The Basics of Baccarat
Baccarat is one of the most popular casino games worldwide. It is played in a variety of forms at casinos, including on the Las Vegas Strip and in Singapore.
It is also one of the most popular high-roller games, especially in Asia and the Pacific Rim. In fact, Bill Zender, a former Nevada Gaming Control Agent and current consultant to casinos, has written that Asian high rollers have almost universally made baccarat their game of choice because it matches their cultural preferences.
The game of baccarat is a betting table that involves both the Banker and Player. Players must decide whether they believe the banker or player will win, and how much they should wager. The dealer deals cards from a dealing box called a shoe, which releases one card at a time, face down.
Eight 52-card packs are shuffled and dealt by the dealer from the shoe. The croupier, or dealer, then places the cards in a table and covers them with green felt. The green felt is numbered and marked with the numbers 1 to 12 and indicates where bets can be placed.
Unlike most other casino table games, the rules of baccarat are fixed. The goal of the game is to predict which hand will win by calculating its points. The game can be played for a single or multiple hands, depending on the number of players. The hand with the highest total wins and is paid 1 to 1.
There are five types of bets in a baccarat game: Players, Banker, Tie, Super Six and Pair. The banker’s bet pays a larger amount than other bets, but it has a higher house edge. The player’s bet is usually the least profitable, but it does pay a slightly higher amount than the banker’s.
The house takes a 5% commission on winning bets on the Banker’s hand, which is how the game makes money. It also collects lost bets and pays out winnings to the players.
It is not uncommon for a player to place multiple bets on the Banker’s or Player’s hands, but it is illegal to do so in most jurisdictions. The house also collects a commission on winning bets on the tie bet, which pays 8 to 1.
If neither the Banker or the Player receives a hand with a total of 8 or 9 points, the game is over. The dealer then draws a third card for either the Banker or the Player hand, if required. The resulting totals are then compared against the original hands. If the hands are identical, the Tie bet wins eight to 1.
A third card is never drawn for the Banker’s hand if the player has an initial total of 5 or less. If the banker has an initial total of 6 or 7, they draw a third card and stand. In addition, if the player is dealt a natural, the cards are burned and the entire deal is over.