The actual origin of baccarat is lost in history, however
some historians claim that there is no reliable record
of the game before the middle of the nineteenth century,
and the game originated in Italy. Baccarat is thought
to be a spin-off of the French game vingt-et-un (twenty-one),
the game we know as blackjack. It is similar in that the
goal is to get as close as possible to a set number without
exceeding it.
Baccarat differs from blackjack in several ways:
-
The total aimed at is nine rather
than twenty-one.
-
If the total is exceeded the player
doesn't automatically lose. Rather, the total cycles
around a base of 10, so that if the total is greater
than 9, 10 is subtracted from the total to obtain a
number between 0 and 9. For example if the hand contains
an 8 and a 5 the total of 13 has 10 subtracted from
it and it is treated as a 3.
-
The 10, Jack, Queen, and King have
a value of 0 (10 minus 10 = 0).
-
The ace has only one value
-
The decision to pull another card
is determined by a fixed set of rules, and is not left
to the players judgment (in most versions).
-
In Europe chips are used to place
wagers, while in North America they often use real money
for betting. (This is thought to make the game more
exciting). Online you use casino credits that you purchase
before playing.
-
There are three present-day games
that are essentially the same and sometimes all thought
of as baccarat. They are:
Chemin de fer: This game is played in
some European casinos, but is not played in the U.K. and
North America. The goal is the same (to get as close to
9 as possible) but the rules allow a few conditions where
drawing a card is optional. The casino doesn't play the
role of banker, the players bet against each other, the
players take turns being the banker-dealer (the option
may be declined, and it then passes to the next player
to the right) the house takes a standard cut out of the
player banker's winning coup.
Baccarat: This game is the only game
played in the U.K. and North America. The goal is the
same (to get as close to 9 as possible) however the game
is strictly mechanical with formal rules dictating every
aspect of play. The house banks the game, thus the bets
can be much larger than when another player is acting
as the bank, also with the house assuming the role of
banker the game can be played with as few as one player
(in chemin de fer you have to wait for additional players
before the game can start).
Mini-baccarat: A new version of the
game. The game is played at a blackjack sized table with
up to seven players. The rules are the same as for the
full version of baccarat, however to speed up the game
the players don't touch the cards they are dealt by the
casino dealer. The stakes are much lower for this game
than the full version, this, plus the less formal atmosphere
make this version of Baccarat appeal to many players.
