# Casino game of Baccara **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 22, 2001, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casino-game-of-baccara/73433 "2001-07-22T11:26:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2001, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casino-game-of-baccara/73433/1 "2001-07-22T11:26:13Z")
In the casino game of Baccara/Chemin de Fer, the winning odds for dealer and player are, this is my impression after studying the rules, even. Yet the dealer has to pay a five per cent commission on all his wins to the house, the player does not. This is, I think, a clear disadvantage for the dealer, so nobody will want to do it; doesn’t normally the dealer/the bank have a small yet existing advantage? In another thread at [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=78202](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=78202), **waxteeth** writes > [@](#): > > Banker wins 50.7% and Player wins 49.3% and gives this as explanation for the 5 % rake. Where do these odds come from? After reading the rules, my impression was that the possibilities of action and the odds are exactly 50-50 for bank and player. So what? ---
**Author:** ![JohnW77707](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@JohnW77707](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnW77707)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2001, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casino-game-of-baccara/73433/2 "2001-07-22T16:45:08Z")
I am not specifically familiar with the rules but I do know that, like Blackjack, the Bank has different rules on when it must draw than Player. I don’t know how you come up with 50/50. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2001, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casino-game-of-baccara/73433/3 "2001-07-22T17:42:34Z")
You mean the rules specifically provide when you have to draw or not? But thsi would mean that playing the game does not require any skill at all, since you cannot make any single decision. My impression about the rules was that the choice between different possibilities of action was the same for dealer and player, which would mean 50/50 odds. ---
**Author:** ![JohnW77707](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@JohnW77707](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnW77707)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2001, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casino-game-of-baccara/73433/4 "2001-07-22T17:48:25Z")
The defining nature of “Baccarat” (nitpick, but there’s a “t”) is that there is no choice at all. It’s all predetermined. I’ve always found it ironic that it is such a high-rolling and glamorous game (James Bond) when you could let a chimpanzee play at no penalty. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2001, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casino-game-of-baccara/73433/5 "2001-07-22T18:17:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JohnW77707 \* > \*\* “Baccarat” (nitpick, but there’s a “t”) \*\* Necessarily? I think “Baccarat” is the French word, “Baccara” the Italian one 😉 I’ve seen both versions. ---
**Author:** ![LifeWillFall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@LifeWillFall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeWillFall)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2001, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casino-game-of-baccara/73433/6 "2001-07-22T19:27:22Z")
First of all the dealer isn’t necessarily the one who pays the 5%. This percentage is payed to the house on any winning bet placed on the dealer, so anyone who bets on the dealers hand and wins, whether player or dealer pays 5% to the house. and you can see the reason for the 1.37% advantage at [this page](http://www.gamblingtimes.com/school_articles/baccarat_1.html#). Which also explains the rules for banker and player hands which are slightly different. The banker “reacts” to the players hand and the cards dealt to him, while the player only “reacts” to the cards dealt to him Hope this helps ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2001, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casino-game-of-baccara/73433/7 "2001-07-22T19:41:13Z")
So are there different versoions of the game? It seems that Chemin de Fer ( [http://www.casino-baden-baden.de/e/spiele5.htm](http://www.casino-baden-baden.de/e/spiele5.htm)) has different rules than what we were referring to as “Baccarat”. Sorry for continously reanimating that thread, but the thing has not yet become clear to me.