Question of the Day - 27 November 2024

It depends on where in the world baccarat is being played.

In Macau, for example, enfolded within the Chinese mystique surrounding this game, the card-"destroying" ritual is not only deeply embedded, but can actually be the least of the damage. 

Here, every hand is the equivalent of a theatrical performance, a delicate balance between skill and superstition. The cards are dealt and the ritual begins. With a slow deliberate flourish, the player lifts one corner of the card, revealing just a glimpse. The second card is handled with the same reverence, each crease a mark of intent. These deliberate marks seal the fate of the cards, of course; they're now permanently damaged, destined never to return to the tables.

After the reveal, some players crush the cards or fling them forcefully onto the table in triumph or frustration. When particular misfortune befalls, the rare-wood armrests that surround the baccarat tables sometimes receive the brunt of the game's intense emotions. It’s not uncommon for even these elegant fixtures to be replaced.

However, note the important qualification: "after the reveal." Yes, rules are strict about "essentially destroying" a card during the hand. You can bend it and crease it, but you can't crush it or fling it until the play has been resolved. Otherwise, it could and would alter the result of the game and that's the very definition of cheating. 

In Las Vegas, it's the same, especially in the high-limit baccarat pit. You might not see crushing or ripping the cards, which the casino might frown upon, but "squeezing" baccarat cards is common and, like in Macau, part of the ritual. 

A pack of cards costs the casino $1 or less in most cases, so that's a minuscule price to pay when Vegas Matt is exposing $3,000 per hand to the house edge and the whales of the world are tendering $50,000, $100,000, even $250,000 a hand. Not many casinos will make an issue of a big player squeezing or bending or creasing a baccarat card in a high-limit pit -- and there's no rule against it. When it comes to high-roller behavior, much much worse is tolerated.