Baccarat

Born in Italy, made famous by James Bond - a short history of baccarat

Baccarat's origins are usually traced to 15th-century Italy, where Felix Falguiere (Felix Falguiere) created a game called "baccara", meaning "zero" in Italian. This story is admittedly hard to verify. The name refers to the value of tens and picture cards, which count as zero in the game, and legend has it the game is rooted in an ancient Etruscan ritual. Later, soldiers returning from the wars brought the game to France, where it became a favourite pastime of the aristocracy. The 19th century saw the appearance of the "Chemin de Fer" variation, in which players competed against each other rather than the casino.

The "Punto Banco" version we know today was created in the 1940s in Havana, Cuba. This innovation changed how the game runs, having players compete directly against the "House", i.e. the casino. In the late 1950s Tommy Renzoni (Tommy Renzoni) brought this version to Las Vegas, making it a casino staple. The game gained global recognition thanks to James Bond and Ian Fleming's novel "Casino Royale", although the more recent films swapped it for poker - in the film "Casino Royale" James played in a poker tournament.

Baccarat basics

Baccarat is a game between two sides:

• Banker: The dealer's side.
• Player: This denotes the player's side, but don't take it personally.

The goal of the game is to determine which side - the banker or the player - will end up with a card total closer to 9.

How are points counted?

Scoring in baccarat has its quirks, but don't worry - it's nothing complicated, and going by our team members' experience, it all clicks after a couple of games.

• Number cards (2-9): Worth exactly what's printed on the card - nothing tricky here.
• Picture cards (K, Q, J) and tens (10): The value is 0 (zero) points (we, of course, have no idea how the queens feel about such a low valuation 😊) - this one you'll have to memorise.
• Ace (A): The value is 1 point.

The most important thing to remember: If the card total is a two-digit number, only the last digit counts. Example: If you have an 8 and a 6, the total is 14. The baccarat score is just 4. If you have a 9 and a 1, the total is 10. The baccarat score is 0.

How does betting work?

You won't have to do anything with the cards themselves, so no need to worry about that. Your only job is to guess who will win before the cards are dealt. We'll come back to the question of strategy, but broadly this is a game of luck with no strategy involved.

You can bet on:

1. Player: You win if the Player side is closer to 9. Payout: 1:1.
2. Banker: You win if the Banker side is closer to 9. Payout: 1:1, minus a small commission (usually 5%), since statistically the Banker side wins slightly more often.
3. Tie: Both sides have the same total. Payout: Big! Usually 8:1 or 9:1, but it happens very rarely. There's no rational reason to use this bet - unless you've drunk yourself some courage. Here, though, we'll swim against the current: as we've all established, the casino is entertainment, not a job people can systematically earn from - so for someone, putting money on the biggest, riskiest bet will occasionally feel like exactly the right choice, since that's how you secure yourself the biggest hit of adrenaline.

How does the game work?

Once you've placed your bet, the Dealer does everything:

1. He deals two cards to the Player and two cards to the Banker.
2. If either side has 8 or 9 points straight away, the game ends.
3. If not, the Dealer follows strict rules on whether to deal a third card to the Player and/or the Banker. You don't have to think about any of it! It all happens automatically.

In short: Baccarat is a game where you're a spectator. You place a bet and watch which side (Banker or Player) gets lucky. Perfect if you want to unwind and simply follow along!

Is there such a thing as baccarat strategy?

The short answer is - no, there isn't. Baccarat is a great game, but it's fun precisely because it's a game of luck. If you want to win as often as possible, there's only one correct approach - always bet on the banker, because the banker has a slightly higher mathematical chance of winning, the player's chance is a touch lower, and a tie between the two sides happens very rarely.

The maths is as real as the earth is round

While methods like the Martingale (doubling your bet after a loss) or the 1-3-2-4 system don't change your odds of winning, they do help some players maintain discipline.

And we at SpinsPilot, as true experts in astrology and the esoteric, want to impress one thing on you - mixing superstition with gambling is not a good idea. Remember that previous results have no influence on the next deal - every round is independent. If you've spent much time in gaming halls, you've surely encountered that one local guy with 5 notebooks full of recorded results, who follows every loss with an hour-long monologue of Harry Potter-worthy explanations for why the machine left him empty-handed again. So, to sum up: may luck be on your side, but any patterns you think you're seeing during the game are entirely coincidental.

P.s. Before you dive into the game, don't forget to find yourself a great welcome bonus.