Why Do Chinese Gamblers Love Baccarat So Much?
Introduction: Why Do Chinese Gamblers Love Baccarat So Much?
Did you know that all Chinese gamblers love baccarat? Enter any casino, in any part of the word, and then head over to the baccarat table. We bet you there are more Chinese playing there than anywhere else in the casino. Not on the jackpot slots, the poker tables or the blackjack tables. Only here, excitedly filling the tables with their chatter and excitement. In fact, you can thank the Chinese for pulling the status of the game down from the heady heights of it being James Bond’s favorite game to one where the great unwashed can partake.
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It’s a strange choice that out of all the available casino games, that this whole nation of gamblers should end up on fixing on what was essential, up until relatively recently, an irrelevant game. Let’s have a deep dive into why the Chinese gamblers love baccarat so much.
Chinese Gamblers Love Baccarat: Lucky Number 8
As you probably already know, the number eight plays a significant role in the game. It’s the second-highest score that either the player or the banker can possibly achieve. The gameplay is simple. Both the dealer and the player receive a two-card hand. The winning side is the one closest to the number nine. Now a score of eight or nine within the first two cards is called a “natural”. And a natural will have an automatic win if the opponent’s card can’t match it, or they happen to exceed this score. Check out our guide to baccarat for more information.
The above is one reason for the favoring of a number eight, but this would be true of any culture playing baccarat, not just the Chinese. The real rub is that the number eight in Chinese is pronounced as “ba”. This also translates as the words for “wealth” and “success”. Now we’re getting closer to the truth! So providing that you can score an eight, then you’re going to be successful the majority of the time. For many Chinese gamblers, there’s really not ore needed than this simple fact. They are a superstitious bunch. You only have to go back and remember the starting date of the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008. The game started at 8.08 am, in August (8th month) the 8th in 2008!
In the day to day life, many Chinese will go out of their way if by doing so, it’ll include an 8 in any way. So car license plates, phone numbers, and apartment numbers will all cost more, simply because they feature the number 8. Madness!
Heavily Based on Luck
Let’s be frank; the Chinese are bonkers about the idea of luck and good fortune. Their madness goes way beyond mere numbers. They believe that they can seriously bring about a positive change in their gambling fortunes if they somehow can bring good fortune to themselves first. Now the baccarat strategy isn’t rocket science. You just place a bet on the banker’s hand to make the best possible chance of winning. Or, if the mood strikes you, you can have a punt on the player’s hand. The choice is not so different. So after placing your wager, everything is left in the hands of lady Luck. The banker or the player will simply “hit” or “stand”. unlike, say blackjack, there are no decisions to be made. Place your chips within the betting circle, cross your fingers, and wait for the result. Easy peasy!
Chinese Gamblers Love Baccarat: Low House Edge
Though Chinese gamblers are pretty obsessed with the idea of luck playing a major part in the outcome, they do also keep a beady eye on the odds. Many know that the game of baccarat provides the best chances of winning all the games available in the casino. If you bet on the banker’s hand winning all the time, then the house edge will be just 1.06%. And that’s after the casino has taken its commission of 5% out of each and every winning bet. If you bet on the player’s hand, then that’s not a bad option either. The house edge is a mere 1.24%. So betting on the banker’s hand will increase your jackpot winning chances, but only by a little.
Nobody in their right mind would ever consider taking the tie bet as the house edge is 4.84% (9 to 1 payout) or a mind-boggling 14.36% (8 to 1 payout). This latter sum is one of the very worst, if not the worst wagers in all the casinos. So perfect strategy in baccarat is simply betting on the banker’s hand.
Great for High Rollers
China is no longer just a country of peasants. In the last 15 years, there has been an explosion of real millionaires. And they have enough money to want to gamble in a big way. Luckily for them, the special administrative area of Macau is but a short distance away. This is a high roller paradise that pulls in players who are happy to spend 5 or even 6 figure bets per hand. In fact, many of the casinos will accept bets of up to $500,000. Nearly all this cash goes towards bets on baccarat. Most of these high bettors come from mainland China.
Superstitions Allowed
With the Chinese gambler so fixed on luck, then it should come as no surprise that they are extremely superstitious. They employ any number of “rituals” with the purpose of hopefully increasing their winning potential. in fact, it’s quite amusing to watch a group of Chinese players. Some will only peel back the very corner of their cards so as not to frighten their good fortune away. Others say that this slow reveal working in their favor. When they deal, they will blow on the backs of the cards in the belief that they can blow away the bad numbers. Yes, these are serious jackpot winning strategies!
They will often tear the cards up. They claim that they want to remove these “bad” cards from the deck. And though there’s no possibility that you could behave in such a manner in Monaco or Las Vegas, in Macau they are more lenient about the players destroying the cards.
Not Legal on the Mainland
You have to keep n mind that all forms of gambling are strictly forbidden in China. And that’s probably the main reason why the Chinese appear so gambling mad. There’s no proper outlet for them on the mainland. You can only gamble in the special administrative areas of Hong Kong and Macau, where you’ll find some of the world’s biggest casinos. So if you’re an avid fan of gambling, your options are pretty limited. You can either go abroad or find an underground casino. The former is always the better option! Those gambling laws are not to be tinkered with. Violators get marched straight to jail. Unfortunately, you do need to have considerable funds to be able to legally gable if you’re Chinese.
With the advent of the internet, some brave sites have sprung up to meet the insatiable demand. But there are always going to be problems with transferring funds and receiving winnings. Never-the-less, online baccarat does enjoy popularity across the country.
Countless Tables in Asia
Though baccarat may be illegal in mainland China, you can find any number of tables spread from Singapore to the Philippines and all paces in between. Being the most popular casino game in the region means that there’s no shortage of playing possibilities. It’s not really surprising that the game of baccarat is so popular, as there are tables everywhere. You could compare the game’s popularity to that of slots machines. Western casinos are filled with these simple but noisy games. Well, in the Far East, their place is taken by baccarat tables. Also, because of the nature of the low house edge, these games of baccarat can last much longer than if you were playing any other casino games. Because Chinese gamblers love baccarat so much, they can make their bankrolls stretch much further.
Chinese Gamblers Love Baccarat: Lower Stakes
Yes, we know, elitist games of baccarat can be plays with huge sums being bet. But that’s not the norm. back in the day, when the game was considered to be more “exclusive” than minimum bets of $50 to $100 were commonplace. But now the game is the favorite of the masses, stakes are normally set at $5 or $10 in land-based casinos. On the internet, the game is even cheaper with $1 bets being the most common.
Conclusion: Why Do Chinese Gamblers Love Baccarat So Much?
We don’t think that there’s much chance that Chinese gamblers are going to stop playing baccarat any time soon. It’s by far one of their favorite jackpot games in the casino. Probably the biggest reason for it’s continued success it’s the use of the number 8, coupled with luck. It also helps in having a very low house edge and limit to entry as far as wagers go. Where ever you go in Asia, you’re going to find baccarat tables with excited players.
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