The Baccarat table is a place of beauty, where the ritual of cards is played out with elegance. From seven to 14 seats are arranged around the table, each with a dedicated betting area for Player and Banker bets. Two hands are dealt to each player, with the objective of betting on the hand that comes closest to nine. Picture cards and Tens count zero points, while numbered cards from 2-9 are worth their face value. Aces count as one point. When a hand totals more than 10, you drop the ten and use the second digit to calculate the score.
Players can also choose to bet on a tie. But this bet is less predictable and pays only 8 to 1. A casino manager says it is “one of the worst bets in the game.” And yet countless gamblers can’t resist placing big bets on this long shot, akin to laying down a bet on a lottery ticket that pays 15-to-1.
There are a few things that distinguish baccarat from other card games: the rules, the structure of the game, and the sheer size of the stakes. Most importantly, the rules of baccarat require that the dealer be a professional. That means that a player has to be confident in his or her ability to make decisions, especially under pressure. And if you’re a high roller, a professional can help you win the most money by minimizing the house edge.
A baccarat game is played with six decks of cards, which are shuffled together and grouped into a shoe. The cards are then grouped into a player’s and a banker’s hands. Players can bet on either the player or the banker, and a third option is to bet on a tie. Bets are placed in designated spots on the table, and the winner is determined by which hand has a final digit closest to 9.
Baccarat’s popularity has surged in recent years, partly because of its celebrity endorsements by high-profile celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez and Kim Kardashian. But can the game keep its hold on the industry as it evolves and the patron base shifts? GGB asked Andrew MacDonald, senior vice president and chief operating officer of Las Vegas Sands, a company with a strong presence in the Asian market.
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