Baccarat is one of those casino games with a reputation for glamour and exclusivity. It evokes an aura of high-end sophistication that can seem out of reach for some players. But with a low house edge and an opportunity to win big, the game continues to draw the attention of wealthy casino patrons worldwide.
The game is simple: Bettors place a wager on which hand, the player’s or the banker’s, will come closest to nine. Two cards are dealt to each hand and their values are added together (all face cards and ten value cards count as 0; aces count as 1), then whichever total is closer to 9 wins. Alternatively, bettors can wager on a tie. A winning banker bet pays 19:20 (after a small commission to the casino, which varies by casino), and winning player bets pay 1:1. Ties pay 8:1 on average, though an expert gambler points out that it’s one of the worst bets in a casino and pays only about 5-10 percent of the game’s true odds.
It’s not just about the money, either. There’s a strong social component to the game, and players huddle around tables, often in small groups. They chat, whisper and even yell, sometimes at the dealer or at each other, attempting to find patterns in the past that can help them predict future outcomes.
Despite its reputation as an exclusive game for the affluent, baccarat generates more revenue than any other table game at casinos around the world, including those in Macau. In fact, last year it accounted for more than 88 percent of the casino’s revenues in that city.
Amid the smoky haze, tables are covered in stacks of chips and the dealers wear white gloves. The croupiers, who are called baccarat masters in some casinos, deal from a deck that’s pre-shuffled and sealed with a protective film to prevent tampering. The decks are then placed into a clear carrier that’s secured with a security strap and only opened once it reaches the table. Some casinos have experimented with having the croupiers shuffle the decks themselves, but this has proven to be more expensive and time-consuming than simply using manufactured pre-shuffled decks.
A number of baccarat manufacturers have introduced a new system that eliminates the need to shuffle the cards, but the system requires more than just a machine; it also requires specialized training for casino floor managers. Some have also opted to add a final, machine-shuffling step to the process, which eliminates several game protection issues but may be more time-consuming. Several casinos that have tried this solution have eventually reverted back to the more efficient, less costly method of using pre-shuffled, factory-packaged decks.