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Baccarat, is an offshoot of baccara, the parent casino card game created in the I 500s as an idle diversion for French aristocrats. Baccara still is popular in many countries, along with its other offspring, chemin .de fer. You’ll find both games in casinos around the world. But I advise against playing baccara or chemin de fer for several reasons, one being their resemblance to the Venus flytrap.But first let’s talk about baccarat (called punto banco abroad), which has become the fastest, most exciting, and highest money stakes game in the world.More money is being won and lost in baccarat than in any other casino game in modern history.Even the most grizzled, blase Las Vegas professional gamblers,many of whom weren’t sure how to spell or pronounce baccarat a few years ago, now agree that they’ve never seen so much money change hands so fast as over a baccarat table. Casinos in Europe and England brag about their high stakes baccara and punto banco games. Often, rightly so; but the big action is in Las Vegas, which boasts the highest baccarat limits in the world and the money to book any action.

As this chapter was being written, five Japanese businessmen had finished making a historical play at baccarat. They had checked into one of Las Vegas’ oldest Strip hotels, now owned by billionaire Howard Hughes, and said they wanted to play high stakes baccarat. They placed a million dollars in cashier’s checks in the casino cage to back their words. The club had a $2,000 maximum bet per person, but to speed up the game for the Japanese the bosses allowed them to pool their bets and play one hand at a time for $30,000. The first night BACCARAT AND ITS DEADLY DECEPTIVE RELATIVES 116 they won $240,000. The next night they lost the $240,000 plus the million dollars in cashier’s checks. The Japanese wanted credit. The club quickly investigated their background, found that all five were millionaires, and gave them a total credit of $1 million. The million dollars was lost within a few days.

The five businessmen had enough and left for Japan. But right along with them was a casino representative to make sure that the) didn’t forget about the million. It’s one thing for a casino to wit money on paper and quite another to collect it. Nevada casinos ofter have little legal recourse on collecting gambling debts outsid Nevada. But the casino representative returned with the $1 million all in cashier’s checks, plus a message from the Japanese that they’c be back for another try. Sayonara.The Japanese never revealed how much money they wanted to win It must have been plenty. After all, at one time they were nearly quarter of a million dollars ahead. Casino executives like myself, wh have watched the biggest players in the world come and go for nearl) a half-century, often wonder just how much high rollers must wit before they’ll be satisfied. Sometimes it seems that no sum will mak them happy. But at least one of the world’s biggest baccarat players an Arab prince, has made his goal clear. He told me he wouldn’t b content until he won a million dollars in one sitting.“I’m going to be the biggest winner ever in Las Vegas,” he saic during his last visit. He wasn’t kidding. He is one of the calmest coolest players I’ve ever seen, winner or loser. If anybody is capabk of winning a million dollars, he is. But he will have to wait until flex time. His last trip didn’t turn out so well.He followed his usual practice of bringing between $150,000 anc $200,000 in cash to town to place in safekeeping among his threc favorite Strip casinos, the only ones where he’ll play. Those clubs givc him a special limit of $4,000 a hand and extend liberal credit on hi name. He also rents a room in each club so that he won’t have to leav when he’s tired of playing.For the next eighteen hours, he played baccarat nonstop, takin time only to change clubs. At one point he was $190,000 winner, bul at the end he was $330,000 loser, including what he borrowed. Hc may yet win a million dollars in one shot, but I’m afraid he’s going tc lose a few million first. He’ll be back again and again. There is something about baccarai that lures the world’s richest gamblers, such as the five Japanese, owArab friend, and many other legendary baccarat players I’m going to tell you about. Baccarat seems to represent the mystique and glamour of gambling. The game is usually set apart from other casino games in a roped-off area. Even baccarat croupiers and bosses dress in blue or black tuxedos to match the exclusive atmosphere, while other casino employes often only wear shirts and ties or blouses. Baccarat tables truly have become the haunts of the gambling elite, though anyone can gain entrance past the thick velvet ropes if he can come up with the minimum baccarat bet. It can vary from a few dollars to more than $20, depending on the country. Don’t be afraid to play. You’ll be hobnobbing with royalty, movie stars, and millionaires. It may be the highlight of your trip.

Baccarat moves at a breathless, almost hypnotic pace, but the player, big or small, doesn’t have to worry about taking odds, keeping track of bets, hitting and stopping, doubling down, insurance, splits, propositions, and all the other rigmarole of 21 and craps. Baccarat requires no thinking except how much money you are winning or losing. Just put the money in front of you and the croupiers handle the rest. They’ll tell you when to hit or stop. Printed cards at the table present the rules. Your only choice is whether to bet on the banker or the player.The object in baccarat is to achieve a total of 9 with two cards or an additional third card. If 9 is not attained, the next highest hand wins. The game is played between one individual (player) and the banker. All other participants bet on the hand being played, either with the banker or with the player. The club books both sides of the bet (player or banker) up to the house limit. Players are seated around the table. The game begins with the bettor in the number one position drawing cards for the player and banker from a small box known as the “shoe.”Bettors around the table can place a wager on the banker “with” or on the player “against” the bank. If the bet “with” (for) the banker wins, the bettor pays a 5 percent commission of the bank’s winnings to the club. If the bettor player wins against the bank, no commission is involved. Baccarat odds favor the bank, so the 5 percent commission is to offset those odds.Cards in baccarat have values quite different from those in most other card games. Picture cards and lOs have no value. All other cards count face value, including the ace, which counts as one point. If your hand totals 10 points or more, you must subtract 10 points. If your hand totals 20 points or more, you must subtract 20 points. For example, if you received a queen and 9, you would have 9, which is an automatic winner unless the other side also has 9. Then it’s a tie and nobody wins. If you had a queen and 10, you would have zero. And if you got an 8 and 5, you would have 3. You must take a third card if you have certain combinations. The croupier will do this for you automatically. All casinos have rule cards—free to players.