Baccarat: The Game of the Rich and Famous
Originally the prestigious game of baccarat was associated with the rich and famous. In the game’s early days, if you wanted to see some fine tuxedo’s and designer gowns you needed only find a baccarat table. Why so elite? It used to be that the game would be played with cold hard cash on the table but, thanks to casino chips and online casinos, it’s a lot more accessible nowadays. This is great news for casino enthusiasts who love the game but don’t love getting all dressed up.
The objective of baccarat is to make a hand value of nine. All cards use their face value and the face cards have no value at all. It’s an entertaining game to play which is why it has enjoyed its status as one of the most popular games in the casino. The long history of the game, in our opinion, is just as fascinating. Here are a few fun facts that we managed to dig up on the subject of baccarat.
- Everybody knows that James Bond was fond of baccarat but few know this: when Bond plays against Xenia in Goldeneye, his last hand against her is a king and a queen and a six and this turns out to be a winning hand. Because all face cards have the value of 0, the value of his cards was, in order, 006 the code name of the movies villain, Alec Trevelyan.
- The 1970s musical stylist, Burt Bacharach has nothing to do with Baccarat.
- Baccarat has a relatively low house edge. The ‘banker bet’ for a 6 or 8 deck show is 1.06%. On the first night that the game was played at the Sands Casino in Las Vegas, the Sands loses were $250,000 in one night. And the Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia lost $55 million in one month alone.
- When the game came to North America by way of various other colonies the game changed slightly to remove the element of skill and it was known as Punto Banco which translates from Spanish as “player”, “banker”
- Mini-baccarat is a version of the game that features lower table limits and simplified rules. This version has attracted players with a more moderate bankroll and thus can be accredited for popularizing the game we now all love to play.
Now that you know a bit more about this iconic casino game you may just feel inclined to give it a try. Next time you’re in the mood to play something a little classier, keep in mind that there are is a seat with your name on it at Bodog Casino.
