 8:1 but sometimes
will pay 9:1.
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Probabilities in 8-deck Baccarat
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Bet
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Combinations
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Probability
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House
Edge
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Bank
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2,292,252,566,437,888
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45.86%
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1.06%
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Player
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2,230,518,282,592,256
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44.62%
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1.24%
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Tie
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475,627,426,473,216
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9.52%
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14.36%
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Note: If the tie bet pays 9:1 the house edge on that bet
drops to 4.80%.
One and Six Deck Baccarat
Real Time Gaming online casinos offer a six-deck baccarat
game, and Microgaming online casinos offer a single deck
game. The fewer the decks the lower the house edge on the
banker bet and the greater the house edge on the player and
tie bets. The following tables show the specific
numbers.
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Probabilities in 6-deck Baccarat
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Bet
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Combinations
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Probability
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House
Edge
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Bank
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403,095,751,234,560
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45.87%
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1.06%
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Player
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392,220,492,728,832
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44.63%
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1.24%
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Tie
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83,552,962,932,288
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9.51%
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14.44%
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Probabilities in single deck Baccarat
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Bet
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Combinations
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Probability
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House
Edge
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Bank
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6,737,232,640
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45.96%
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1.01%
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Player
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6,548,674,432
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44.68%
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1.29%
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Tie
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1,372,227,328
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9.36%
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15.75%
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4% Commission Baccarat
The horseshoe in Las Vegas offers a 4% commission on the
banker bet on their big table game. This lowers the house
edge on that bet to 0.60%. The following table shows the house edge on the banker bet for commission of 0% to 5%.
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Commission
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House Edge
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| 5% | 1.06% |
| 4% | 0.60% |
| 3% | 0.14% |
| 2% | -0.32% |
| 1% | -0.78% |
| 0% | -1.24% |
Riding Trends
Every baccarat table will have plenty of scorecards and
pencils for the players to keep track of the outcome of
every hand. Most players will do so religiously and
carefully analyze their card for trends as the winning hand
switches back and forth from the banker to player. This is a
big waste of time! The smart player will bet on the banker
every time and leave the scorecards alone.
Where to Play Baccarat
Big table baccarat can be hard to find. In Las Vegas
generally only those casinos with a large high roller room
have it. Except for the Stardust the minimums usually start
at $100 and go up from there. The Silver Legacy in Reno
offers big table baccarat in the main casino for a $10
minimum. While I was there nobody was playing other than
myself.
Mini-Baccarat
Are the baccarat minimums too high for you? Then you may want to try mini-baccarat.
The rules and house edge are the same but the minimum is usually only $5 or
$10. Unlike regular baccarat with its player participation and unique decorum
mini-baccarat is played at a blackjack size table where the dealer controls
everything. The pace of mini-baccarat is very fast, it would not surprise me
if more were bet per hour at a $10 mini-baccarat table than a $25 regular baccarat
table. Without the atmosphere of the big baccarat table it is my opinion that
mini-baccarat loses its charm and is reduced to a redundant and boring game.
It is not surprising to me that mini-baccarat is one of the least popular table
games in any casino.
Commission Free Baccarat
At one time the Atlantic City Hilton offered a version of
the banker bet in baccarat which pays even money but only
wins 1 to 2 odds on a winning total of 6. The house edge on
the banker bet is 1.623%. As usual gimmicks do not pay as
well as the regular game, and this game is no exception.
I have also heard of a variant in Singapore where there
is no commission but a banker win of 8 pays 1 to 2. This has
a house edge of 4.07% on the banker bet.
| Related Articles:
| - The Odds Of Baccarat
- More Basic Baccarat Strategy
- Basic Baccarat Strategy
- The History of Baccarat
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