Baccarat is the game most people associate with high rollers’ glamour – perhaps something to do with the fact this was always James Bond’s game of choice!

Baccarat is said to have been invented in Italy, originally using Tarot cards. When it moved to England it was named after the French version, Chemin de Fer, which was then changed to European Baccarat. The game also spread across to Americas andgrew particularly popular in Cuba. Baccarat hit Las Vegas in the 1950s to be called American Baccarat. This is one of the oldest casino games and has a certain element of class about it.

Bet on Player, Banker or Tie (Egalitaire)

Unlike blackjack, baccarat has no decisions for the player to make during the game, except for whether to bet on banker or player before the hand is dealt. Players can also decide to bet on ‘egalitaire’, a tie.

The house edge in Baccarat is relatively low , but differs depending on the bets you choose to make. The best house edge can be found by betting on Banker at 1.17%, whereas betting on Player increases this edge to 1.36%. Betting on egalitaire is one of the worst bets in the casino, having a house edge of 14.4%.

Although the Banker bet will win slightly more often than the Player bet, casinos charge 5% commission on Banker bets to recoup this loss.

The true odds for the Egalitaire bet are nearly 9.5 – 1, but the odds actually paid on this bet are only 8-1, giving an enormous 14.4% house edge on this bet.

Rules and Strategy