RealTime Baccarat

An Overview of Baccarat

Baccarat is a card game played usually in casinos but now can also be played online. Baccarat is Italian for zero. It is said to have first originated in Italy during the middle ages. Some say a man named Felix Falguierein first played baccarat using tarot cards. Others say that baccarat's origins can be traced to spiritual, pagan practices of that time.

Different version of baccarat came into existence through the years. Baccarat is especially different between the one played in the United States and the one in Europe. European baccarat allows the players to choose their banker amongst themselves and the casino just takes a percentage whereas in the American baccarat the casino is also the banker.

So how does one play baccarat? The objective of baccarat is to get as close to the value of nine as possible. The bank initially distributes two cards to each player including himself. All of them then add the two cards they got. In the event that the cards exceed 9 then the first digit of the number is taken out. For example, a total 10-point value is equivalent to 0, a 19 is equivalent to 9 and so on. If any of the players get a "natural" nine or eight then they are prohibited from getting another card. A "natural" occurs only when the player has the initial two cards. If a tie occurs, or when the players have the same total value of cards then all bets are canceled.

In baccarat, the playing cards have the following values: kings, queens and jacks value as 10, aces are valued as 1 and all the other cards are taken at face value. If for example a baccarat player gets a total value less than an eight or nine then he has the option to stand and say "non." If the player chooses to get one more card with the hopes of increasing his total value then he says "carte." A baccarat player must stand in a six or seven and he must take another card with a four or less initial total value.

Players may put their bets in other player's hands or other player's cards (cheval). If a player says "banco" that means he is betting all the value of the bank's funds. All other bets are then taken out.

What has been presented here is just one of the versions of how baccarat can be played. Other versions still exist. Suffice to say baccarat contends to be one of the most interesting cards games and the most exclusive of all time.