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A game of French aristocrats and British princes, Baccarat remains one of the most popular casino games today, only trailing various Poker and Blackjack games. The exact origin of the game remains unknown. Having come out of high-society salons, Baccarat was welcomed in casinos where it has been successfully played for centuries.
History
European capitals are competing for the honour of being called the homeland of Baccarat, one of the world’s most popular card games. According to some speculations, Baccarat originated in France, where it was extremely popular among local aristocrats. Others claim it came about in Spain where it was called Punto Banco (the game is known still known under this name in many casinos worldwide).
Yet, the Italian origin theory appears to be most realistic. It maintains that Baccarat was created by a savvy Italian, Felix Falguere. Even the name of the game is Italian and is derived from the Italian word Baccarat, or ’zero,’ the reason being all 10s, Jacks, Queens and Kings in this game have a value of zero points. Originally Baccarat was played with Tarot cards.
From Italy, the game migrated to France where it quickly took over the high-society salons and became known as Chemin-de-fer, meaning ’railroad’ in French. Chemin-de-fer was considered an entertainment for the elite, played exclusively by members of the French upper class.
The elitarian spirit of Baccarat has persisted for decades, if not centuries. Thus, one of the most devout fans of the game in the United Kingdom, where it was banned at the time, was the King-to-be Edward VII. A high-profile scandal that ensued from the Crown Prince’s passion made him forget about cards for a long time.
Another famous British fan of Baccarat was Ian Fleming. His love for the game was inherited by his Agent 007, James Bond. Several of Fleming’s bestsellers and their screen adoptions show Bond fervently playing Baccarat. An exception to this tradition was made in 2006, with the release Casino Royale, where the patriotically-minded American producers replaced the aristocratic Baccarat with Texas Hold’em.
General principles
Baccarat, especially its variation called Punto Banco, is very easy to play. The main objective is to predict which hand, the player’s or the banker’s, will have a higher value. One has to keep in mind that to calculate this value, only two or three cards may be used; all 10s and face are worth zero while aces are worth one point; 2s through 9s have their face value.
In modern-day casinos the main type of Baccarat being played is Punto Banco (also known as Mini-Baccarat). In this game, ‘Player’ (Punto) does not refer to a real player, nor does ‘Banker’ (Banco) refer to the actual dealer. These are simply designations for the two hands that are dealt in each game. The decision that the real player has to make to predict which of the two hands will prevail.
At the beginning of the game two cards are dealt both to the player hand and the banker hand. Usually two cards are enough to achieve the winning score. However sometimes the third card may be dealt. The maximum number of points that can be reached is 9. The hand having the higher value, wins. Sometimes a tie may be declared.
An actual player that predicts the winning hand correctly wins his or her bet.
An actual player may bet either on the winning hand or on a tie. When the player hand prevails over the banker’s, the payout is given at the rate of 1:1. When the banker hand prevails, the payout is the same, except a 5% commission is charged by the house. When a tie is declared, the payout is 8:1 or sometimes even 9:1.
Rules
- The hand reaching the higher number of points (9 is the maximum) wins the game. The score is calculated based on the following formula:
- 10s, jacks, queens, kings – 0 points
- Aces – 1 point
- 2s-9s – face value
- Each of two hands is dealt two cards. The third card is dealt if:
- If the total value of the initial two cards dealt to the player hand is less than, or equal to, five points; or
- If the total value of the initial two cards dealt to the banker hand is less than, or equal to, four points.
In a situation where the total value of the banker hand is five, a decision of whether to deal the third card is made based on the type of the cards held in the hand.
