Baccarat, also known as baccara or ba:k@r:t is one of the most popular card games played at casinos. It is a comparing game between two hands, the player hand and the banker hand. Each baccarat coup (round of play) has three possible outcomes: player win, banker win, or tie.
In baccarat, eight 52-card packs are shuffled together and dealt by the croupier from a dealing box called a shoe. The cards are then placed on a table covered with green felt and numbered 1 to 12. A number of bets can be placed on the Player, Banker or Tie. Each wager must be made before the dealer calls “no more bets”. A winning bet pays out even money, with a small commission to the house on wins.
After all bets have been placed, the croupier will deal two cards to the player and another to the banker. A point count is then determined for each hand by adding the values of the two cards. If either the player or banker hand has a total of 8 or 9, the hand is a natural and no additional cards are drawn.
If the point count is not a natural, then a third card may be drawn for either the banker or the player. The card must be a 7 or higher in order to stand, and a 6 or lower in order to draw. The croupier will then announce the result of the hand, which will determine whether the player or banker won.
During the game, the banker may choose to increase their stake by placing more money on the Player or Banker bets, or to decrease their stake by withdrawing some of their own money from the table. If the banker increases their stake, the remaining players must place more wagers in reverse play order to cover the increased amount. Alternatively, the banker may choose to retire from the game and allow another player to take their place as banker with the same stake and undealt cards.
A baccarat game may last up to nine rounds, but can be ended at any time by the player who makes the highest wager on the Player or Banker bets. The resulting winning or losing bets are collected by the croupier, and winning Player and Banker bets are paid out.
Baccarat is well-known for being the game of choice of the fictional secret agent James Bond, created by Ian Fleming. The game was first introduced in Casino Royale, published in 1953. Baccarat is also played in the 2007 film Rush Hour 3, where main characters Carter and Genevieve gamble as a heist is underway. The game is also featured in the 1956 French heist drama Bob le Flambeur. The movie is based on the real-life 1956 Paris bank robbery led by Jean-Pierre Melville. The climactic scene features a baccarat game between the protagonist and his adversary, SMERSH trade union operative Le Chiffre. The scene is inspired by a real-life heist at the Banque Nationale in Paris.