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What is the history of baccarat?
If you are a fan of historical novels, baccarat will definitely interest you with its dramatic origin. According to legend, young girls in ancient Rome had to roll nine-sided dice to decide their fate: if they rolled 8 or 9, they became priestesses, 6 or 7 – they kept their lives, but for a result below 6, they could be drowned in the sea.
Fortunately, today’s game is not as dramatic – drowning customers would not be good PR for a casino – but the legend makes sense, at least within the rules of the game, where a player usually loses the game (but not his life) if he gets less than 6.
It is believed that in the 15th century, an Italian named Felix Falgieri formed these simple rules, combining them with elements of other games such as Macau and Le Hier. It is probably he who came up with the name baccarat, as this old Italian word means zero: most cards in the game are worthless.
French soldiers who returned after the conflict in Italy added the letter “t” to the end of the word baccarat, which has since become a common name. This entertainment became especially popular among the French nobility, especially in the 18th century, when Napoleon himself apparently played it. They even came up with their own version called Baccarat Banque, a variant that still exists today.
1907 was a big year for baccarat. It was when France legalized casino gambling, opening the game of baccarat to the general public. The great popularity led to the formation of subtypes of the game, such as Chemin de Fer and Punto Banco, which we will talk about later.
The popularity of baccarat continued throughout the 20th century. This game was immortalized in a series of James Bond movies, and it was 007’s favorite game. Although it is not as popular as roulette or blackjack, you will find baccarat tables in most modern casinos, including their online versions.
The rules of baccarat differ a bit depending on whether you play “Punto Banco” (where the actions are dictated by the numbers on the cards) or “Chemin de Fer” (where the players involved can decide to take a third card), but the principle is the same: you bet on whether the hand, the player or the banker, has the highest value after all the cards have been dealt. Nine is the best possible hand that cannot lose.
So how does Baccarat work?
Online Baccarat is one of the absolute classics in casinos all over the world. However, many online casino customers still don’t know how the game actually works, as games like Roulette or Blackjack are more popular. The goal in baccarat online for real money in Canada is to bet on the best-dealt hand. The best hand is the one where the final digit, when all the points (the points on a playing card representing clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades) are added up, is closest to the number nine.
Face cards have a value of zero, aces count as one. Do you have a face card and an 8? You don’t have an 18, you have an 8. If you get a 3 and a 4, you have 7 points. If you get a 9 and a 7, you have 16 points. You got 16, so your score is 6. And that’s it. That’s the whole game.
Player
When the player has 0-5 in his hand, he draws a third card. At 6 or 7 he stops. 8 or 9 is a “natural,” and “stand” works here, too, even if the player has an 8 and the banker has a 9.
Banker
However, if the player drew a third card, the banker acts according to the following rules associated with the score:
- The banker draws a card regardless of what the player’s third card is.
- The bank draws a third card unless the player’s third card is an 8.
- The bank draws a third card if the player’s third card is a 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7.
- The bank draws a third card if the player’s third card is a 4, 5, 6, or 7.
- The bank draws a third card if the player’s third card is a 6 or 7.
- The banker stops.
Note that for the above advantages of the bank, a commission of 5% is paid to the house when you win a bet on the bank.
Betting on a tie
If the player and the banker have the same score, the game is considered a draw. All bets on player and banker will be refunded.
The odds
The best thing about official Baccarat is that it has the lowest house advantage of all games in the casino. The house edge for bets on bankers is 1.06 percent (including the 5% commission), while the house edge for bets on players is 1.24 percent.
The payout of bets on draws in casinos is often 8:1, so the house advantage is 9.5%. This is considered a pretty bad bet, so steer clear of it. However, to master the game, you should familiarize yourself with the game procedures and not just the basic rules.
