Baccarat (pronounced [ˈbakəraː]) is a casino card game. It is
believed to have been introduced into France from Italy during the
reign of Charles VIII of France (ruled 1483-1498), and it is
similar to Faro and to Basset. There are three accepted variants of
the game: baccarat chemin de fer (railway), baccarat banque (or à
deux tableaux), and punto banco (or North American baccarat). Punto
banco is strictly a game of chance, with no skill or strategy
involved; each player's moves are forced by the cards the player is
dealt. In baccarat chemin de fer and baccarat banque, by contrast,
both players can make choices, which allows skill to play a
part.
Baccarat is a simple game with only three possible results -
'Player', 'Banker' and 'Tie'. The term 'Player' does not refer to
the customer and the term 'Banker' does not refer to the house.
They are just options on which the customer can bet.
Valuation of Hands
In Baccarat, cards 2-9 are worth face value, 10s and face cards (J,
Q, K) are worth zero, and Aces are worth 1 point. Players calculate
their score by taking the sum of all cards modulo 10, meaning that
after adding the value of the cards the tens digit is ignored. For
example, a hand consisting of 2 and 3 is worth 5 (2 + 3 = 5). A
hand consisting of 6 and 7 is worth 3 (6 + 7 = 13 = 3) - the first
digit is dropped because the total is higher than 10. A hand
consisting of 4 and 6 is worth zero, or Baccarat (4 + 6 = 10 = 0).
The name "Baccarat" is unusual in that the game is named after the
worst hand, worth 0. The highest score that can be achieved is 9
(from a 4 and 5, 10 and 9, or A and 8, etc).
Baccarat in Popular Culture
James Bond 007
Baccarat chemin-de-fer is the favoured game of Ian Fleming's secret
agent creation, James Bond[2]. He can be seen playing the game in
numerous novels – most notably 007's 1953 debut, Casino Royale,
in which the entire plot revolves around a game between Bond and
SMERSH operative Le Chiffre (the unabridged version of the novel
includes a primer to the game for readers who are unfamiliar with
it). It is also featured in several filmed versions of the novels,
including Dr. No, where Bond is first introduced playing the game;
Thunderball; the 1967 version of Casino Royale (which is the most
detailed treatment of a baccarat game in any Bond film); On Her
Majesty's Secret Service; For Your Eyes Only; and GoldenEye.
In the 2006 new movie adaptation of Casino Royale, however,
Baccarat is replaced by Texas hold 'em poker largely due to its
great popularity in America at the time of filming.
Rush Hour 3
In the film Rush Hour 3, Chris Tucker's character attempts to play
Baccarat in a Paris casino while thinking it's blackjack. After
telling the dealer to "hit him", the dealer reminds Tucker's
character that "This is Baccarat". Later on he has a hand of three
kings and, mistaking the rules for poker, cheers happily. Three
kings adds up to zero, causing him to lose.
Team Fortress 2
As part of the game Team Fortress 2, a characterized update
annoucement sheet for Day 4 of the Sniper vs. Spy Update told of a
'Portable Baccarat Detector' which told of an 'easy-to-conceal
device' that was 'no larger or heavier than a standard car engine'.
The detector 'does not recognise punto banco as a type of
baccarat', likening Baccarat to punto banco as 'what fine wine is
to a toilet full of spoiled meat'. Unfortunately, a device such as
this does not exist, and no device is in development that detects
baccarat.
