Baccarat - An Introduction
Baccarat was first invented by an Italian gambler Felix Falguierein in the middle ages and was first played with a deck of Tarot cards. Later baccarat was introduced in France around 1490 A.D. and remained an exclusive game to the French nobility for a long time before becoming a casino game.
During the 17th and 18th centuries baccarat was mainly played by high-rank people, aristocrats, royalty and so on. But the days of online gambling has seen a surge in popularity in the "game of kings" - baccarat. Gamblers from all around the world started to play baccarat in the Internet casinos and they liked it, which is obvious since baccarat is on of the most simple casino games to play.
There are many variations of the game and it is played all over the world. The French version of baccarat "Chemin de fer" became popular in England, where they changed the rules and called "European baccarat". It arrived in the United States in the late 1950s as a combination of European baccarat and "Chemin de fer". It was introduced into Las Vegas at the Dunes casino by Tommy Renzoni.
Baccarat is a fair game. Nevada-style baccarat differs from chemin de fer in a few respects, mainly in that the house books all action. You can bet on either the player's or the banker's hand and have very close to an even-money chance. The bank has a small edge. Consequently in the Nevada-type game the house charges 5 percent of your winnings if you bet on the bank and win. Since you might bet the bank about 50 percent of the time and win about 50 percent of those bets, this amounts to approximately 1.25 percent take for the house.
All baccarat payoffs are at even money. Of course you can get longer odds by parlaying or tripling your bet. There are no ties in baccarat; all tied hands are played over. The established rules are very strict; the player has no options on his hits and stands. In the European and older forms of this game, a good card counter could make more money. In a way, the simplicity of baccarat has its advantages; the player can concentrate on cycles and wagering plans.
The dealing box passes around the table to each player in rotation, at which time he becomes the "banker," a mere formality. One player at a time at the table then becomes the "player." Other players at the table can bet on either hand at any time to make the best score. The perfect score is 9. All 10's and face cards in the deck are the same as 0, or as a 10. If you go past 9, a natural, you are still OK on the second ending figure of 9, as in 19. All casinos that play the game publish a rules card. Some charge a seat fee and most of them have a high minimum bet to keep the game expensive and exclusive.
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