The aristocrats' gambling game - baccarat

Long ago, in a time when spending leisure time at a gambling table and making high bets was considered exclusively for the aristocracy, a unique and thrilling card game called baccarat emerged. The aristocrats of the past, enthralled by the game, often wagered horses, homes, and even their lives. They would either lose their inheritance or hard-earned fortune at the table, or earn immense sums of money. Even in present times, high stakes in this game are quite commonplace.

In the original version of 'baccarat,' the following occurs: players try to obtain the highest possible number of game points, relying only on two or three cards. Each participant, based on the situation, chooses one of two options - to take a card or not. Gradually, this variation of the game fell out of favor and was replaced by mini-baccarat, which is also known among players as punto banco. Now, the participants of this game do not compete against each other but play against the casino (the dealer), and there are strict rules regarding the decision to take a card.

A little bit about the history of the origin of the game

Historians still engage in extensive discussions about the true country of origin of this fascinating game, with France and Spain being the most likely candidates. Determining the exact origins of baccarat is quite challenging, as it carries its own unique name in each region (for example, in Spain, a similar game is charmingly called "punto banco," while in France, it is referred to as "chemin de fer," and other variations such as "macao" and "nine" can be heard. It is said that this game, which has always been exclusively enjoyed by the cream of aristocratic society, was created based on the Etruscan tradition of honoring the nine great gods - in those times, a tossed bone with nine facets illuminated the future fate of unfortunate sacrificial maidens. The number eight or nine transformed a young maiden into a priestess, while seven and six closed the doors for her participation in religious rituals. If a number lower than six was rolled, the girl was drowned in the depths of the sea. Of course, the stakes are not as dramatic nowadays, but the game system itself has endured to this day.

Rules

The rules of mini-baccarat, which has become very popular nowadays, are not that complicated and will be accessible to any beginner player. The ultimate goal of the player is to have a perfect combination of cards in hand, with a total point value of nine (hence another common name for baccarat - "nine"). Cards from two to nine are counted as two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, and nine points respectively. An ace is counted as one point, while jack, queen, king, and ten do not contribute any points to the player. If a participant has a sum of points exceeding ten, the tens digit is dropped, and only the last digit is considered when evaluating the result. Thus, fourteen points would become four, fifteen would become five, and so on.
The player has three betting options - "player," "banker," or the rarer "tie." During the initial card dealing, both the player and the dealer receive two cards each. The participant who has a total of nine points in hand automatically wins the game. If the points are less than nine, the winner is determined by whose point value is closer to nine. In exceptional cases, an additional card may be dealt. If the player and the casino have equal points, the "tie" bet wins.

Strategy

As it is known, there are gamblers in the world who play card games solely for the game itself, for the process, and for the thrill. On the other hand, there are enthusiasts of various strategies, fans of the intellectual side of this kind of sport, who have been trying for many years to find that elusive winning strategy. Baccarat attracts such intellectuals no less than roulette. But it hasn't gone beyond the banal measurement of the size of the bets (for example, according to the famous Martingale system).
However, as in other gambling games, there simply is no strategy for guaranteed success in baccarat. The reason is that all the decisions made during the game do not solely belong to the player. Some experts agree that the most advantageous option for a strategic player is to consistently bet on the "banker."

Types of baccarat

As mentioned above, baccarat is not limited to just one variation. The types of the game can differ in the number of players, the layout of the game table, the number of playing decks, the rules of dealing and drawing, the order of payout, and the range of bets.

References to the game in culture

In baccarat, the famous character of the Fleming book series, agent 007 James Bond, happened to play. References to baccarat can also be found in the film "City Hunter" and in the film based on Bulgakov's play "Run." However, in those instances, it is called "devyatka" exclusively in Russian.

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Published: 28-12-2021, 01:54