Valuation of hands

In Baccarat, cards 2-9 are worth face value, 10s 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).

This guide is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.

Play Baccarat

Baccarat has always enjoyed a decidedly glamorous image. In Las Vegas, the game is often played in special rooms that are roped off from the regular casino. Typically, a baccarat room is occupied by beautiful women (employed by the casinos to attract players) and high rollers, who frequently bet thousands of dollars for endless hours of play. Baccarat dealers sometimes wear tuxedos, giving the game an additional air of exclusivity.

While the game attracts many notable high rollers, especially from Asian countries, it has simultaneously scared off less affluent players, who view the game as overly sophisticated. Although baccarat may seem intimidating to those unfamiliar with the rules, it is, in fact, one of the easiest casino games to play. There is only one decision you have to make for each hand, and the dealers handle the rest, playing out the hands according to strict, predetermined rules.

Some casinos also offer a game called mini-baccarat, which actually has the exact same rules as regular baccarat. The only real difference is that mini-baccarat requires only one dealer, and the bets are typically made in much smaller denominations.

In addition, baccarat and, to a lesser extent, mini-baccarat, have a lot of glamour-appeal to many people; the sharply-turned out dealers and serious pit-bosses help to ensure this image.

Baccarat Betting

In A Hard Day's Night, Paul's
grandfather John, played by Wilfred Brambell, uses an invite sent to Ringo to visit a posh new casino. He spends most of his time at the Baccarat table, where despite his unfamiliarity with the game (a joke involves him yelling "Bingo" and the croupier correcting him with the term "Banco"), he wins a tidy sum, which is then seized by the casino to pay off his exorbitant bar bill.

James Bond 007

Baccarat chemin-de-fer 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 Bond 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, Baccarat is replaced by Texas hold 'em poker largely due to its great popularity in America at the time of filming.

The Saint

In the 1968 episode 'The Ex-King of Diamonds', Boris Willoughby Goddard attempts to win
enough money to purchase missiles to mount a coup by gambling at Baccarat using cards marked with an infra-red dye that he can identify with a coloured monocle.