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BIG-TABLE BACCARAT
Big-table baccarat is generally played in a roped-off area separate from the rest of the commoners - oops, I mean, other ordinary casino games. The players are generally as well-dressed as the tuxedo-clad dealers, and the table mini-mums are high.
The shoe rotates around the table, just like the dice at craps, giving each player a chance to deal the cards. And just as in craps, if a player doesn’t want to deal, he or she can pass the shoe to the
next player.
The player with the shoe acts as the dealer and as “banker,” but this person doesn’t actually bank the game. In fact, the “dealer-banker” (that is, the player who’s controlling the shoe) can bet on player or banker (though typically they’ll bet banker or otherwise pass the shoe), as the role of the banker
The person who has bet the highest amount on the player is given the player cards and simply turns them over, announcing their total. The actual casino dealer then instructs the dealer-banker whether to draw a third card and then announces the winning hand. Finally, the actual casino dealers will pay the winners and collect the losers out of the casino dealer’s tray.
As you might imagine, the game can go mind-numbingly slow compared to the relative speed of craps or blackjack. Some people like to take forever to turn over their player cards, and sometimes they bend the cards so much that they become permanently damaged. But that’s okay; if you’re betting $5,000 a hand, the casino can afford to replace each new shoe with brand new decks.
DRAWING RULES
• All bets are made before the cards are dealt.
• If either the player or the banker has a total of an 8 or a 9, they both stand. There are no exceptions, and this rule overrides all other rules.
• If the player has a total of 6 or 7, the player stands.
• If the player stands, the banker hits on a total of 5 or less.
• If the player has a total of 5 or less, the player automatically hits, and the banker gives the player a third card.
• If the player gets the third card, the banker draws a third card according to the following rules:
• If the banker has total of 0, 1, or 2: Banker always draws a third card.
• If the banker has total of 3: Banker draws if player’s third card is 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-9-0 (not 8).
• If the banker has total of 4: Banker draws if player’s third card is 2-3-4-5-6-7.
• If the banker has total of 5: Banker draws if player’s third card is 4-5-6-7.
• If the banker has total of 6: Banker draws if player’s third card is of 6-7.
• If the banker has total of 7: Banker always stands.
DEALER SHORTCUTS
No dealer who learns how to deal baccarat memorizes all these numbers; Long as they keep these things in mind, they know exactly when to draw and when not to. You can learn these rules, too, so you can follow what the hell is going on:
• If either hand has an 8 or a 9, it’s a natural and there are no draws, period.
• If the player has a 6 or a 7, there are no more draws for the player.
• If the player has a 5 or less, there is one card drawn for the player. Whether the dealer draws another card for the banker is all determined by what the banker has and the value of the card the player gets. But it all boils down to this:
• If Special: This hand is special because if the banker has a total of 3, he’ll draw on any player card except Eight. •for Four 27: If the banker has a total of 4, he’ll draw a third card only if the player’s third card is a Two through Seven.
• If Five 47: If the banker has a total of 5, he’ll draw a third card only if the player’s third card is a Four through Seven. •for Six 67: If the banker has a total of 6, he’ll draw a third card only if the Player’s third card is a Six or a Seven.
PLAN OF ATTACK
Baccarat is most definitely a game of streaks. In fact, this is such common knowledge that casinos provide paper and pens to players so they can keep track of the streaks themselves (though some are starting to use electronic boards similar to the ones they have for roulette so you can easily see trends).
Of course, there’s no way of knowing when a streak will begin or when it will end; just be prepared to take advantage of a streak when it happens. Following are the best methods for doing so.
FOLLOW THE BANK
Despite charging a 5 percent commission on every winning banker hand, betting banker is still a better bet. Banker wins, on average, five extra times a shoe. So for this method, merely wait for a banker decision to show and then start betting banker, using the 2-1-2 down and up progression.
FOLLOW THE SHOE
While banker is a slight favorite to win, I have seen huge streaks for player, sometimes more than 10 in a row, with streaks of six and seven being very common. Here, you simply bet two units on whatever won the last decision. If you win that one, you regress to one unit, then back up to two if you win that one as well. Then keep increasing your winning bets by one unit until you lose.
FOLLOW THE LUCK
There are times when, for whatever reason, someone at the table gets lucky. Either it’s his lucky day, or he’s using some secret card-counting method no one’s ever heard of, or maybe he and the dealer are in cahoots. Whatever the reason, he seems to be winning a heckuva lot more than he’s losing. If you happen to find someone like that, most casinos have no problem with you side betting on his spot. When he wins, you win. So strike while the iron is hot.
CASINO TRICKS
If the table seems to be losing a lot of money in a short time, there’s not a whole lot a casino can do about it. It’s not like they can change the dice or drop the shoe (at least, they’re not supposed to). They can only speed up the game. If you notice that the pit boss is talking to the dealer, be sure that you place your bets as fast as you can because the casino may be trying to throw people off their rhythm.
