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Baccarat

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Baccarat is a casino card game. It 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. There are three accepted variants of the game: baccarat chemin de fer (railway), baccarat banque (or à deux tableaux), and punto banco (or North American baccarat). Punto banco is strictly a game of chance, with no skill or strategy involved; each player's moves are forced by the cards the player is dealt. In baccarat chemin de fer and baccarat banque, by contrast, both players can make choices, which allows skill to play a part.

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Baccarat deals big profit for Crown...

James Packer's strategy to lure Asian high-rollers to his revamped Crown Perth entertainment complex appears to be paying off in spectacular style after the casino's gross gaming revenue leapt 25 per cent to a record $634 million last financial year.

And it was baccarat, a card game wildly popular with Asian gamblers and the game of choice for so-called "whales", or wealthy high-stakes punters, that was almost solely responsible for the bumper result. Figures contained in the Gaming and Wagering Commission's annual report, tabled in State Parliament this week, shed light on Mr Packer's Perth gambling operation that is not provided in Crown's reports to the Australian stock exchange.

They showed that gross revenue from gaming machines, blackjack, roulette and other casino games was only marginally up in 2011-12 compared with the previous financial year.

Attendance at the casino and the number of gaming machines and tables were virtually unchanged. But gross revenue from baccarat exploded, doubling to $245 million. The record gaming revenue delivered $106 million in gambling taxes to State Government coffers. Crown did not comment on the figures, but casino operators in Las Vegas and Macau have relied increasingly on baccarat, a game of chance, to land the "whales" that can make or break a casino gaming operation.

The Gaming and Wagering Commission, which regulates the operation of Crown Perth, will soon be asked to decide on Crown's application for an extra 500 gaming machines and 130 gaming tables, an application the State Government has indicated it will not oppose as part of a deal for Crown to build a new 500-room, six-star hotel. (The West Australian)

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Baccarat (pronounced bak?ra?) is a simple game with only three possible results - 'Player', 'Banker' and 'Tie'. The term 'Player' does not refer to the customer and the term 'Banker' does not refer to the house. They are just options on which the customer can bet.

Valuation of hands

In Baccarat, cards 2-9 are worth face value, 10's and face cards (J, Q, K) are worth zero, and Aces are worth 1 point. Players calculate their score by taking the sum of all cards modulo 10, meaning that after adding the value of the cards the tens digit is ignored. For example, a hand consisting of 2 and 3 is worth 5 (2 + 3 = 5). A hand consisting of 6 and 7 is worth 3 (6 + 7 = 13 = 3) - the first digit is dropped because the total is higher than 10. A hand consisting of 4 and 6 is worth zero, or Baccarat (4 + 6 = 10 = 0). The name "Baccarat" is unusual in that the game is named after the worst hand, worth 0. The highest score that can be achieved is 9 (from a 4 and 5, 10 and 9, or A and 8, etc).

Punto Banco (North American Baccarat)

In the United States, Canada, Australia, Sweden, and Macau, a variation of baccarat is played in which the casino banks the game at all times. Players may bet on either the player or the banker, which are merely designations for the two hands dealt in each game.

The cards are dealt face down, one to the 'Player' first, then to the 'Banker'; 'Player' then 'Banker' again. This is the initial deal consisting of two cards each. Both cards in each hand are then turned over and added together and the croupier calls the total (e.g. five to the 'Player', three to the 'Banker'). From this position the 'Tableau' or table of play is used to determine if further cards need to be drawn. Depending on the two hands, the Player and Banker may draw a single card or stand pat. The hand with the highest total wins.

Popular Culture

James Bond

Baccarat Banque is the favoured game of Ian Fleming's secret agent creation, James Bond. He can be seen playing the game in numerous novels – most notably 007's 1953 debut, Casino Royale, in which the entire plot revolves around a game between Bond and SMERSH operative Le Chiffre (the unabridged version of the novel includes a primer to the game for readers who are unfamiliar with it). It is also featured in several filmed versions of the novels, including Dr. No, where the character is first introduced playing the game; Thunderball; the 1967 version of Casino Royale (which is the most detailed treatment of a baccarat game in any Bond film); On Her Majesty's Secret Service; For Your Eyes Only; and GoldenEye.

In the 2006 new movie adaptation of Casino Royale, however, Chemin de Fer is replaced by Texas hold 'em poker largely due to its great popularity in America at the time of filming.

Rush Hour 3

In the film Rush Hour 3, Chris Tucker's character attempts to play Baccarat in a Paris casino while thinking it's blackjack. After telling the dealer to "hit him", the dealer reminds Tucker's character that "This is Baccarat". Later on he has a hand of three kings and, mistaking the rules for poker, cheers happily. Three kings adds up to zero, causing him to lose. (Credit: Wikipedia).

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