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Casino
History
History of Baccarat
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Baccarat (pronounced "bac-car-ah")
has long held the
attention of gamblers
and an early version was
played with cards from a
Tarot deck back in the
Middle Ages.
A
more modern variant
originated in Italy
(Europe) around 1490 and at the present time
it is most popular in
European casinos. The word baccarat is
derived from the Italian
word baccara, meaning
zero, and refers to the
zero value given to all
of the face cards and
tens.
In the 1500s, it was
introduced to French
aristocrats looking for
a new and exciting game
of chance by their
Italian counterparts.
They called it "Chemin
De Fer," the French term
for railroad. In the
1900s, when the game
became fashionable on
the French Riviera (game
of choice for the French
nobility), players
nicknamed it "Chemmy" or
"Shimmy."
Chemin De Fer traveled
from Europe to South
America and found a new
home in Argentina.
Casinos in Mar Del Plata
(Argentina) became a
gambling paradise for
wealthy South Americans.
When the game reached
Cuba, it underwent a
rule change that turned
it into American
Baccarat (in American
Baccarat each player
bets against the house;
in Chemin De Fer,
players bet among
themselves). In 1958, at
Capri Hotel Casino
in Havana (Cuba), a
young casino executive
named Francis "Tommy" Renzoni, spent countless
hours watching gamblers
play baccarat.
When Renzoni left Cuba
and settled in Nevada,
he persuaded the owners
of Sands Hotel to open
up a baccarat pit. But
the game was not an
overnight success in the
United States. The
separated pit and the
game’s sophisticated
aura intimidated
American gamblers, who
at this time were mostly
craps players who had
picked up a liking for
the dice during military
service in World War II. During that time a
special form of Baccarat
was introduced in many
Las Vegas casinos and
the game has become even
more popular. In
this variation of
Baccarat the role of
banker is usually held
permanently by the House
or Casino; only one
non-Banker hand is
dealt, and bets may be
played either with or
against the Banker. Its
popularity increased
steadily in the United
States, Australia and
England during the past
century. Traditionally, the
baccarat pit is set
aside from the main
casino area, away from
all of the "common"
games, and "common" players.
In February of 1990, the
late Akio Kashiwagi, who
at one time was the
world’s highest roller,
made history books when
he won over $6 million
at an Atlantic City
baccarat table. Playing
in Atlantic City’s Trump
Plaza casino, and
betting $200,000 a hand,
Mr. Kashiwagi, also
known as "The Warrior,"
put a significant dent
in the Plaza’s bottom
line for the month. But
like all winners, he
came back for more. The
following May, after six
grueling days of
playing, Kashiwagi made
the record books for the
second time. Losing
close to $10 million,
the Warrior recorded the
largest loss at a
baccarat table in casino
history.
Now that the internet is
fast evolving into
becoming a highly
diversified meeting
place and playground, it
has grown to include
Online Baccarat.
Gambling has now become
firmly rooted in the
electronic age, so it
was only natural that it
should gravitate to the
Internet in the form of
online baccarat. The
number of internet users
is increasing steadily
each week and more money
and resources are being
poured into the
infrastructure. The
resulting increase in
bandwidth will provide
support for a high
degree of interaction
between users and online
baccarat. As this
becomes a reality,
online baccarat will
take a permanent place
amongst hundreds of
other forms of internet
based entertainment.
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Blackjack is one of the most popular
casino games and with simple rules and great returns if
you know what you're doing its no wonder this is the
case. The premise of the game is simple...get a higher
hand than the dealer's without going over 21 and you win you bet. |
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How is the game
played
You and the Dealer each get two cards. Every
card has a point value. You can draw more cards,
but when you exceed a point total of 21, you
lose.
The object of the game is to beat the dealer by
1) receiving an ace (11 points) and a
10-point-value card (which is 21 and the highest
winning score, known as blackjack) as the first
two cards, 2) getting closer to 21 than the
dealer does, or 3) the dealer going over 21
points and you not.
If you and the Dealer end up with the same same
total value hand, it is considered a push,
or a standoff, and nobody wins.
Card Values
Card |
Value |
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 |
Face Value |
J, Q, K |
10 |
A |
11 or 1 |
Card |
A |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
J |
Q |
K |
A |
Value |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
11 |
Terminology:
Any hand containing an ace is said to be a "soft
hand". (Ace+5 = "Soft-16)
Options (for
the Player)
After your first two cards are dealt there are a
variety of options for what to do next. (The
Dealer has to follow different options.)
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Hit
Getting an additional card. You can
continue to receive cards as long as their
total doesn't exceed 21. Scrap the cards
lightly towards you, scratch or tap the
table, or point at your cards to hit.
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Stand
Not wanting another card (because of a
satisfactory total). Slip the cards under
the chips or hold your hand, palm down, over
your cards to stand.
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Split Pairs
After being dealt two cards of the same
point value, to dividing them into two
separate hands, which is a very good option
for the player. You must put up an equal bet
on the new split hand. You hit and stand
each new hand as wanted. If you receive
another card of the same value, you can to
split this pair as well. Slitting Pairs
usually is allowed up to a total of four
hands.
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Double Down
Making an additional wager (no higher
than the original bet), and receive only one
more card.
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Insurance
In Blackjack one of the Dealer's first
two cards always is dealt face up, so you
can see it. If this card is an Ace, the
Dealer could have a blackjack and you can
make an additional side bet (equal to half
of the original bet), which is won when the
Dealer has a blackjack and pays 2:1. In this
case your original bet is lost. If the
Dealer doesn't have a blackjack, the
insurance bet is lost and you go on playing
with your original bet. The insurance bet
has a 6% house-advantage over you, so it is
a poor bet.
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Surrender
Giving up and losing only half of the
original bet. Only allowed when Dealer has a
9, 10, or ace showing. Early surrender is to
give up before the Dealer looks at his
second card. Late surrender is to give up
after the Dealer looks at his second card.
When the Dealer has an 10, or an ace
showing, the chance of losing is greater
than 75%, which makes it a good option for
you.
Options (for
the Dealer)
The Dealer does not really have any options,
because he has to follow certain rules.
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Dealer hits on 16, stands on 17
The Dealer must hit on any hand totaling
16 or less, and stand on any hand totaling
17 or higher. Some casinos require the
Dealer to hit on a soft 17 (Ace+6), which is
a disadvantage for the player.
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GAMBLING is the wagering of money or other
consideration of value on an uncertain event that is
dependent either wholly on chance, as in roulette, or
partly on chance and partly on skill, as in certain card
games and in sporting contests. |
All About the History of Craps
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Craps. The most fashionable men of 18th
and 19th century England rolled dice in a game called
Hazard in luxurious private gambling houses. In hazard
the banker (setter), sets a stake. The player (caster),
calls a main (a number from 5 to 9, inclusive) and then
throws two dice. If he "nicks" (5 is nicked by 5; 6 by 6
or 12; 7 by 7 or 11; 8 by 8 or 12; 9 by 9), he wins the
stake. The caster throws out, losing the stake, when
throwing aces or deuce-ace ("crabs", or "craps") or when
throwing 11 or 12 to a main of 5 or 9, 11 to 6 or 8, and
12 to 7. Any other throw is his chance; he keeps
throwing until the chance comes up, when he wins, or
until the main comes up, when he loses. When a chance is
thrown, the setter pays more than the original stake,
according to specified odds.
The
French learned the game from the English and called it
Caps or French Hazard, a corruption of "Crabs," the
name for a pair of ones. In French hazard the player
throws against the house. In English or Chicken Hazard
the player throws against an opponent.
When
settlers arrived in the new world, they brought their
dice with them. And, gradually, as dice were rolled on
riverboats, wharfs and in private houses, a simplified
Americanized version of "Craps" developed: Bernard de
Mandeville adapted Craps from the game Hazard in New
Orleans in 1813 and simplified hazard into the present
game of private craps. So the casino dice game of craps
is of American origin.
Private craps then moved up the Mississippi river on
steamboats and spread to casinos and gambling halls
throughout the country. This original version of craps
allowed only "field" and "come bets", which made the
game very vulnerable against fixed dice, which were
often used.
It
wasn't until John H. Winn, a dice-maker by trade,
created an innovated version of craps, where players
could bet for, or against the roller. This eliminated
the usefulness of fixed dice and created the very
popular versions of craps that are played today.
The
popular game moved west with the frontier, and is played
today in homes and clubs across the country. By 1910,
craps had become the most popular casino game in the
world. As many as 30 million Americans play dice every
year. And the stakes can be gigantic. Some years ago, a
Detroit businessman broke a casino bank when he won
$300,000 in less than two hours of play.
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Keno is easy to learn and fun to play. It is one of the
oldest games played in modern casinos and almost
certainly the one that has undergone the least change.
Keno is played in much the same fashion as most national
and state lotteries around the world. The concept is
very simple. |
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| Creative Keno managers have come up with many ways to play keno over the
years. We will try to simplify the discussion of these
games by dividing them into six basic categories:
Straight Tickets
This is the basic ticket, and the most common. Nothing
tricky here. You simply mark your numbers and wait for
the draw. Of course there are a few more details.
You must determine how many spots you want to play.
Most casinos allow you to choose 1 to 15 spots, and some
even allow you to choose 20, 32 or 40 numbers on a
straight ticket. You will normally want to play 4 to 8
numbers. Below 4 spots, your payoff isn't worth the
average 30% casino take. At 8 numbers, your odds are
about 230,115 to 1. At 9 spots it jumps to 1.38 million
to 1, and at 15 spots your odds of hitting all 15 are an
unrealistic 428,010,179,098 to 1, or about 428 BILLION to 1!
Your last decision is to determine how much to wager.
Common straight tickets are $1.00, although some are 70
cents or lower. You can also play multiples of the base
rate. For example, you could play a $1.00 ticket for
$5.00, and your winnings will be multiplied by 5 times
the $1.00 payout rate. But there is one thing you must
be aware of when playing multiples of the base rate; the
casino will not pay more than the aggregate limit on any
one game. So if the aggregate limit is $50,000, your
payout will never exceed $50,000, no matter how much you
bet.
Split
Tickets
A split ticket is basically 2 or more straight tickets
played on the same physical ticket. Each logical ticket
consists of a group of numbers that are either circled,
or separated by a line. Each game (group of numbers)
must have it's own unique numbers, and can not share
numbers with any other group.
There is no advantage to a split ticket. It simply
allows you to play two or more games on the same piece
of paper. One disadvantage is that you can not use the
same number more than once.
It is never wise to put your keno game on the same paper
with your gambling partner, since any payout of $1500 or
more must be reported to the IRS on form W2-G. The
casino will require you to complete this form before
giving you your winnings. However, if you and your
partner had played separate games, and you won $500,
while your partner won $1400, neither of you would have
to complete that nasty form. Of course you still must
report your winnings to the IRS when you complete your
tax return, as we all do.
Way Tickets
Way tickets can be complicated. So the first thing you
should know is that there are only two reasons to play a
way ticket.
The first is convenience. If it is more convenient for
you to mark multiple games on a single ticket, a way
ticket may be for you.
The second reason to play a way ticket is fractional
rates. Some casinos will let you play for as little as
10 cents per way, instead of the usual $1.00 you would
have to play on a straight ticket.
The payouts on way tickets are the same as playing the
same games in multiple tickets. If way tickets confuse you, and you are not interested
in fractional rates, there is no reason for you to
tackle way tickets.
Combination Tickets
Combination tickets allow players to combine groups of
straight bets on one ticket in various ways with the
player wagering one unit for each possible combination.
Players can also combine straight bets and way bets on
one ticket. The groups bet on a combination ticket should be clearly
marked on the right hand side of the ticket.
King Tickets
A king ticket has one number that is circled by itself.
This number is referred to as the King and is used in
combination with other groups of numbers on a ticket.
King tickets are marked similarly to way and split
tickets with the number of combinations played and the
amount wagered per group displayed on the right hand
side of the ticket.
Special Tickets
Casinos sometimes promote their keno games by offering
special tickets. A special ticket must be played in a
certain pre-determined manner and pays off using a
different pay schedule. This payout chart is usually
marked on the special ticket itself. Special tickets usually offer slightly better deals than
other keno tickets and are used to entice players.
An example of a special ticket is called top and bottom.
A player pays $5.00 for this special ticket and chooses
either the top 40 or the bottom 40 numbers on a card. If
all twenty numbers drawn are in the section the player
selected, they usually get paid around $100,000. If none
of the numbers drawn are located in the section the
player selected they still receive around $100,000. All
other options are paid according to the special payout
schedule.
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Poker is a card game where two to ten people sit around a
table, deal cards from a deck of 52, and place bets that
accumulate into a pot as the game progresses. The best
poker hand wins the pot.
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How is the game played
All players (and the Dealer) get a number of cards. You
win by 1.) having the best hand or 2.) by bluffing other
players, so they think you have the best hand and
surrender.
Types
of Poker
There are
two major types of poker: Draw and stud.
In Draw Poker, cards are dealt and can be
exchanged for new ones. In Stud Poker, cards are
dealt and changing of cards is not allowed.
In both
types you can play high, w, or high-low.
In High, the highest hand wins. In Low,
the lowest hand wins. In High-Low, the highest
and the lowest hands win and split the winnings.
There are
more than 120 different poker games. The most common
are:
Five Card Stud, Seven Card Stud, Five Card Draw, Texas
Hold'em, Omaha
Ranking Order of Hands
| Hand |
Possibilities |
Probability |
Royal Flush
(10, J, Q, K, A of same suit) |
4 |
1 : 649,740 |
Straight Flush
(e.g. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 of same suit) |
36 |
1 : 72,193 |
Four of a Kind
(e.g. four 10's ) |
624 |
1 : 4,165 |
Full House
(Three of a Kind + One Pair) |
3,744 |
1 : 694 |
Flush
(any five cards of same suit) |
5,108 |
1 : 509 |
Straight
(e.g. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 of mixed suits) |
10,200 |
1 : 255 |
| Three of a Kind |
54,912 |
1 : 47 |
| Two Pairs |
123,552 |
1 : 21 |
| One Pair |
1,098,240 |
1 : 2 |
| No Pair |
1,302,540 |
1 : 2 |
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The
name itself, "Roulette"
is a French word meaning "Small Wheel" which signifies
that the game, as we know it today, originated somewhere
within the French culture.
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How is the game played
A wood-and-chrome, bowl-shaped wheel with blocks
numbered 0 to 36 is spun in one direction. (The American
wheel has an additional number: the Double-Zero (00),
and it can be spun only in one direction, whereas the
French wheel can be spun in both directions.) The
numbers 1 thru 36 are evenly split between red and
black, while 0 and 00 are green pockets. A small ivory
ball is spun around the outer rim of the wheel in the
opposite direction. As the ball slows, it drops into one
of the pockets of the wheel. You bet on which pocket the
ball will drop into. There are a large number of bets
allowed in casino roulette.
Types of Bets
Inside Bets |
Outside Bets |
Single Bet |
Red or Black Numbers |
Two-Number Bet |
Even or Odd Numbers |
Three-Number Bet |
1-18 or 19-36 |
Four-Number Bet |
1st, 2nd or 3rd Column |
Five-Number Bet |
1st, 2nd or 3rd Section |
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Inside Bets
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Single Bet: Wager on a single number.
Place the chip centered on any specific number 1
to 36, 0 or 00. The Payout is 35 to 1. Also
called Straight-Up Bet.
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Two-Number Bet: Wager on two numbers.
Place the chip across any line separating any
two numbers. The Payout is 17 to 1. Also called
Split Bet.
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Three-Number Bet: Wager on three numbers.
Place the chip on the line at either end of a
row. The payout is 11 to 1. Also called Trio or
Street Bet.
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Four-Number Bet: Wager on four numbers.
Place the chip on the spot where any four
numbers meet. The payout is 8 to 1. Also called
Four-Spot or Square Bet.
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Five-Number Bet: Wager on 0, 00, 1, 2, 3
(Only on American Wheel). Place the chip at the
end of the row, on the line where the 0 and 1
come together. The payout is 6 to 1. Also called
Five-Spot or Sucker Bet.
- Outside Bets
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Red / Black: Wager on red / black
numbers. The payout is 1 to 1. The only number
not red or black is the green 0 or 00.
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Even / Odd: Wager on even / odd
numbers. The payout is 1 to 1. The only number
not even or odd is the 0 or 00.
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Column: Wager on one of the three columns
of 12 numbers. Place the chip at the end of the
layout, in the box marked 2 to 1. The payout is
2 to 1.
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Dozen: Wager on a particular group of 12
numbers (1-12, 13-24 or 25-36). Place the chip
at the specific wagering box, labeled 1st 12,
2nd 12, and 3rd 12. The payout is 2 to 1.
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Low / High Number: Wager on 1-18 or
19-36. Place the chip at the specific wagering
box, labeled 1st 12, 2nd 12, and 3rd 12. The
payout is 2 to 1.
En Prison
When an 1-to-1 wager is made, and an 0 comes up, your
bets are moved to another line and "held enprisoned",
waiting for the next spin: If the next spin wins you get
your money back, if not not. Not all casinos offer this
rule!
Surrender
When an 1-to-1 wager is made, and an 0 or 00 comes up,
you lose only half of your bets. Not all casinos offer
this rule!
Payouts
The casino has to pay for rent, salaries, free drinks,
air conditioning, lights etc. The difference between the
payout and true odds is what pays for all those
expenses. The trick is to play low odds bets.
American Bet |
European Bet |
Payout |
True Odds
(US) |
True Odds
(European) |
Single Bet |
En plein |
35 : 1 |
37 : 1 |
36 : 1 |
Two-Number Bet |
A Cheval |
17 : 1 |
18 : 1 |
17.5 : 1 |
Three-Number Bet |
Transversale Plein |
11 : 1 |
11.67 : 1 |
11.33 : 1 |
Four-Number Bet |
En carre |
8 : 1 |
8.5 : 1 |
8.25 : 1 |
Five-Number Bet |
- |
6 : 1 |
6.6 : 1 |
- |
Six Number |
Sixaine |
5 : 1 |
5.33 : 1 |
5.17 : 1 |
Column |
Colonne |
2 : 1 |
2.17 : 1 |
2.08 : 1 |
Dozen |
Douzaine |
2 : 1 |
2.17 : 1 |
2.08 : 1 |
Even |
Pair |
1 : 1 |
1.05 : 1 |
1.01 : 1 |
Odd |
Impair |
1 : 1 |
1.05 : 1 |
1.01 : 1 |
1-18 |
Manque |
1 : 1 |
1.05 : 1 |
1.01 : 1 |
19-36 |
Passe |
1 : 1 |
1.05 : 1 |
1.01 : 1 |
Red |
Rouge |
1 : 1 |
1.05 : 1 |
1.01 : 1 |
Black |
Noir |
1 : 1 |
1.05 : 1 |
1.01 : 1 |
Table Layout
American Roulette
Inside Bets Outside Bets
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In
1899, Charles Fey of San Francisco devised the "Liberty
Bell", the forerunner of modern
slot machines.
The coin-operated one-armed bandits, as they became
known, had a basic design of three spinning wheels
marked with symbols. In 1905, the Mills Novelty Company
of Chicago stole a machine and copied the design and
soon afterward, other companies began producing similar
products.
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Lotto.
To correctly guess a combination of numbers or symbols
that are afterwards randomly drawn by any governing
agency. Each governing agency selects the total amount
of numbers to be used in its various games.
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How is the game played
1.) You buy a lotto ticket.
2.) You mark numbers or symbols on the
ticket. (Six out of 49 or similar)
3.) If the numbers you picked match the
numbers that are drawn - in any order - you are a
winner.
Types of Games
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Super lottery jackpot
The big jackpot games often go by the name of
Lotto, Super Lotto, Powerball, or National Lottery.
This is the type of game that produces the "instant"
millionaires. This game is normally played once a
week, but in some countries you will find it played
twice a week. It is a very low cost game normally
costing little more than $1 depending on where you
live. If no one wins the big jackpot it normally
rolls over to the next drawing and the prize total
increases in value.
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Daily lottery games
Some countries also have daily lottery games
with prizes considerably lower than the big lottery
jackpots. Some examples are Pick-3, Daily-4 or
Fantasy-5 in the US, or Finland's Lotto or Spain's
Bono Loto, which has four draws a week. In many of
these games you only need to pick three, four, or
five numbers to win. The odds are greatly reduced.
-
Scratch-off games
Many countries have scratch off games that are
paid off on the spot. These instant games are
launched regularly covering a variety of themes,
designs, and play styles. To play these games you
simply purchase a ticket at your supermarket or
newsagent, scratch off the coating on the ticket and
match the required symbols or numbers. You are
normally paid on the spot if you win. If the winning
ticket is over a designated amount, you might have
to present or post the ticket to the lottery
headquarters to collect your prize.
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