Perhaps no card game has more glitz and glamour surrounding it than Baccarat. Traditionally, Baccarat (pronounced bah-ca-rah) was a game of high stakes played only by the social elite. Its name is a French modification of the Italian word for zero, baccara, which happens to be the value of the ten and face cards. It is the preferred game of author Ian Fleming’s secret agent character James Bond if that gives you any indication of its prestige and appeal to those with discriminating tastes. Far from being confined to the pages of fiction novels, Baccarat has been the game of choice for the kings of old as well as modern day millionaires and Hollywood celebrities, also, slots are very popular as this website clearly points out My Favourite Slots.
Baccarat (as well as its ancestor, chemin du fer) can be found in most casinos, although traditionally the tables were located in a private, side room to allow a level of privacy for the high stakes games. Nowadays however it isn’t uncommon for Baccarat to be played on the main casino floor or on online casinos. The game’s popularity can perhaps be explained by the fact that it offers players closer to an even break than most games (although the house edge isn’t below 1 percent). In a nutshell, Baccarat is about comparing two hands – that of the player and that of the banker. You win by achieving a card hand with a value that is closer to nine than the other hand. It’s as simple as that. And remember to order your martini shaken, not stirred.
