TABLE GAMES By Al Moe
ARIZONA’S NEW LIVE BACCARAT GUIDE A Quick Overview Of The Basics To Get You Started
B
accarat as an electronic game came to Arizona in 2013, but now the live version is here too. Hailed for being the lowest house-edge table game, Baccarat has been a massive favorite in Las Vegas and Macau for years. Unfortunately, we probably won’t be getting the stylish full-table game played by suave and daring Agent 007 in the 1960s James Bond films. It’s possible, but unlikely. The large tables take a crew of dealers, more space, and larger bets to make them palatable to casinos. Although higher table wager limits have been approved in Arizona, most casinos will roll out a slightly simplified, faster game of Mini-Bac. And, instead of paying a 5% commission on winning Banker wagers, EZ Baccarat has been adapted to allow it to be played with zero commission. Here’s the scoop. How To Play Mini-Bac A Baccarat game is played with six decks of cards held in a standard plastic shoe like Blackjack; card values are slightly different. Deuces through nines are worth their face value while tens and face cards are zero. Aces always count as one. However, if cards drawn make a total over 9, the 10’s digit is dropped. That means when the hand is 5-2, and a ten gets pulled, the point total is still 7. And, if the hand is 5-2 and an 8 gets drawn for 15, the point total becomes 5.
Banker’s Draw Rules If the Player stood with 6 through 9 and the Banker has 0 to 5, they draw one card. If the Player spot draws a card, the Banker follows set rules for drawing. All winning Player wagers pay even money. The Banker has a slight advantage, so winning bets pay even money minus a 5% commission. EZ Baccarat EZ Baccarat was invented to eliminate commission and add side bets. The game plays like standard Min-Bac, but anytime the Banker wins with a three-card total of 7, the Banker bet is a push while the Player and Tie bets lose.
There are only three standard bets at Baccarat: Player, Banker, and Tie. The dealer handles all the cards and all the decisions. Players root for their Banker or Player wager spot to be the closest to 9.
EZ Baccarat also introduces side wagers. The Dragon 7 wager: if the Banker spot wins with a three-card total of 7 the payoff is 40 to 1, and the Panda 8: if the Player spot wins with a three-card total of 8 the payoff is 25 to 1.
Then, the dealer delivers two cards to the Player spot and two to the Banker. If either spot has a natural of 8 or 9, the hand is over. A natural 9 is the best hand and beats a natural 8 or any other hand total. If both spots have a natural 8 or a natural 9, the hand is a tie. In this case, the tie wager wins 8-1.
EZ Baccarat Banker and Player wagers have a house edge of just 1.02 percent. Dragon 7 house edge is 7.65 percent; Panda 8 is 10.2 percent. $
Player Draw Rules If the Player spot has a two-card total of 0 to 5, a third card is drawn. No other cards are drawn for a 6 through 9.
16 Arizona Gaming Guide | September 2021 | azgamingguide.com
Writer Al Moe has worked in the casino industry for many years. He has lived and worked in Las Vegas, Reno, and Lake Tahoe. He also attended the University of Nevada, Reno. He is an avid writer and blogger. His book, “Vegas and the Mob," is available online at Amazon.com. He is also the proud father of four beautiful girls.
