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| Baccarat Punto Banco - Casino Baccarat - Baccarat Game |
 The object of the baccarat game is to acquire a hand of cards with a sum having the largest ones digit (if the sum exceeds 10 only the rightmost digit is considered). The cards from ace to nine count each according to the number of its pips. Face cards and tens are baccarat , a synonym for zero. Thus a player holding a three and a ten has three only; a player holding two face cards, a two and a five counts seven only. A player holding a five and a six count, not as eleven, but as one only. In mathematical terms, Baccarat scores are reckoned modulo 10 . |
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| Play Baccarat Punto Banco (North American Baccarat) |
In the United States and Canada , a variation of baccarat is played in which the casino banks the game at all times. Punters may bet on either the player or the banker, which are merely designations for the two hands dealt in each game.
The drawing rules for the game are fixed, and no options are available. If either the player or banker hand has a natural eight or nine in the first two cards, the hand ends and the higher scoring hand wins. For the player hand, a third card is drawn when the first two card total five or less, and no card is drawn when they total six or more. If the player hand stands on the first two cards, then the banker hand follows the same rules as the player hand. But if the player hand receives a third card, the banker hand is acted on according to the following rules:
- If the banker hand total is 0, 1 or 2, the bank always draws a card.
- If the banker hand total is 3 then the bank draws a third card if the players third card was anything other than 8.
- If the banker hand total is 4 then the bank draws a third card if the players third card was 2 through 7.
- If the banker hand total is 5 then the bank draws a third card if the players third card was 4, 5, 6, or 7.
- If the banker hand total is 6 then the bank draws a third card if the players third card was a 6 or 7.
- If the banker hand total is 7 then the bank always stands. |
A winning bet of the player hand pays even money. A winning bet on the banker hand pays even money, less a 5% commission; this is because the third-card rules give the banker hand a mathematical advantage. This commission is collected either of two ways: a) a running total of the commission owed is tracked for each player, and the balance due is paid before the cards are shuffled for a new deal (or more often, at the bettor's option); and b) the commission is paid after each winning hand, either by deducting it from the winnings or by payment by the bettor (i.e., if a $100 bet is won, the bettor may hand the dealer a $5 chip to pay the commission and receive a $100 chip in return, instead of receiving $95 in chips).
If both hands tie, all bets push and may be replayed, increased or decreased at will for the next hand. Most games also offer a proposition bet on ties which pays 8:1 odds.
The traditional form of punto banco baccarat is played at an oval table, similar to the Baccarat chemin de fer version. The table is staffed by a croupier , who directs the play of the game, and two dealers who collect and pay bets as well as tallying commissions due. Six or eight decks of cards are used, normally shuffled only by the croupier and dealers. Like chemin de fer, the shoe is passed around from player to player, who acts as the dealer of the cards and as "banker," but he or she does not actually bank the game. Indeed, the "banker" may bet on the player hand if he or she wishes, or may pass the shoe along to another player — the role of the "banker" is merely ceremonial. The person who bet the highest amount on the player hand is given the player-hand cards, though he or she simply turns the cards over, annoucing their total. The croupier instructs the "banker" on if or when to deal third cards, and then announces the winning hand.
In casinos in Las Vegas and Atlantic City , this version of baccarat is usually played in special rooms separated from the main gaming floor, ostensibly to provide an extra measure of privacy and security because of the high stakes often involved. The game is frequented by the highest of high rollers, who may wager tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars on a single hand. Australian tycoon Kerry Packer is particularly fond of the game, having won and lost large sums over the years. Minimum bets are relatively high, often starting at 25 USD and going as high as 500 USD . Posted maximum bets are often arranged to suit a player, but maximums of 10,000 USD per hand are common.
Despite its simplicity (or perhaps because of it), the punto banco version of baccarat offers some of the lowest house advantage available in a casino. The player bet has a house advantage of 1.24%, and the banker bet (despite the 5% commission) has an advantage of 1.06%. The tie bet has a much higher house advantage of 14.44%, based on six decks in play.
Because of its attraction for wealthy players, a casino may win or lose millions of dollars a night on the game, and the house's fortunes may even affect the bottom line of a corporation's quarterly profit and loss — notations of the effects of major baccarat wins and losses are frequent in the quarterly reports of publicly-traded gaming companies.
Mini-baccarat is essentially the same game, but played at a smaller table very similar to a blackjack table. A single dealer handles the entire game, including dealing the cards. The pace is usually much faster than the "big baccarat" version. Betting minimums and maximums are usually lower. In casinos outside of Las Vegas and Atlantic City , this is frequently the only version of baccarat that is offered. |
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