Baccarat has long been a game of choice among Asian high rollers. Beginning its history in Europe and spreading throughout Asia and eventually America, the game of baccarat can now be found everywhere from Europe to Japan and North America. Players and bankers take turns betting on which hand will total closest to nine, using various betting options such as player hand bets or banker bets or even on a tie outcome; those betting on either hand win while those wagering on banker hands pay commission to the casino.
Cards are dealt face up and visible to everyone at the table, with the hand won by whichever side has a total closer to 9. Additionally, you may place side bets that pay out according to odds – minimum stake $20-25 per hand.
Before, results of each baccarat hand were recorded on paper cards and a bead plate, which consisted of six rows with each row bearing symbols that indicated whether a player or banker won or tied. Today, however, large casinos often employ electronic displays known as the big road, bead plate road, or derived roads to record this information more precisely.
These displays record each shoe of baccarat and also show trends of its games so far, using a grid of symbols with each symbol representing either an outcome or trend in color. While these roads can be difficult to comprehend at first, once understood they can provide players with useful insight as they indicate in which direction each hand may head going forward.
Trend analysis can be used to help players decide whether a player or banker bet should be placed. While past wins or losses have no bearing on how the next hand will turn out, some baccarat players keep an eye on past roads to inform their betting decisions.
Early baccarat was popular with Etruscan royalty and wealthy noblemen in Italy, before it soon spread across to France where it became Chemin de Fer. Aristocracy quickly adopted this game, becoming fans of its rules as it quickly spread across Russia and Asia – today baccarat is one of the world’s most played casino games and can be found almost every major city worldwide.