Why You Should Know Baccarat Terms
One of the ways to become a master player at baccarat is to know your terminologies. New players may feel overwhelmed with the number of terms, some of them in French, that they must familiarize themselves with to enjoy the game and fully master it if they’re after winning more.
Baccarat, having French origins, uses a lot of French words. It also has a lot of other terms that are used solely for the game.
A short history
Baccarat is a game that is known to have originated in the Middle Ages. Believed to come out of a ritual that involved the throwing of a dice by a virgin, it began to evolve and develop into a game based on tarot cards. It spread to Europe in the 15th century and developed many variations, which include chemin de fer, where the players take turns in playing the banker. Baccarat became very fashionable in France and was a favorite of the French elite. When it caught on in England, the updated English version of the game was given the name European Baccarat.
A few of the most important words you need to familiarize yourself with are listed below. Although the game itself uses a lot of French words, it is interesting to note that the word means “zero” in Italian.
Terms
A Natural – The term is used to refer to a sum of 8 or 9 for the first two cards
A Cheval – This is one scenario where the player is allowed to play two hands. He must win both hands. If he losses one hand and wins the other, he gets a tie.
Chemin de fer – This is a variant of the game, more commonly called railroad.
Baccarat a deux tableau – This is another version of baccarat and is derived from the chemin de fer version of the game.
Commission- It is usually placed at 5% on winning bets on the banker.
Dealer – The casino employee who is dealing the cards and handling bets.
Face cards – These are jack, queen, or king in any suit.
Le Grande – The best possible hand in baccarat, with a value of 9.
Mini-baccarat – This is a version of baccarat that uses small tables and less seats, one dealer instead of two, and a caller.
Petite –French for ‘small,’ this is a hand with a value of 8.
Shoe- This is where the cards are dealt from.
Shooter- This is the slang for blank.
Standoff – This is also called the tie, where the player and the banker hold the same value of cards.
Tie bet – This is a bet among the banker and the players.
Playing is easy if you are familiar with these terms. Experts all agree that aside from learning all the strategies, the next best thing you can do is to brush up on the baccarat terms in order to play easily. The rule applies whether you are playing online or in a land-based casino with baccarat games.