Why Asians Love Baccarat

Baccarat is the French version for spelling the Italian word ‘baccara’ or zero, which signifies the point values of the face cards. This game’s origins have been traced back to France; it was a favorite game among the nobles then, during King Charles VIII’s reign.

Today, it is a card gambling game played in casinos where the players involved hold two to three card hands; the three variants that are popular with the game are baccarat chemin de fer, punto banco and baccarat banque. Baccarat is a very popular card game among the South East Asians; in fact, it is much more popular in the Asian countries – especially high limit baccarat - than in the United States and in United Kingdom.

Here are two important things that you need to keep in mind about baccarat: that you need to avoid tie bets, and that house edge is usually really low with the exception of a ‘tie’ on bets. The only three likely outcomes of the baccarat game are a tie, the banker wins or the player wins. The norm is that the cards which have been drawn will dictate the game’s outcome.

Some of the reasons why the baccarat game is really popular among the Asians in the South East and not the United Kingdom or the United States include:

• The current drive in baccarat today is mainly propelled by gamblers from China and other Asian countries; the essence of the game is rooted deeply in the culture of the Asian people. A large majority of them are generally very superstitious, and this is part and parcel of their lifestyle. That is why they really love the specific traits of the game; they believe that the cards literally speak for themselves once they have been shuffled, then cut and put inside the shoe. It is purely a gambling game and nothing more for them. And since the Asians strongly believe in fate, any slight mistake by the dealer which isn’t handled well procedurally, thus changing the card order could literally chase them away from the table. The tradition in Asian gambling dictates that the players’ fate at the baccarat table will be sealed by a freshly shuffled shoe.

• The reverse to this of course is the fact that the hype and glamour of baccarat’s reputation has largely faded among people in the Western society. The participants of non-Asian origin would rather play any other game which allows them the opportunity of making decisions on their hand.
• Asian players also like participating in baccarat because it is perceived as the table game whose odds against the house are the best. It is the player’s best option that allows their money to last longest; majority of the other table games have about 3% disadvantage for the participant, or a similar advantage (3%) for the house.
• It is also believed that they enjoy the thrill of playing slowly and taking a peek at the cards from time to time. A majority of the Asian participants think the game is ‘fair’ mainly because one can either bet player or banker, and when there is a tie, one can get their money back.