Only the highest of the high rollers often play baccarat. This is a fun game but a high dollar game in the casinos. The lowest bet in some casinos is $20 up to thousands. There are three dealers that run the game, but in the past, neither of them actually deal any cards. The cards were actually dealt out of a shoe that holds eight different decks.
The players would pass the shoe around in turn and slide cards out of the shoe. Today, some casinos or online games allow smaller bets with the game of baccarat and the dealer is in full control of all of the dealing. This allows the game to move quickly.
An actual baccarat table, you will see a dealer who is known as the ‘callman’ standing. The dealer will turn the cards face up once they are dealt. The dealer is known as the callman because he will announce or call out the point totals of each hand. One dealer will call while the other two dealers will be responsible for paying out the winning bets and collecting lost wagers from the players.
The numbers on the baccarat table indicate the player position. In front of the numbers is an area that is lined off. This area is where you will see the banker’s bet and your bet. In front of the dealer are numbers corresponding with the players. When a player wins the bet, the dealer will place a marker in the box. The players must pay five percent commission on wins of the banker’s bets, and this is tracked.
The object of baccarat is to bet on the three-card hand or two-card hand closest to nine. Tens and face cards are not worth anything. All numbered cards are worth their face value. An ace is worth one point. If your point total is more than 10, then the second digit is the value of your hand. For example, if you have an 8 and a 7, the total points are 15, but the actual value of your hand is a five-point hand.
At first, two cards will be dealt to a player. The point totals will determine whether you get another card or not. The player is dealt first. If the player is dealt an 8 or a 9, this is called a ‘natural’, and you don’t need any more cards. This is because unless the banker has an 8 or a 9, then you are an automatic winner. When you hear ‘natural’ called out, the person usually wins automatically. If you have a hand with zero through five, you want another card.
Baccarat is known as a high roller card game but is becoming more and more popular in the casinos and now allowing lower wagers and even video gameplay. When playing baccarat, the goal is to get the highest possible point value to 9 to beat the dealer with three cards. Face cards don’t count.