A few readers in recent weeks have asked me to take a look at baccarat, the world’s most popular casino game, which can be found at the Hard Rock in San Jose, Cache Creek in Brooks (Yolo County), and Thunder Valley in Lincoln (Placer County). Though it is one of the oldest games, it remains mysterious to many American gamblers. Nevertheless, it is growing in popularity.
Baccarat traces its roots to Italy and France, but it became a sensation in Asia during the last three decades, where it has now become the largest gambling game in the world. It’s a casino favorite in China and Japan, and it is now booming in America too. Casinos earn big money from baccarat, and the game’s growing popularity in the United States has prompted management to introduce new features to help customers track and analyze results.
The game’s two opposing sides are the player and banker, each dealt a total of two cards. The side whose hand is closest to nine wins the round. Tens and picture cards have zero value, and aces count as one. Players can bet on either the player or the banker, and they can also make a tie bet. A banker win pays a commission to the house, which varies by casino, but is usually around 5-10%.
In baccarat, each round begins when the dealer announces “no more bets.” The player and banker bettors then place their chips in numbered boxes. A card is then dealt to the player box, followed by a card to the banker box. The croupier then announces whether a third card will be drawn. If a third card is drawn, the winner of the round is determined by which hand has the higher rank.
Some stories suggest that baccarat originated as a life or death game, and that drawing a card lower than a six meant a death sentence. However, this is largely untrue and most historians believe that the game’s modern form was introduced in the 19th century by French aristocrat Francois de Falguiere, who was known to be a great admirer of Chinese culture. Today, baccarat is played throughout the world and is an especially popular casino game in Asia, where it has a particularly strong reputation for fairness. Baccarat is a very fast-paced game, with the result of each round announced in just a few seconds. The game is a very social activity, with players engaging in conversations and laughter at the table while betting with thousands of dollars on the outcome of each round. The most exciting moment is when the winning hand is announced. This can be very emotional, as it can lead to a major cash prize for the lucky player. In addition, there is always the possibility that a player may win multiple consecutive rounds, which can increase their winnings significantly. For this reason, it is important to know the odds and be able to calculate how much you can expect to win.
