While baccarat may be known for its glitzy appearances at high-profile events and being linked to fictional spy James Bond, the game’s roots run deep. It is thought to have been born in Italy over 700 years ago and spread from there via the nobility and upper crust of France. Some think baccarat spun off from pai gow, an ancient Chinese tile game. Regardless of its origins, Baccarat is now a cherished pastime for high rollers who flock to the table to wager large sums in pursuit of a big win.
The premise is simple: Players choose whether they want to bet on Player or Banker, then place their wagers in the appropriate betting area. The dealer deals two hands of cards—one for the banker and one for the players—and if either hand totals nine, the winning bet is determined. If the cards dealt total more than nine, only the rightmost digit is used to determine the value of the hand. For example, a seven and a six will be valued as three because the seven is higher than the six.
There are a few different strategies to play baccarat, but they all have one thing in common: They require a large bankroll and discipline to stick with them. A savvy baccarat player can take advantage of the game’s low house edge, which averages around 1.2 percent on both the Banker and Player bets. There is a third bet—Tie—that pays off eight to one, but it has a much larger house edge of over 14 percent, so most serious players avoid it.
A baccarat dealer’s job is to take bets from the players, manage the game’s bankroll, and supervise the table. In addition, the dealer must be able to spot when a banker has an edge over the players and make adjustments accordingly. This is why many baccarat dealers are trained to follow a fixed set of rules, which is designed to minimize the casino’s house edge and maximize the player’s chance of winning.
Baccarat is played on a large table with from seven to 14 seats for players and a banker’s area. Each round starts with a player announcing to the other players that they wish to “go bank.” The banker then sets his or her initial bet and the deal begins.
Despite the low hold percentage, baccarat still attracts a high volume of VIP clients because of its reputation as a sophisticated and prestigious game. As a result, it is often tucked away in the high-limit areas of casinos.
As a result of the game’s popularity among Asian high rollers, management must now address a few cultural issues related to the game. For example, a player may prefer to have his or her name written in a specific way. Consequently, when changing $100 chips or bills into smaller denominations of chips, managers should be aware of this preference and ensure that customers receive their change in the appropriate manner.