Written by Baccarat is arguably one of the oldest gambling card games, and like Blackjack and many other games there has always been some debate about the origins and history of this popular pastime.
From an American perspective the history of the game is relatively recent, it’s just a version of a card game derived from similar but not identical European games. From a European perspective however it is a game that can be traced back to 1483 and 1498, believe it or not. The original Italian game was introduced to France sometime during this period and the word Baccarat means zero in Italian. Similar games that can be traced back similar periods of time include Faro and Basset. Chemin de Fer is also an historic variant of the game.
It became popular in American casinos during the rise of Las Vegas in the late 1950′s but both Baccarat and Chemin de Fer had been played in previous years illegally on the East Coast. Cards are moved around the table with a palette, adding to the game’s flair.
How to Play
The most commonly played variety of Baccarat is Punto Banco so we’ll explain the rules for that derivation here. The game is a contest between two players (and the house also becomes a player, rather than just the bank) to obtain a hand totalling nine or nearest to nine. Picture cards are worthless, as is the ‘Ten’ card and the Ace is worth one.
Bets are now placed on the outcome. Punto Banco (player – bank) is not a game of skill, just of luck.
To begin, two cards are dealt to each player face-up and the totals are noted – if a total is more than ten, for example 6 + 8 gives a total of 14, ten is subtracted from the score so our example total would be four. The dealer reads out the totals then a second round begins with cards dealt depending on the totals from the first round as follows. Different rules apply for the player and the dealer as follows (thanks Wikipedia):
This is the final round and bets are paid out on a player win (evens), bank win (19/20 inc. 5% commission) or draw (8/1). Player and bank win stakes are returned in the event of a draw.
