The original version of Baccarat is only played by a select few. If you’ve ever played the game, you’re most likely playing mini-Baccarat. The full version is reserved for six-figure players and higher. So what the heck is the difference? Actually, nothing much at all. The big version is slower and allows players to do different things. But, the game and decisions are exactly the same.
For simplicity’s sake, we’ll just call the game Baccarat like everyone else. Actually, this is one game that allows players to play and win without knowing anything. We’ll go over the game quickly in a moment, but let’s just say that as a player, you don’t really have to think much. I love the game, because I can just kick back and let the dealer do all the work. The game has a degree of suspense.
Wagering
Baccarat has three wager points. As a player, you can pick up to two of them per game. The three wager areas are the Player, the Banker and Ties. With each hand you’ll pick either the Banker or the Player. If you think the hand will end in a tie, you can bet that too. Also, you can just bet the Tie if you want, but that’s pretty pointless, since ties are rare.
Both the Player and Banker bets are paid even money. There’s one catch. Wins on the Banker are taxed (vig) 5%, because the Banker has a slight edge. Tie winning wagers are paid 9 to 1.
House Edge – Low
Here’s the best reason for learning Baccarat. The house advantage is very low. In fact, it’s the lowest of any casino game. The lower the better. Unlike some guys, which can have house edges of 14% or higher, the house edge on Banker bets is only 1.06% and 1.24% on Player bets.
However, don’t get excited about the Tie bet. The house edge there is through the roof. Personally, I never bother with this bet. Why give away 14.35% of your money? By the way, some Baccarat games offer a 4% commission on winning Banker’s bets. That’s golden, because it lowers the house edge to just 0.60%. It’s very nice.
Playing the Game
Baccarat is a simple game that’s 100% controlled by a dealer. You don’t interact with the game at all, aside from placing wagers. The game uses multiple decks from a shoe (4+ decks).
At the conclusion of the game, the dealer takes all losing wagers and pays winning ones. All commissions are added. Some places require you to pay as you go, others let you accumulate it for a bit.
In part two we’ll go over the game in more detail, including hand play strategy and more.
