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Baccarat And Blackjack Are "Banked” Games In Which You Compete Against A Statistically Favored House

Baccarat

Baccarat is believed to have been introduced into France from Italy during the reign of Charles VIII of France (ruled 1483-1498), and it is similar to Faro and to Basset. Today we can find the game in every part of the globe, but in the beginning, the French variation of baccarat "Chemin de fer" become popular in England, where they changed the rules and name of the game for "European baccarat". Then, it spread to South America.

Finally, Tommy Renzoni brought this fancy game to the United States in the late 1950s as a combination of European baccarat and "Chemin de fer". It was introduced into Las Vegas as the infamous Dunes casino in the late 1950s after the Cuban government closed the Havana casinos.

Casinos always try to give baccarat an aura of glamor. The play area is ropped-off to separate it from the rest of the casino, dealers are tuxedo-clad, there is an air of elegance and exclusivity - everything is made to attract the high rollers who can wager more than average players. This game is a serious business for a casino, and is usually played for serious money.

Twelve things you didn’t know about the swankest game around.

To roll like 007, you’ve got to know baccarat. On the surface it’s easy: Two people at your table (the Banker and the Player) get cards, and everybody else bets on which hand’s total will come closest to nine. Table minimums typically start at $100, and unlike James Bond, you can’t settle your debts with a bullet. But follow these rules and you’ll only need to worry about stacking chips and getting that millionaire countess out of your room in the morning.

1. The Player and Banker might be the only ones with cards in front of them, but don’t worry, you’ll get your turn. These roles rotate after every game.
   
   
2. Do you get touchy-feely in casinos? No other game allows you to handle your cards as blatantly. People will even pinch the hands they’re dealt for good luck.
   
   
3. There are only three possible results: The Banker wins, the Player wins, or they tie. Win or lose, at least it’s easy to know what the hell is going on.
   
   
4. Whether you’re playing the role of Banker or Player, you can bet against the cards in front of you. That’s because these two positions are purely ceremonial.
   
   
5. Aces are worth one, twos to nines are worth face value, the rest are worth zero. Scores will fall between zero and nine, so you should always be close.
   
   
6. If your card count is 10 or more, ignore the first digit and count only the second (so if you’re dealt 15, it only counts as a five). It’s impossible to bust out.
   
   
7. If either the Banker or the Player hits eight or nine after the first two cards have been dealt, play stops and the croupier pays out all the bets.paid out.
   
   
8. Neither the Banker nor the Player can voluntarily hit or stay on two cards. Only the table’s croupier can instruct the dealer to give out a third card.
   
   
9. The strict rules that dictate whether or not a third card is dealt distort the odds, making the house edge on Banker bets slightly lower than on Player bets.
   
   
10. To make up for the slight loss of house advantage, casinos pay Player bets 1:1 but Banker bets only 19:20. They would, those cash-hungry pricks!
    
    
11. The house has a 1.06% edge on Banker bets and a 1.24% edge on Player bets. Bets on a tie give the house a 14.44% edge but pay out 8:1.
    
    
12. Baccarat strategy is easier to figure out than the chain gun on an Aston Martin. Play the odds and bet on the Banker. Then order yourself another martini.

Betting on either the banker or the player’s a good deal: The house edge is wafer thin in both cases. By Vegas standards, this is as good as it gets. bad bets: The "tie” bet—for all-day suckers only. Sure, it pays 8–1, but it almost never happens, so the house gets away with a felonious 18.5% edge. The safest bet is with the bank.

Blackjack

When blackjack was first introduced in the United States it was not very popular, so gambling houses tried offering various bonus payouts to get the players to the tables. One such bonus was a 10-to-1 payout if the player's hand consisted of the ace of spades and a black Jack (either the Jack of clubs or the Jack of spades). This hand was called a "blackjack" and the name stuck to the game even though the bonus payout was soon abolished. As the game is currently played, a "blackjack" may not necessarily contain a jack at all.

More than any other casino game, blackjack(21) is a game of skill as well as chance. Knowing the right way to play can reduce the house advantage to as little as 1.2 percent, depending on the circumstances.

A good way to do this is to use what is known as a "winning progression," increasing your bet steadily as long as you keep winning. You'll never be a winner betting the same amount each time (the house odds will eventually wear you down) or betting $10 one hand and $100 the next, based on hunches or whatever. And, a "losing progression" — where you double your bet each time you lose — is a sure road to ruin (you'll either run out of money or hit the table limit). Here are some winning progressions for four popular starting bets:

Quitting can be the hardest part of a blackjack session. A good rule of thumb is to get up any time you lose 50 percent of the chips you have on the table, until you double your original stake. At that point, you should quit any time you lose an amount equal to your starting stake, regardless of how high your winnings rise. For example, if you sit down with $100 and run your total to $160, you should quit if you give back $80. However, if you run your total to $250, you should quit if you fall back to $150. That way, you'll guarantee you'll quit a winner.

Play Bombproof Blackjack And Start Raking In The Chips

Look for favorable games: ones that pay 2–1 for blackjack, allow doubling after a split, or require dealers to stand on all 17’s (better for you than when he must hit soft 17’s). Also: Fewer decks means better odds for you, even if you’re not card-counting.

1. To hit, tap lightly on the table; to stay, wave your hand over your cards. The dealer (and the surveillance team hidden upstairs) will appreciate that you know these hand signals.
   
   
2. The dealer has to hit on 16 or lower, so if your hand is 12 or more, stay and watch him bust.
   
   
3. In single-deck games, the house has only a .18 percent edge; in an eight-deck shoe, their edge skyrockets to .43 percent.
   
   
4. Always double down on an 11, unless the dealer is showing an ace. You should also double down if you have 10 and the dealer is showing 4, 5, or 6.
   
   
5. Gut-instinct gamblers play poker. Blackjack is a game of strategy —the rules are there to maximize your odds.
   
   
6. Don’t offer unsolicited advice to other players! It’s not good gambling etiquette, plain and simple.
   
   
7. Don’t split the three Fs: fours, fives, or faces. Odds are you’ll bust or your hand won’t improve.
   
   
8. Always assume that the dealer’s under card is a 10, or the best hand possible. If he’s showing an 8, assume his hand totals 18.
   
   
9. If anyone at your table isn’t using basic strategy, get up. Their idiocy will cost you money.
   
   
10. Playing to the dealer’s right, or “third base,” lets you draw before he does, giving you control over which card he takes next.
    
    
11. Always stay on a hard 17. The dealer has to—so should you.
    
    
12. If you hold a 14–16 against a dealer’s 9, 10, or ace, ask to surrender. It forfeits half your bet but gets you out of a losing hand.
    
    
13. Get a player card from the casino and give it to your dealer to start collecting comps. Some casinos will kick in a free room.
    
    
14. Don’t split 8s against a dealer’s 9, 10, or ace. If he has a 10 under card, even if you hit and get 10 on both, you’ll still lose.
    
    
15. If the dealer is showing a 7 or above, hit on any hand that doesn’t beat a 17, and order another drink.
    
    
16. Never take insurance. The chance that the dealer has blackjack is about 31 percent, but insurance only pays two to one. The house edge on an insurance wager is about seven percent—you might as well play roulette.
    
    
17. Always split aces! Together they’re worth 12; apart you could hit back-to-back 21s.
    
    
18. Indicate you want to split or double down by matching your original bet and placing the chips to the left of your cards. Never touch your cards themselves.
    
    
19. Count cards. Starting at zero, subtract one for every 10 or face card that’s dealt, and add one for every card from 2 through 6. If the count is in the negatives, the deck has fewer big cards in it and you have more of a chance to get small cards, and vice versa. Bet accordingly!
    
    
20. At a $5 table, playing $1 for the dealer is good luck.
    
    
21. Once you’ve made your bet, don’t touch your chips or your cards again. It’s a red flag to the big, beefy guys watching in security, who’ll think you’re trying to pull a fast one.

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