American Baccarat

The game history of baccarat is over 5 centuries old, and during those centuries, the game has evolved greatly. Although it’s still based on the basic principles, the older form of the game has changed significantly. As with many other games, Americans always like to have their own variations which have led them to develop American Baccarat.

American Baccarat was developed in the 1950s in Vegas, the capitol of gambling and the most iconic gambling city. With this new variation players had less need to make strategies, and the game quickly caught the eye of gamblers.

How to Play American Baccarat?

As we said, the basic principle is the same. The player needs to bet on the outcome of his hand, the banker’s hand or if there will be a tie. After the bet has been made the dealer deals the cards. Both the player and the banker receive two cards.

The hand total is calculated as in the original version of the game. If the hand total is a double digit, the first digit is removed e.g. if the hand total is 15, it is valued as 5. Therefore the highest possible value is 9, while the worst is zero. All cards have their face values, except that tens and face cards are valued zero, and the Ace is valued as 1.

Both hands can receive a maximum of one additional card. If the player’s hand has a value of 8 or 9, he cannot receive an additional one. Only if it’s valued 5 or less. If it’s valued 6 or 7, then the player has to stand.

Key Differences between American Baccarat and European Baccarat

American and European Baccarat are essentially the same games, only with small but significant differences. For example, the player can stand on a total of 5 in European, while in American you have to draw an additional third card. In American Baccarat, the dealer can bet only on the banker hand.

Also, in European Baccarat the banker is allowed to draw an additional third card. However, many online casinos don’t put these rules into practice, and they tend to alter their variations according to their desire. It is most likely that the default baccarat game offered is American Baccarat. The table layout is different in both games, but they mostly pertain to the design of the table.

Good Tips for Playing

This is a game that involves some skill, but not that much as with other games, so mainly your luck will be a very important aspect.

• The best bet in American Baccarat is the banker bet, which has a house edge of 1.06%. This is the best bet despite the 5% commission.
• Avoid the tie bet at all times, since it has a house edge of 14%.
• If you don’t like to pay the 5% commission, bet on the player’s hand, which has a low house edge too, only 1.24%.

Summary

Players have little impact on the hands when playing American Baccarat, since you cannot make decisions as you please, but instead you have to follow the strict rules for hitting and standing. This makes American Baccarat one of the easiest baccarat variations, and one of the easiest gambling games in general.