Baccarat is one of the world’s oldest casino games and has recently enjoyed a revival in Asia as high rollers from around the globe take a shine to its simple rules and high potential profits. As the game’s popularity grows, you can expect to see more baccarat tables at your local casino and even online. But how do you know which ones are the best? And what are the best baccarat betting strategies?
The goal of baccarat is to get a hand total closest to nine without going over. The dealer deals two cards to the player and banker, and then calculates the hand’s score. The hand with the final digit closest to 9 wins. If it’s a tie, neither the player nor the banker win. Typically, winning bets pay out 1:1, but a 5% commission may be paid out for Banker bets.
Players can choose to bet on the Player’s or the Banker’s hand, as well as on a Tie bet. When you bet on the Banker’s hand, you pay a commission of
When a game of baccarat begins, the dealer shuffles eight decks of playing cards and puts them in a box or special holder called a “shoe.” Those playing cards are then dealt out. Depending on the casino, some dealers will use a specialized card control system that allows them to immediately track the results of previous hands. Other casinos will use a card-shuffling machine in conjunction with manufactured pre-shuffled cards to avoid the time-consuming work of immediately cutting and dealing.
As with most casino games, the minimum bet varies from place to place. But $20-$25 is a common amount in the United States. Some American casinos allow players to gamble in cash, while others use a mixture of real money and oblong chips (usually with the same value as the $100 bill). Many European casinos also offer baccarat with oblong €25 coins.
Many American casino owners and managers have found baccarat to be a lucrative addition to their gaming floors because it brings in big-betting Asian high rollers. The resulting revenue stream can help offset the costs of installing the specialized equipment required for the game.
Bill Zender, who literally wrote the book on managing casino games, has seen baccarat grow substantially over his 40+ year career as a Nevada Gaming Control Agent and a casino executive. He says that baccarat’s rise has been partly due to the popularity of baccarat among Asian high rollers, who have made the game their game of choice because it fits their cultural preferences. Subscribe to Forbes Passport for more stories like this from the finest destinations and experiences in the world.