Baccarat has long been a high-roller game because the house usually only holds an edge of 1.06% over the player. The game is as simple as can be, and is as close to betting on a coin flip as you can get. That means that strategy is pretty much non-existent.

The best thing you can do at the baccarat table is to bet on the dealer every time. That means you don’t pay commissions on winning hands and improve your odds. Not very exciting, but it’s one of the best bets you’ll find in any casino.

If you can find a 9:1 tie bet at a baccarat table, this also improves your odds. Only Binion’s Horseshoe Casino in Vegas and BodogLife online casino offer these improved odds. Some casinos will lower player-win commissions to as much as 2.5%; this is the kind of baccarat game you’re looking for.

Poker, even though it has been around for what seems like forever, has taken the pop culture world of gambling by storm with is own list of celebrities, groupies and the like. Trends always come and go so my prediction is that the game of Baccarat may be soon dealing its own version of gaming celebrities.

As you probably already know the famous 007’s game of choice is baccarat. “Casino Royale” the newest of the James Bond movies was adapted from Ian Flemmings novel with the same title. In Flemming’s version, the British Bond out bets the Russian Le Chiffer – (Le Chiffer’s name being a play on the game Baccarat Chemin de Fer). However, if you’ve gotten a chance to see the movie, you’ve noticed that this version passes on that idea and opts for a showdown between the 2 at a game of poker.

This change is enough to take notice of pokers popularity but, back in reality, Macau, the new casino hot spot, Baccarat seems to be the game of choice. The Sands Macao casino claims that it has the most gambling tables of any other casino in the world, and most of them are baccarat. Also the newer Wynn Macau Casino has 200 gambling tables and again, baccarat is the dominant table on the floor.

Across the ocean in North America on the Las Vegas strip some of the most important players are Asian and most of them high rollers betting up to millions of dollars inside the VIP salons on baccarat.

If you want to take an early jump on my predicted new gambling trend you might want to start brushing up on your game. Here’s a list of online casinos that can clean up your skills or get you started:

- Bettor’s Luck
- Online baccarat
- Golden Tiger
- Bodog
- Latest casino bonuses

The basics for American casino baccarat are simple. There is no strategy involved other than perhaps some progressive betting techniques a player could employ. Just decide whether to bet on the player’s hand, the dealer’s hand or a tie. After that the house controls the rest of the hand.

The winner is determined by which hand is closer to nine when the values of the cards are tallied up. If either hand adds up to nine or eight right off the deal, it’s a “natural” and is an automatic winner.

If you bet on the correct hand to win you will get paid 1-1on your bet. If you bet on the tie and win, it will pay 8-1 on your bet. Often the house will charge a small commission on banker wins to increase their edge. This game gives near-to-even playing odds so the commission ensures house profit.