Even though rumors persist of the game only being accessible to wealthy casino patrons, baccarat remains the most profitable table game at casinos. In 2017, Macau casinos generated 88% of revenue with high-limit players placing bets of $100,000 or more per hand on this classic card game. GGB spoke with Bill Zender, former Nevada Gaming Control Agent, dealer, and executive who literally wrote the book on table game management, for insight.

Baccarat may seem daunting at first glance, but the game can actually be very straightforward and simple to play. Your goal should be placing bets on either the player’s hand, banker’s hand or a tie and your winning hand should be determined by which hand comes closest to nine when all pips (small dots on cards representing clubs, diamonds, hearts and spades) are added up; face cards count as zero while aces count as 1.

Rules are straightforward for the game of War, yet its practice has evolved into an intricate ritual: players gathered around a table watch the croupier crack open six fresh decks of cards and distribute them in an intricate fluttering motion to each player around the table. When finished he also washes them before stacking and stacking them back up into rows to form “shoes”, each holding two cards representing two hands played during war.

Baccarat first made its debut in Italy before making its way across to France where it quickly gained favor among nobility and wealthy. Later in France’s 19th century, chemin de fer became popular as a faster variant with casinos quickly adopting it as well.

Though the game of baccarat does not rely on skill alone, some fans believe there are strategies which can lead to consistent wins. Such strategies often include using a betting system which involves doubling up after every loss in hopes that one win may eventually cover for all prior losses. Unfortunately, these systems are not foolproof; therefore they should only be employed by those with large bankrolls and discipline to adhere to them.

With its house edge at only 1.06%, baccarat is an incredibly safe and straightforward game to play – perfect for new or casual gamblers alike. Each round takes only around three minutes while blackjack decisions may alter other players’ odds of success; by comparison baccarat takes much less time as no decisions made have any bearing on other bets made by other players; plus its commission-free variant has even further simplified play.

Alongside traditional baccarat, mini-baccarat and no commission versions offer alternative forms of the game that increase speed and simplicity. Aside from player/banker decisions being almost random coinflips, each hand of baccarat can be completed within seconds – making baccarat more accessible to people of all income levels and ages.