The sexy image of a man playing baccarat can be linked to the James Bond movies. In Casino Royal, the original, Bond was the guy who broke the bank to foil the bad guy. The game has a history of high rollers and big money players. Many baccarat pits still require a level of dress and decorum, so for some women the image is projected of a wealthy man that’s willing to take chances in life.

It’s the perfect image of a man that has lots of cash and charisma, dressed in a tuxedo ready to marry. I’m not saying that all women dream of a wealthy man dressed for the wedding, but I’m sure I’d have the best of it if I did a poll to see how many out of 10 found it sexy. Even an older man can be sexy at the baccarat table, Sugar Daddy central.

Michael Jordan loves his basketball and his baccarat.

The most famous baccarat player that we know of is Michael Jordan. Whether or not he still plays is up in the air, as he did have a bout with problem gambling in the 90’s. Jordan bet large sums for years on the baccarat tables. He was once spotted in the pit at 4:00am, only hours before Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Jackie Chan seems to be around the game of baccarat a lot. He had a movie that took place around the shady baccarat pits, and now there’s a slot game with him as the theme.

There are a few baccarat players that have become famous for writing books on the subject. Lyle Stewart has won the baccarat world championship multiple times, and is considered the leader in baccarat strategy. Frank Scoblete wrote The Baccarat Battle Book, a best seller on the subject. He has sold more books on gambling than any American author.

If you’re looking for the best baccarat action in the world you have to start in Macau. The Chinese gambling resort was built on the game of baccarat and it continues to be the biggest draw. Every casino in Macau has a top-notch baccarat pit, but the best place to start is the Wynn Macau. They have 212 table games, lots of which are baccarat games. MGM Grand Macau has 345 gaming tables that also run 24 hours a day. Lots of these tables have baccarat action, and you won’t have to wait to get one.

State-side you’ll want to be in either Vegas or Atlantic City to find the best baccarat action. U.S. casinos are adding baccarat pits as fast as they can have them built, to try and attract some of the Chinese baccarat dollars. The best baccarat action in Vegas is at the Mandalay Bay Casino.

Chinese gamblers love baccarat. It’s so popular that the casinos in Macau are trying to convert a percentage of the baccarat players into slot jockeys. Slot machines make up a much smaller percentage of revenues in Macau than in Vegas. Baccarat tables are slow, and many Chinese players will only wager on tables they think are lucky, swarming some tables while others sit empty.

It will be tough to change a culture that has baccarat in its roots. There are some signs of slots games increasing in popularity. There are currently 15,000 machines, compared to 2000 eight years ago.

Slot machines are being created with more recognizable Asian themes, and Macau casino staff has been instructed to persuade customers to play them. They are also developing electronic baccarat games that don’t have live dealers, and deal out a hand in a quarter of the time a regular table can.

The State of Florida has expanded the action that the Seminole Casinos are permitted to offer. The Hard Rock Hollywood has redesigned the casino floor to include new table games. They have 71 table games now, of which 55 of those are blackjack and the others include baccarat, mini-baccarat, three-card poker, Pai Gow Poker, and Let It Ride. Minimum bets were initially set at $25 for blackjack, but it’s been reported that there will be $10 tables at non-peak times.

The baccarat action will only consist of four tables; two for baccarat and two for mini-baccarat. If action is consistent they’re sure to expand. The grand opening was last week and included celebrities like Carmen Electra, Lorraine Bracco and Frank Vincent. These new games will put the Florida casinos into true resort status, especially when you factor in the climate of the state. Atlantic City now has competition on the East Coast.

There are many new games that have been developed for the Asian gaming market. One variation on the favorite game of baccarat is the progressive version. This game will pay out different progressive jackpots when a certain number of the player and dealer cards are the same rank and color. The jackpot starts to pay out if three or more cards are the same; the biggest being when all six cards are the same rank and color.

The game made its debut at the G2E Asia Gaming Expo in Macau, June 4-5, 2008. If it becomes popular, as expected, we will see the game in most casinos soon. If the progressive is built, and doesn’t affect the odds of the baccarat game, it has the potential to be very popular. It will be giving the player very good playing odds when the jackpot gets big enough to count.