Baccarat has been called blackjack for idiots.
While this is an overly harsh judgement, it is true that baccarat
is somewhat analogous to the game of blackjack but without
any of the complexities of strategy or player options. While
the underlying concept of the game is like a simplified version
of blackjack, the way in which the game is conducted is more
analogous to craps. There are two dealers and a caler, whose
duties roughly correspond to the two dealers and the stickmen
at craps. The dealing shoe circulates around the table from
player to player in much the same way the dice do at craps.
The player with the shoe can keep dealing untill he deals
a loosing bank hand, comparable to sevening-out at craps.
The two basic bets at baccarat, bank hand and player hand,
correspond to the two line bets at craps, pass and don't pass.
Regardless of the number of players at the
table, there are always only two hands dealt in the game.
These are called the player hand and the bank hand. These
games are a holdover from the original European version of
the game, in which one player takes a role of the bank and
all other players bet against him. In American-style baccarat,
these names have no real significance since anyone can bet
on either hand. The names are just an arbitrary way of distinguishing
the two hands. Each player makes a bet on either the player
hand or the bank hand before any cards are dealt for that
round.
Between these two hands, the two hands, the
one that wins is the one that comes closer to a total of 9.
It is impossible to go over 9 because, in totaling the value
of the cards, tens are always cancelled out. Therefore, if
the cards totaled 17, this would be considered a 7. If they
totaled 24, this would count as 4. In adding the cards, each
card counts as its numerical value, except 10s and picture
cards counting as ten. However, since tens are cancelled out
in baccarat, ten and zero are synonymous. As we shall see,
10s and picture cards do count as ten for purposes of burning
card. A couple of examples of totaling hands should clarify
the process. A hand consisting of a 5 and a 3 counts as 8.
A hand consisting of a 6 and a queen counts as six. A hand
consisting of a 5, an 8, and a jack counts as 3. A hand consisting
of a king, a 5, and a 9 counts as 4.
Initially, each hand consists of two cards.
However, depending on the total, one or both hands may draw
an additional card in an effort to improve the total. However,
unlike in blackjack, in baccarat the players have no choice
of whether to draw a card. House rules stipulate when a card
must be drawn and when one cannot be drawn. In no case is
more than one card ever drawn to a hand.
Once the two hands have been dealt and have
receiveed any draw they may have coming, the two totals determine
the winner. Whichever hand-player hand or bank hand is closer
to 9 wins. Players who had bet on that hand are paid off at
even money and those betting on the other hand lose their
wagers. If the bank hand wins, the house will charge a 5 percent
commission on the winnings. No commission is charged on winning
bets on the player hand. If both hands end up with the same
total, this is considered a tie no money changes hands. each
player keeps his original bet and is free to wager all or
part of it again or to take the money back.
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