Paper 1

Corey Kettler


I will be spending the semester researching players and the game of baccarat. People gather around in the casino around a few tables which plays the game called baccarat. It is a game of chance where many people try to beat the odds of the casino. It is suppose to have one of the best odds in the casino so therefore many people have taking a liking to baccarat. I am going to try and observe the players and what they are thinking when they place a bet down and how they plan to win. It is surprising to me that so many people there will bet thousands on a single hand.
Baccarat has just had a recent hit here, there were very few who knew of the game until this past year. The word Baccarat is derived from the Italian word “baccara”, meaning zero, and refers to the zero value given to all of the face cards and tens. In Europe, the game of baccarat remains one of the most popular casino games. The game of baccarat is enjoyed by all social levels and can be found played in locals cafes as well as the most prestigious of royalty events. An early version of the game was played with a deck of Tarot cards going back to the Middle Ages. Even thought baccarat originated in Italy around 1490 it became the game of choice for the French nobility in the early 1950’s.
The American version of baccarat originated in England. This version was first played in Capri casino in Havana, Cuba before coming to the United States in the 1950s. Baccarat became an instant hit among American casino goers, especially in the Dunes Casino in Nevada.
When Baccarat was brought to Nevada in the late 1950’s, local casinos tried to instill the glamour associated with the European game. In most casinos, baccarat was played in a roped off area and was closely monitored and sometimes even guarded. A number of casinos have brought a smaller version of the baccarat game, called Mini-Baccarat and it is played on standard blackjack sized gaming tables using the same rules as regular baccarat. The table has one dealer who is responsible for handling the cards. A regular Baccarat table and each of the seven seat positions correspond to a number and betting box with spots for the banker, player, tie, and in some casinos the dragon bonus. Unlike a large group of players, Mini-Baccarat is played fast and is great to get familiar with the game.
Big Table Baccarat is played in aroped off area to separate itself from the other casino games. The players are normally very well dressed and the table minimums are often very high. The regular baccarat table is about the size of a craps table with three casino dealers and up to 12 or 14 players. Each player, including the player dealing, may still bet on either the player or the banker but it is normal for the dealer to bet on the banker. The deal will rotate around the table, like the dice rotate around the craps table. If a player does not want to deal they may pass the shoe to the next player. The same person will keep dealing as long as the banker keeps winning. The person dealing will put two cards, face down, under the shoe, and give the player with the greatest bet on the player the other two cards, face down. This player then looks at the cards and then gives them back to the player who is dealing. Then the player who is dealing will turn over the cards and one of the casino dealers will say the totals. Depending on the totals, the dealer may then tell the person dealing the cards to deal a third card. Finally the dealers will pay winning wagers and collect losing one’s out of the dealer's tray. The player who actually deals is not taking any financial responsibility of the other player’s bets. Mini baccarat, which is what I normally play, has the same rules as big table baccarat. Unlike the game at the big table, the dealer turns over all the cards, making for a much faster game. The odds are the same as those of the big table, assuming the same number of decks. Mini baccarat is sometimes dealt from a six deck shoe, changing the odds slightly. It can usually be found in the main casino areas. The one I typically play with uses eight decks to a shoe. It is called a shoe due to where they put the cards in looks like a shoe. Again you can bet on the player, banker, tie, or on some tables the dragon bonus. Player pays 1:1, banker pays 1:1 but sometimes has a 5% commission, tie pays either 8:1 or 9:1 depending the casino, and the dragon bonus pays 40:1. I hope to learn more about the players and what they think about the game and how it affects their life.