The Wonderful World of Casino Baccarat

March 2008 IACSP Seminar

Class Objectives

Provide Surveillance personnel with the knowledge of how the game of Baccarat is played and general procedures of dealing the game.

To bring awareness to Surveillance personnel and explain the importance of actively monitoring Baccarat games to prevent or deter criminal activity or other scams from taking place.

Class Agenda Recent News Articles History of Baccarat Table descriptions Rules of the game

Objective of the game How it is played Shuffle Procedures Take and Pay 3rd card rule Cultural Awareness Things to watch for Quiz

News Articles

Baccarat is a table game that is growing everyday in popularity throughout the world.

The following are news articles all sent out in 2007.

Most of these articles are taken from a website devoted to Baccarat News. BaccaratVIP.com

The History of Baccarat

It is commonly accepted that the Italians invented baccarat; however, the French also claim to have originated it.

Baccarat is “zero” in both French and Italian. It was originally played with a Tarot deck. In medieval France, the game was popular with the

French nobility, and it eventually evolved into “Chemin de Fer,” a variation that is still played today. The game then migrated to England, where it where it underwent further development, and “European baccarat” emerged.

The History of Baccarat (Con’t)

The United States history of baccarat can be traced to the Dunes casino in the late 1950’s.

The American version of baccarat is essentially a mixture of Chemin de Fer and European baccarat.

Although American baccarat is still popular among high rollers, mini baccarat has become much more popular in American casinos.

The History of Baccarat (Con’t)

Baccarat has both a history and a reputation of being a game for high rollers. Although this is still true of classic baccarat, the introduction of mini baccarat has expanded the game to a larger group of players.

A wide misconception is that baccarat is a complicated game, popular only among the rich, when it is in fact quite easy to learn and play.

The primary difference between classic baccarat and mini baccarat are the minimum betting requirements.

Differences in Baccarat Tables

Mini-Baccarat Table

As its name implies, the mini baccarat table is physically smaller than the traditional table. The shape is a half circle, very similarly to a blackjack table. There are seating spots for seven players and a spot for the dealer. There are three betting areas in front of each player, a red circle for betting on the player, a yellow circle for betting on the bank, and a curved white bar for betting on a tie. In front of the dealer is an area for gaming chip stacks and commission boxes. The dealer uses the commission boxes for keeping track of how much commission each player owes to the house. In the center of the table is an area marked with the words “player” and “bank.” This is where the croupier deals the cards during game play.

Picture of Mini-Baccarat Table

Differences in Baccarat Tables (Con’t)

Traditional Baccarat (Big Bacc) Table

The traditional baccarat table is a large oval with a rectangular cutout on one side and a smaller curved cutout directly across. The croupier stands in the smaller cutout, while the other two dealers stand in the rectangular cutout area. Players line each end of the table, with 14 spots available. Spots are labeled one through 15, and the 13 spot is missing, because of superstitions surrounding it. Players have clearly marked betting areas in front of them, and there are commission boxes along the inside edge of the rectangle shape. There are discard trays, a drop box, and a tip box located in the center of the table.

Picture of Traditional Baccarat (Big Bacc) Table

Table Layout

Player Bets

TIE

Banker Bets

Bank / Rack

Dealer Position

Commission Boxes

Reader Board

Table Layout: Reader Board

Past winning hands

Natural winners

Regular winners

Total hands played

House Edge (Advantage)

Banker: 1.06%

Player: 1.24%

Tie: 14.36%

Objective of the Game

The players try to successfully pick the correct outcome of the hand.

Will the Player win Will the Banker win Or will the hand end up in a TIE

Game Rules

Baccarat is a very simple game to play. The rules are basic. The dealer acts according to the game rules and follows all 3rd card rules. House rules are just that, rules designed by the House and vary from casino to casino.

Some casinos play different styles of Baccarat which allow the handling of cards. If this is allowed, always ensure the cards are destroyed after play.

Players don’t get to make decisions which makes the game easier to learn, play and less intimidating.

Valuation of Hands

In Baccarat, cards 2-9 are worth face value 10’s and face cards are worth zero Aces are worth 1 point Players calculate their score by taking the sum of all

cards When the card value equals or exceeds 10, the last

digit is dropped. The hand with the highest total wins. The highest score achieved is 9. The lowest score achieved is 0.

Types of Bets

Player – pays 1 to 1 (even money)

Banker – pays 1 to 1 (even money), all winning hands charged 5% VIG

Ties – pay 8 to 1

Tie Bets

A tie bet must be made before any cards are dealt.

If the player and banker hands tie, after all cards have been drawn according to the third card rule, the Tie Bet pays 8 to 1 (9 to 1 at some casinos).

Naturals

Naturals are when the Players hand or Bankers hand receive an 8 or 9 in their initial two cards.

Examples of Naturals

Player Natural 2nd Example Player Natural

Shuffle Procedures

In order to deter false shuffles “auto-shufflers” are highly recommended on all Baccarat tables.

In the event that “auto-shufflers” aren’t available, a thorough shuffle is necessary.

Each house shuffle varies depending on the casino. The “wash” of the cards is the biggest factor to

deterring and preventing false shuffles. It is highly recommended that the table games

department notifies Surveillance prior to beginning a Shuffle.

Take and Pay

The dealer will push the winning hand up (raise) to clearly display the winner.

All losing wagers are collected counter clockwise. Then all winning wagers are paid counter clockwise including tie

wagers. If the winning wager is a “Banker” hand, a 5% vig will be

collected before the paid out. If the player opts, the vig amount can be kept as a running tally

in the commission box until the player wants to pay or is ready to leave.

Note- Always ensure that vig amounts are being collected after the banker win or tallied in the commission box.

House Commission / Vigorish (Vig)

The dealer is responsible for collecting a 5% House commission or Vig on all winning Bank bets.

House commissions are usually collected in .25 cent increments and are rounded down to the nearest $5.

The house commission is taken after every hand or added to the vigorish box on the layout.

Examples of Vigorish

Bet Commission

$5 $.25

$10 $.50

$15 $.75

$20 to $24 $1.00

$25 to $29 $1.25

$30 to $34 $1.50

Third Card Rule- Player Bets

Player Has Third Card Determination

0 to 5 Draws

6 or 7 Stands

8 or 9 Natural (neither hand draws)

Third Card Rule- Banker Bets

Bankers Hand

0,1,2 – Always hit unless the player has a natural hand (8 or 9)

3 – Stand against players 3rd card valued as 8 otherwise hit

4 – Hit against players 3rd card valued at 2-7

5 – Hit against players 3rd card valued at 4-7

6 – Hit against players 3rd card valued at 6-7

7,8,9 – Stand

3rd Card Rule Table

Bankers hand totals

Players hand drew for there 3rd card-

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

0, 1, 2 H H H H H H H H H H

3 H H H H H H H H S H

4 S S H H H H H H S S

5 S S S S H H H H S S

6 S S S S S S H H S S

H = Hit / Draw S = Stand

Example Hands of Play

Example #1

The Player had 5, the dealer is forced to draw a card.

Example #2

The Banker had a total of 4, the 3rd card drawn for the Player was a 6, so the Banker had to draw.

The outcome of this hand was Player over Banker 8-4.

In this example the Bankers hand was forced to act due to the 3rd card drawn on the Player hand.

A Typical Round of play

The Player and Banker hands are drawn and exposed.

Hands are checked for Naturals, and or Ties. The Players hand is then checked for 6 or 7.

If its 5 or lower the dealer will have to draw another card for the hand. (Example 1)

If it’s a 6 or higher the dealer moves on to the Bankers hand.

Banker hand will stand on a 6 or higher, and draw on anything less.

Round of play (Con’t)

After the 3rd card rule has been completed the dealer will compare the hands. All losers will be collected and all winners will be paid.

All winning Banker hands will pay the 5% VIG. The VIG must be paid:

At the end of shoe before the shuffle. Before a guest leaves the table. Or after the end of the hand.

Round of play (Con’t)

Tie bets when paid pay out at 9 for 1 or 8 to 1 depending on what casino your in.

If the players have bets on the Player or Banker and a Tie does occur these bets do not lose, they Push.

Tie bets lose only if a Tie bet is made and the hand results in anything other then a Tie.

Asian Cultural Awareness and Beliefs

Thought must be given to the presentation of the product and cultural awareness must be a focus in providing a comfortable setting to maximize the playing time and the ability of the casino to make the player feel welcome. Typically the room or game layouts should be bright using the colors crimson, fire engine red, and gold.

The numbers 4 and 14 signify death and should be left off the layouts, they will also be the last seats to be taken. Care should be taken not to touch a customer on the shoulder, sweep around the game or insist a player speak English only.

Things to watch for

During general observation of Baccarat games always monitor for the following scams:

1) Off setting play for extra comps or cash back

2) Match Play Coupon Abuse

3) Promotional Chip program abuse

Match Play Coupon Advantage Play-Video

Baccarat Quiz

1) What is the value of tens and face cards?

2) What is a natural?

3) Who gets the 1st and 3rd cards?

4) When is the vig collected?

5) Bonus- What is the House Edge for Player? Banker? Tie?

This concludes the presentation on Baccarat

Questions??