Experts are often confused by the amount of money made by casinos through baccarat. The game has a decent following, but it is by no means a major table game. It is a very basic game, and does not have any of the logical or intellectual elements found in poker. There are no major jackpots like the lottery, keno or slot machines, and it is a lot less exciting than the craps table. However, baccarat still manages to grab players’ attention.

How is baccarat played? The game is incredibly simple. Betters have two options when placing their money: “player” or “banker”. Whichever side gets the better hand wins. Despite the basic nature of this game, Las Vegas casinos make A LOT of money through baccarat. For example, 2011 figures show that Vegas casinos got over $1 billion from baccarat players. This equals the money made from blackjack players, while it dwarfs the $500 million made from craps and roulette combined.

This means that Vegas casinos make as much from baccarat as they do from blackjack. When you consider that blackjack has over 3,000 tables in Nevada, compared to the 300 tables of baccarat, the equal earnings are remarkable.

There is a decent house edge in baccarat, which ensures the casino will always come out on top. However, the range of success can vary from month to month. Some months will be great, while others will see the casino barely breaking even on baccarat.

A major reason for the earning potential of baccarat is its allure to high rollers. These extremely rich gamblers will always go towards the baccarat table before leaving a casino. They bet huge sums of money on single hands. Even if one or two high rollers win a lot, most of them will end up losing sizable chunks to the casino.

This ensures the profitability of baccarat. It may not be a game for the masses, but those who do play will bet a lot of money.

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