Baccarat is a card game, in which the players attempt to collect as many points as possible, using two or three cards. Formerly baccarat was considered to be a game for the aristocracy, and nowadays high bets in this game aren’t unusual. In the original baccarat players played against each other and each of them made decision whether to take the third card or not. Nowadays in casinos generally the variation of the game called mini-baccarat or punto-banko is used, in which the player plays against the establishment or dealer, and making decision to take cards is ruled.

History of the game
The origin of baccarat is still unknown, and many Europeans dispute about rising of the game in one or another country – usually France or Italy. It is really hard to follow the source of this ancient game, because its variations occur in many countries: in Spain a game alike is called Punto Banco (this name is usually used in casinos right now, instead of baccarat), in France – “chemin de fer” (railway), in some other countries it’s called – nine or macao.

According to the most popular version relating the origin of baccarat, this game was invented by the Italian Felix Falguere, in Italian baccarat means “zero”, that’s because the value of the cards from the tens to the pictures is equal to zero in the game. Early on, baccarat was played in the middle ages, using tarot cards. Then in the year 1490 the game appeared in France and for a long time was one of principal source of entertainment for the aristocracy. Baccarat was played only by the highest layers of aristocratic society.

According to the legend, Falguere created the game based on the ancient Etruscan ritual of adoration to the nine Gods, on which the throw of the nine faced dices decided the destiny of the virgins. If a young virgin got numbers 8 or 9 she became hierophant, if she got 6 or 7 – she was restricted to participate any religious ceremony, if she got less than 6, she had to drown in the sea. The scheme of the game is kept nowadays in a similar way; they’re just a little bit less dramatic.

Rules of the game
The rules of the most popular variety (mini-baccarat) are described low. The original baccarat had a difference that players played against each other and decided themselves whether to take the third card or not. The goal of the game baccarat is to collect the card combination with overall quantity of points 9 or as close as possible to 9. Ace value is 1 point, cards from 2 to 9 make from 2 to 9 points, pictures and tens – zero points. If the overall sum of points is equal to 10 or more, 10 is subtracted, and the rest is counted as the result. For instance 7+6=13=3 or 4+6=10=0.

The player can make a bet on the field “player” and/or “bank”, and/or “tie”. At the beginning the dealer and the player receive two cards each. In some situations a third card may be given to the player, dealer or both.

The person, who collects 9 points, wins. The player, who collects 8 points, upon condition the opponent collected less, wins. If none of the participating collects 8 or 9 points, a third card may be given.
The right of a third card defines automatically when the player or dealer receives a third card when playing baccarat. If the player collects with his first two cards 0 to 5 points, he receives a third card, if he collects more than 5 points, he doesn’t. If the dealer collects 0 to 4 points, he receives a third card, if more than 5, he doesn’t, and if he gets 5 points, the decision about the third card will be taken depending on the cards of the player. In the end, the bet on the participating wins, the one who collects more points (so, if the dealer collects more points, wins the bet on “bank”, if less, on “player”)when is tie, the bets on player and bank are given back, and the bets on “tie” win.

* The bet on player is paid 1:1.
* The bet on bank is paid 1:1; 5% commission is subtracted.
* The bet on tie is paid 9:1 (or 8:1)