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Why is Baccarat so popular in Asia

Baccarat popular in Asia – Head to virtually any casino, and you can guarantee yourself one thing; you’ll find Asians playing Baccarat.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re walking the casino floors in Macau or Vegas, Asians dominate Baccarat tables, and each year, they’re estimated to wager billions of dollars on the game.

So, why is Baccarat so popular among Asian cultures? What is it about the game that makes it so appealing? Let’s find out!

What is Baccarat?

Baccarat is a popular card game that’s played at most casinos around the world. Essentially, it’s a ‘player vs banker’ game, and the game has three possible outcomes; the player wins, the banker (dealer) wins, or it’s a tie.

So, how do you play Baccarat?

• To begin with, players must first make a wager. This wager can be betting on the players hand, the bankers hand, or the tie bet. Once all wagers have been placed, a two-card hand is dealt to the ‘player’ and ‘banker’ spots on the table, one at a time.
• The player always receives his or her card first. Once these four cards have been drawn (there is only one player bet per table – players wager on one hand, as opposed to Blackjack, where each player has their own hand) the totals of the cards are compared, and this will determine what happens next.
• Now, the goal of Baccarat is to make a hand totalling as close to 9 as possible. All cards 2 through 9 count as their face value, while Tens, Jacks, Queens, and Kings count for 0. Aces count for 1.
• So, for example, if a player was dealt a 10 and a 4, their total would be 4. There are certain ‘rules’ in Baccarat that both the player and banker must follow.
• If the player’s hand totals 6, 7, 8, or 9, they automatically stand, and no further cards are drawn. A player hand that equals 8 or 9 is known as a neaureral, and automatically wins against any banker hand bar an 8 or 9.
• Now, if the player’s first two cards equal 5 or below, they ‘hit’, and receive another card. This is now the final total, and no more cards are dealt to the player.
• When it comes to the banker’s hand rules, there are also some rules. If they have a 7, 8, or 9 they will always stand. The banker always hits on a total of 0, 1, 2, or 4 – and the banker might hit some 4, 5 or 6 hands depending on what cards the player is holding.

Once all the rules have been followed, the game ends, and the winners are paid out accordingly.

Why Baccarat is Appealing

There are a number of reasons why Baccarat appeals to – not just Asians – but gamblers as a whole.

First of all, the game is incredibly simple to learn, and there’s no decision making required. In Blackjack, for example, a players’ actions affects not just their own hand, but also the hands of everyone else at the table. In Baccarat, you don’t need to know anything, as it’s all done automatically.

If you’re playing online or live baccarat, the decision each hand is made for you, and similarly in a land-based casino, the dealer will always follow Baccarat ‘rules’ to determine how the hand proceeds.

It’s also popular because the game offers a very low house edge. Regular variations of the game give the casino just a 1.24% edge – meaning that for every $100 staked, the casino only expects to make $1.24 in profit. Of course, in the short-term this house edge doesn't come into context as much, but it does show, and it’s one of the main reasons you’ll see experienced gamblers playing Baccarat over Blackjack.

So that’s a couple of reasons why the game is popular in general – but what is it that makes it appeal to Asian players so much?