Baccarat is the most popular card game in the world. It is easy to play and requires no previous knowledge or strategy. In fact, the rules are so simple that you can even read them while sitting at a table. It’s no wonder that it is the game of choice for high rollers and royalty. It’s also the game featured in Casino Royal, a James Bond film starring Sean Connery.
In the first scene of the movie, Bond is playing baccarat in a casino with Xenia Onatopp. She is a formidable player and scares off many of the other players at the table. In the real world, casinos around the world have embraced this game as one of their top money makers. Macau casinos, for example, get more of their revenue from baccarat than any other casino in the world.
The origin of the game is unclear, although historians believe it was invented in 1500s Rome, Italy by Felix Falguiere. It spread throughout Europe and into Asia, where it became a favorite pastime among the royalty. It didn’t make it to the US until the 19th century, where it quickly became a hit among Americans seeking a new form of gambling.
To play baccarat, you place your bet on the hand you think will win—the Player hand, the Banker hand, or a tie. Two cards are dealt to each hand from a multi-deck shoe, and the winner is the one closest to nine points. Tens, jacks, queens, and kings count as zero, and all other cards have their face value. Any hand that totals more than nine will have the digit dropped, much like blackjack.
A shrewd gambler will always be looking for the best odds and a good return on his or her bet. That’s why you should play with a bankroll and know how much you want to spend in advance. It’s best to approach this with the same mentality as you would a night out, not expecting to come home rich.
Bill Zender, a former Nevada Gaming Control Agent and longtime casino dealer, literally wrote the book on managing casino games. He’s seen baccarat grow considerably over the course of his career and says Asian high rollers have made it their game of choice for several reasons. “Baccarat appeals to them because of their cultural preference for the game,” he said. In addition, baccarat has one of the lowest hold percentages in a casino, with an average house edge of about 1.2 percent on banker and player bets. It’s also quick, with each round played out in just seconds. And if you want to bet on a tie, it pays eight to one, which is more than the winnings of most other casino games. For these reasons, baccarat is becoming the most popular game in the world. Despite its complex and storied history, the game is relatively simple to understand. And it’s definitely worth a try for anyone who wants to play.