Baccarat is a fun and very interesting card game that is now played all over the world. Baccarat is played at casinos all over the world, but the place where it enjoys the greatest popularity is Macau in Asia. If you’re not familiar with Macau, it’s an island out of coast of China. It’s Asia’s answer to Las Vegas – just bigger and crazier!
In Macau the gamblers love Baccarat. Actually, about 75% percent of Macau’s revenue derives from Baccarat alone! Part of the explanation is that is a game with a social feeling to it – the other that it’s a thrilling game to play!
In Europe too, there is a long-standing passion for the game. Here it is known as the high roller game and is surrounded by an exclusive atmosphere.
Traditionally, Baccarat has been where the big money was at stake. There is more than one story of rich men who have gone fully bankrupt after just a few hours in the card room. This is portrayed in several James Bond movies, where Baccarat is the favorite game of the British agent. It is played in most physical gambling rooms, but it can just as easily be played online. You can choose to play online with other players or offline where you play against yourself. Online Baccarat is played with eight decks of cards that are re-shuffled after each hand and dealt from a shoe, similar to Blackjack. A total of four cards are dealt, with the first and third cards going to the Player’s hand, and the second and fourth cards to the Banker’s hand.
Once the Player and Banker receive their cards, their point total is displayed below the hand on the screen. If either hand has a total of 8 or 9, this is considered a “Natural,” at which point no additional cards will be dealt. The winning hand is determined by the person (Player or Banker) whose point total is closest to 9. If both hand totals are the same, a “Tie” is declared.
If a winning hand is not satisfied during the initial draw, a third card may then be drawn by the dealer. The third card is dealt face up, first to the Player’s hand and then, if necessary, to the Banker’s hand. Only one additional card per hand may be dealt. The game has been around for a while and there are 3 different variations to choose from called Baccarat Banque, Punto Banco and Baccarat Chemin de Fer. As casinos grew larger and more organized during the 20th century, the Punto Banco variant became prevalent. In Punto banco it is only the casino dealer that draws cards, which increases the speed of the game and makes it possible for more players to participate. The basic principles of the game remain the same, though. More than 90% of the Baccarat that is played on casinos today is of the Punto banco variant. New games mean new opportunities! You definitely should give this up – and coming game a go!