Baccarat Basics
Baccarat is a card game that’s played by betting on which hand will have the highest value. Players choose either the Player hand, the Banker hand, or a tie. The game can be very complicated for people unfamiliar with it, but it’s worth the effort in order to be able to play well. Baccarat can be found in land-based casinos, but it’s also available online. Online versions of the game are a great option for those looking to avoid traveling and just want to play from home. The only restrictions for playing online are that the person is old enough and it is legal in the jurisdiction where they live.
The game of baccarat is very different from other table games. The cards are dealt from a shoe that contains three inter-shuffled decks. The banker is determined by auctioning and the first player willing to stake an amount equal to or greater than the current bank total takes on that role. If no one is willing to take on that role, the banker remains in place until they wish to withdraw or run out of money. Winning wagers are paid out even money with no commission.
A croupier, or dealer, oversees the game. They deal the cards from a box, called a shoe, that holds eight 52-card packs. A banker, or baccarat banque, sits opposite the croupier and is surrounded by punters, or players, on both sides. The table is covered with green felt and the numbers 1 to 12 are marked on it. The numbered areas are where the bets are placed.
Unlike other table games, the winning hand is the one that totals closest to nine. All cards are worth their face value, except for the Ace, which is worth 1. The values of the other cards add up to the hand’s total. If a Player hand has a total of 8 or 9, no more cards are drawn and the game is over. In the case of a Player and Banker combination that totals 8 or 9 the game is over as well.
There are other bets that can be made in baccarat, such as Super Six and Pair Bets. The payout on winning a Super Six bet is 12x the bet amount. A Pair Bet is won if the Player and Banker hands are a pair of matching cards.
Baccarat has been featured in several films, most notably in the original 1954 television version of Casino Royale, which introduced the character James Bond to the world. The game has been featured in all of the subsequent Bond films, including Dr. No; Thunderball; On Her Majesty’s Secret Service; and For Your Eyes Only. It is also popular at casino websites, where it can be enjoyed by people from all over the world. A good website will have a large variety of tables for playing the game, with multiple options for bets and wagering. This way, people can find the right table for them and begin playing in no time at all.