Baccarat

Baccarat: Tips and Trivia

The name Baccarat is derived from the Italian word for zero – baccara.  It describes the value of the loosing hand of the game (as opposed to the winning hand, which is much more common in card games such as Blackjack).  It is believed to have been invented by the Italian, Felix Falguiere in the 1400s.  It then was brought into French royal and aristocratic circles by King Louis of France in the end of the 15th century.

The game traveled around Europe and the Americas before evolving into the 3 main variations of the game we know today: Chemin de fer (railway), Baccarat Banque (or a deux tableaux), and Punto Banco (or North American Baccarat).

Baccarat is known as a game of the social elite, and is often shown in movies as a glamorous high stakes game.  Most notably James Bond was known to play Baccarat and it can be seen several Bond Movies, including Dr. No, Thunderball, On Her Majesty's Secret Service and GoldenEye.  It’s known as 007’s favorite game, but in the recent movie ‘Casino Royal’ it was replaced by a poker game.

Understanding Baccarat

Traditionally, to play Baccarat is a high stakes affair, but these days other versions such as Mini Baccarat can often be found which offers lower betting limits.  From a shoe of 6 to 8 decks of cards, each player is dealt 2 cards.  The object is to get a hand value of 8 or 9, (preferably 9) or as close as possible to that number.  The cards 2 – 9 hold their face value, ace is worth 1, and 10's and picture cards are worth 0.  When the value of the cards is totaled, if more than 9 (for example 14), the ‘1’ is dropped off the double digit number, in this case it means that the 14 is actually worth 4, (a 15 is worth 5 and so on).

There are up to 3 possible outcomes or bets that you can place in Baccarat; Banker, Player or Tie.  Note that the ‘Banker’ does not necessarily mean the house or dealer, and the ‘Player’ does not necessarily mean you or another player.  Each player is dealt 2 cards. The best hand is known as a ‘Natural Nine’ – 2 cards which total 9.  The next best is a ‘Natural Eight’. If anyone has either of these hands, then they are the winner and the game ends without the option for other players to draw anymore cards. If there is a tie between 2 players then the game is void.  When neither of these hands is dealt, the game continues as players choose whether to bet or fold.

Baccarat Tips and Strategy

As with all casino games the best advice for playing Baccarat is to practice and to know your time and financial limits.  Fortunately for beginners, Mini Baccarat games can now be found in land based and online casinos.  This game is essentially the same as American Baccarat, only slightly simplified and with lower limits. (Baccarat tables, especially in land based casinos, have notoriously high betting restrictions, accounting for its reputation as a game of the aristocracy).

There are a few popular strategies that can be used to play several casino games as well as to play Baccarat, although the game is largely based on luck, these techniques can help you win, or at least reduce any losses. The Martingdale System is a widely used strategy whereby the player starts with a fixed bet amount. After each losing hand he doubles his bet on the next hand.  By continuing to double until he has a win, the player will eventually win back any losses.  After a win he should return to the fixed bet amount.  The Reverse Martingdale System is exactly the same as described above, only the bets are doubled upon wins, instead of losses.  Only when a loss is incurred does the player return to the fixed bet amount.

The D'Alembert Strategy was developed by the theorist Jean d’Alembert in the 1700s.  This strategy is based on theories of natural equilibrium – basically if you win, next time around a loss is more likely, and so forth.  It is remarkably simple to follow - you win a hand, you lower your bets by 1 unit on the next hand, and if you lose, you up your bets by 1 unit.  The Reverse D’Alembert Strategy is quite literally the opposite.  If you win a hand you should up your bets by 1 unit for the next hand, and if you lose, you should lower them.  The Reverse D’Alenbert Strategy is higher risk than the regular D’Alenbbert Strategy, but if you are on a winning streak – then it allows you to build up much larger profits much more quickly.  Regardless of these strategies, the most important Baccarat tips are to find a Mini Baccarat (to download or casino games or live games page – dep on what there is) table, learn the game and enjoy your game!

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