Baccarat has become an important part of most Vegas casinos’ revenues. With the Chinese gambling dollar playing high-stakes baccarat over all other games, the Vegas casinos are doing more and more to attract the action to the degree of buying a fleet of airplanes to fly from Vegas to Macau).

But revenues are down in Vegas this year, and many gaming experts think that the increased high-stakes baccarat action is the cause. The house edge is lower in baccarat – which is part of the reason it’s so popular – and the higher the percentage of a casino’s action that’s baccarat, the lower the profit for the house.

I don’t think that baccarat action will help or hurt a casino from thriving. But casinos certainly don’t need to offer the game to do well. There are lots of them thriving without baccarat as part of their lineup of games.

“Banco!” - Said when a player decides to bet all his money.
Carte - Used to request a card from the dealer.
Coup - A round of Baccarat.
Croupier - The dealer.
Chemin-de-fer - The European Baccarat variation where one player plays the bank, deals, and takes the bets.
Ladderman - An employee of the casino who oversees the table.
Le Grande - The best hand in Baccarat, a 9.
Loss bet/Fade - A bet in opposition to the bank.
Mini-baccarat - A variation of Baccarat that uses a smaller table.
Natural - When the two cards total to 8 or 9.
Palette - A tool used to move cards on the table.
Petite - When the card total is 8.
Shills - A young lady used to lure players to the Baccarat table.
Shooter - Another nickname for the bank.
Standoff - When the banker and the player tie.

Baccarat has a couple of common variations. The American version is the one you’re likely familiar with. The game is traditionally a high-roller game where proper dress and high betting limits are the norm. You bet on either the dealer’s hand, the player’s hand, or a tie.

Mini-baccarat is essentially the same game but the limits have been lowered and the atmosphere is casual. Play is the same as regular baccarat, but for regular folks.

Chemin de fer is a game you will find in French casinos that is the same as baccarat, except you have to either be the banker or the player, not just bet on either.

Baccarat en banque is common in European casinos, with the rule difference being that the house is always the bank.

European baccarat features one change in the rules; it gives the player the option to stand or hit on five.

The Asian influence on the game of baccarat is one of the most dominant forces in gaming today. Everyone wants to attract the huge dollars that the Chinese gamblers wager on this game, and now a new innovation in online baccarat is available.

Baccarat Pairs is an online gaming service that gives the player a live dealer, which they watch as they play. Some baccarat players wager at such high stakes that this extra security is just what the online baccarat industry needed.

The games have pit bosses walking around the studio where the live dealers will be working, to ensure the security of the operation. With such high stakes involved, this is a good way to alleviate fears that the online games could be rigged against them.

This online service could put a real dent into the casino baccarat action over which Macau and Vegas are competing so fiercely.

The big push that Vegas has been putting on for the high-roller baccarat player has supposedly affected their revenues for the first part of this year. With the growth of the resorts in Macau, Las Vegas has been catering to the high-roller Asian players. The reports are that revenues for January are down from those of January 2007, by about 5%.

The baccarat players are winning big bucks. They’re not cleaning the house out – the casinos are still raking it in – and a 5% difference could come from any type of occurrence including the nation’s financial situation.

Yes, the house edge is less than most other games in the casino, but the new baccarat action is in addition to the original action. If anything, the casinos are trying to get the word out there to the Asian players that they’re losing money to them, so they’ll come back again.

Live Baccarat Pairs is the latest evolution in online gaming. With live dealers with real cards, the experience is as realistic as it gets. EnterAsia is gearing up to become the top online baccarat provider worldwide with this innovative way of play. The Baccarat Pairs variation is very popular in the Orient, and with live dealers EnterAsia is trying to give the Asian baccarat player the absolute security that the game is fair.

There are pit bosses in the studio that monitor the action and make sure that this is achieved. Baccarat stakes can become very high, and this sort of action guards against possible incidents like the Absolute Poker fiasco a few months back.

These live games have the potential to become very popular online. The Asian baccarat players will be the litmus test for the technology, which can easily be transferred to every other table game that casinos offer.

Mini-Baccarat is essentially the game of baccarat reduced to a smaller version, the size of a blackjack table. Instead of being played in the baccarat pit, you play on the casino floor with the other table games. It also reduces the fanfare and lowers the minimum stakes.

The game plays the same as the bigger version as far as play goes. There are only as many as seven to nine players at the table and you don’t get to turn your own cards over as the dealer does everything. There is only one dealer, who is the only one allowed to touch the cards.

It’s best to bet on the banker every time if you don’t find that too boring. Remember to have enough money left over to pay the commissions to the house that will be due when they request them or you decide to leave the game.

Chinese New Year is the biggest time of year for Vegas Strip baccarat action. The ten-day celebration can provide the lion’s share of the baccarat action for the year, with last year’s wagers totalling over $1B for the month of February. That put $116.4M into the revenue stream for the casinos. That translates into 2.9% of total business.

The MGM Mirage, Las Vegas Sands and Wynn Resorts have all opened casinos in Macau and they have been promoting Vegas as a Chinese New Year destination. The ten-day celebration allows visitors a longer-than-usual visit to the city, and the free-flowing Asian gambling dollar is becoming much more desirable to Vegas casino owners.

The casinos would rather see the Asian gaming dollar spent in Vegas because the gaming tax is 6.75% in the U.S., as compared to the 39% they must pay to the Chinese government in Macau.

Baccarat is so popular in China because it’s the preferred game of the Asian high roller. Gambling has been a part of the Asian culture for thousands of years. It’s included in everyday life and Asian celebrations. Now that China has opened up and new wealth is being created at large rate, Asians are spending their disposable income on the baccarat tables. If you want to appear to be somebody in an Asian casino, baccarat is the game that you will want to be playing.

It is so popular that Macau has grown beyond Las Vegas. The former Portuguese colony is the only legal gambling resort in China, and offers baccarat at a wide variety of stakes. Las Vegas is already making adjustments so some of that Asian gaming money will come over State-side. Baccarat pits and Asian-inspired themes are popping up all over Vegas, and Chinese gamers are responding.

Baccarat is a casino card game based on luck. There are no systems to help you predict or calculate the odds of winning. That being said here are some tips to help you win:

1. Search for a baccarat table that uses the least amount of card decks.

2. Do not avoid bets on the Bank. Despite what you may be told, the odds will work for you.

3. Play with a bankroll that you are wiling to lose.

4. Before choosing your table observe how the people play at the table. Find a table with less skilled players.

5. Avoid playing at high roller tables right off the bat. Get a feel for the table and players at a mini table first.