abe3689
abe3689
  • Threads: 3
  • Posts: 10
Joined: Jul 16, 2011
June 15th, 2012 at 6:16:56 AM permalink
Does anyone know which casinos offer big table baccarat, besides Bellagio? Any casinos downtown?

What are the minimums, hours of operation etc...?

Also does the Rio still have a big table? What are it's hours and minimums?
Wizard
Administrator
Wizard
  • Threads: 1491
  • Posts: 26435
Joined: Oct 14, 2009
June 15th, 2012 at 7:17:37 AM permalink
Quote: abe3689

Does anyone know which casinos offer big table baccarat, besides Bellagio? Any casinos downtown?



Lots. Mandalay, MGM, Aria, Caesars, Venetian, Wynn. I don't think anyone downtown does. The only hope would be the Golden Nugget, and I'm pretty sure they don't.
"For with much wisdom comes much sorrow." -- Ecclesiastes 1:18 (NIV)
WASHOO2
WASHOO2
  • Threads: 2
  • Posts: 77
Joined: Sep 11, 2010
June 15th, 2012 at 7:23:30 AM permalink
The BIG baccarat table:

That`s what I call living .



WASHOO2
FleaStiff
FleaStiff
  • Threads: 265
  • Posts: 14484
Joined: Oct 19, 2009
June 15th, 2012 at 7:26:34 AM permalink
Although the geographic distinctions between The Strip and Downtown are indeed blurring, the distinction relating to Baccarat probably remains. Its largely going to be chandeliers and Evening Dress and that means The Strip. Downtown would be mini-baccarat. It used to be that Downtown had a casino that had a large table off in an alcove under a small fake chandelier with the crew in something a little more than the western outfit and string necktie theme but space has become a premium and most downtown casinos think first of slot machines.
abe3689
abe3689
  • Threads: 3
  • Posts: 10
Joined: Jul 16, 2011
June 15th, 2012 at 9:53:04 AM permalink
Quote: Wizard

Lots. Mandalay, MGM, Aria, Caesars, Venetian, Wynn. I don't think anyone downtown does. The only hope would be the Golden Nugget, and I'm pretty sure they don't.



Are you familiar with the hours and minimums and maximums? Also I hear the Rio offered big table bac. Is this still true?
Gabes22
Gabes22
  • Threads: 15
  • Posts: 1427
Joined: Jul 19, 2011
June 15th, 2012 at 9:58:30 AM permalink
When I was at Mandalay Bay back in October, the Baccarat tables in the High Limit Room seemed to have a minimum bet of $200/hand.
A flute with no holes is not a flute, a donut with no holes is a danish
WongBo
WongBo
  • Threads: 62
  • Posts: 2126
Joined: Feb 3, 2012
June 15th, 2012 at 10:15:32 AM permalink
Quote: Gabes22

When I was at Mandalay Bay back in October, the Baccarat tables in the High Limit Room seemed to have a minimum bet of $200/hand.


they say about the big table:
if you have to ask about the minimum,
you probably shouldn't be playing there...
just a thought.
In a bet, there is a fool and a thief. - Proverb.
abe3689
abe3689
  • Threads: 3
  • Posts: 10
Joined: Jul 16, 2011
June 15th, 2012 at 10:17:41 AM permalink
Quote: WongBo

they say about the big table:
if you have to ask about the minimum,
you probably shouldn't be playing there...
just a thought.



No. Just that there is a big difference between a $100 min table and a $500 min table.

Think of it as the difference between a $5 (red chip) game, or a $25 (green chip) game...
WongBo
WongBo
  • Threads: 62
  • Posts: 2126
Joined: Feb 3, 2012
June 15th, 2012 at 10:20:45 AM permalink
i am just repeating what i have heard over the years playing baccarat.
of course that comes from guys who are betting upwards of 5K a hand.
personally, i prefer midi. i like the lower minimum as well.
In a bet, there is a fool and a thief. - Proverb.
Tiltpoul
Tiltpoul
  • Threads: 32
  • Posts: 1573
Joined: May 5, 2010
June 15th, 2012 at 11:08:06 AM permalink
There are so many "styles" of baccarat now it's hard to keep track. I'm not talking about bonus bets or different variations; rather there are so many ways to deal the game. Correct me if I'm wrong, since I'm getting them confused...

Mini-baccarat is the one dealt on the high table with a dealer doing all the work.
Midi-baccarat is the one dealt on a low table with more spots.
Macau-style baccarat resembles Midi-Baccarat, but players handle cards
Big baccarat is played on the large table with the shoe passed around.

There's a style at Rivers in Chicago that's between Macau baccarat and big baccarat, with three dealers, on a big table, but they don't pass the shoe around...

Way off topic, but has Heather posted on here in a while? She seems to be an expert on this topic.
"One out of every four people are [morons]"- Kyle, South Park
Paradigm
Paradigm
  • Threads: 42
  • Posts: 2226
Joined: Feb 24, 2011
June 15th, 2012 at 11:19:20 AM permalink
Quote: Tiltpoul

Way off topic, but has Heather posted on here in a while? She seems to be an expert on this topic.



I noticed Heather on another thread a few days back....she had been MIA for awhile......You are right, she is an expert on Baccarat and I believe it is her game of choice.
FleaStiff
FleaStiff
  • Threads: 265
  • Posts: 14484
Joined: Oct 19, 2009
June 15th, 2012 at 11:27:50 AM permalink
Quote: Tiltpoul

There are so many "styles" of baccarat now it's hard to keep track.


I prefer the mini-Bacc tables on the floor of the casino since my limits are low and I am so anti-social that I can't stand the antics of other players. My betting limits won't get me any exotic comps, so I don't even go the Wynn which has fairly low limits at times.
The dealer touches the cards, I put my chips down on Banker ... what more do I need?

Yes, its dealt fairly fast... so I don't stay long. Its dealt slower at a "real" table, but that means I would have to put up with those dreaded objects...people.
abe3689
abe3689
  • Threads: 3
  • Posts: 10
Joined: Jul 16, 2011
June 15th, 2012 at 6:09:55 PM permalink
It is nice everyone has contributed their personal preferences and tastes. But if anyone has more information on the original question, and follow up question, I'd greatly appreciate it.
heather
heather
  • Threads: 8
  • Posts: 437
Joined: Jun 12, 2011
June 19th, 2012 at 1:40:03 PM permalink
Quote: Paradigm

I noticed Heather on another thread a few days back....she had been MIA for awhile......You are right, she is an expert on Baccarat and I believe it is her game of choice.



LOL ... why thank you. I usually play at the LV Hilton Baccarat room; the big table minimum is $100. Max depends on the night and they'll let you go over it if they know you and get a supervisor's okay. I used to play at the Stardust years ago but obviously it's gone now; they were black-chip minimums for big table, too.

There are some revamped high limit rooms at some of the newer properties that have very cool big table games. Mandalay Bay has the tuxedoed dealers and $5000 chips. Carta Privada at Aria has $100 minimums on all its games, including big table Baccarat, but even the mini-bacc games there tend to be played with $500 chips or larger (at least when I was there, and I should note as an aside that I don't consider mini-bacc to be Baccarat as I understand the game). They do have a separate Baccarat room, though, which I like. The Wynn's high limit room has windows you can look out of while you're playing (an extreme rarity). I tend to prefer special Baccarat rooms over high limit rooms, though. The MGM Grand used to have the coolest Baccarat room in town, actually a double room with a semi-private lounge in between the two sections, which I really liked, but they've since remodelled (as a result of a massive Baccarat loss to the late Kerry Packer, if what I hear be true).
bigfoot66
bigfoot66
  • Threads: 54
  • Posts: 1582
Joined: Feb 5, 2010
June 19th, 2012 at 1:55:39 PM permalink
A big table Baccarat table is one where players are allowed to handle the shoe, correct? Does that mean I can show up with a couple hundred bucks, bet 1 black chip, and actually handle the shoe/deal the cards?
Vote for Nobody 2020!
heather
heather
  • Threads: 8
  • Posts: 437
Joined: Jun 12, 2011
June 19th, 2012 at 3:52:07 PM permalink
The shoe gets passed around, so you wouldn't be guaranteed to handle it unless you were the only one at the table. You can also pass handling the shoe if you don't want to fool with it.

You are correct, though, in that you only get to handle the shoe at the big tables (or, at least, I've never seen it getting passed around at midi or mini-bacc). Whether or not you can touch the cards at a midi table depends on where you're playing. For me, it's not Baccarat unless I can bend and squeeze the cards, but passing the shoe isn't essential. I do think it's fun, though.

I think that I may have mentioned that I've played chemin de fer at the Casino de la Valle in Italy. In that game, players get to take turns banking, which is really fun. I'd love to see chemin de fer in Las Vegas. It might make an interesting draw for the poker crowd.

EDIT: Forgot to mention -- the Hilton has the best Baccarat room staff and hosts, IMO, at least since the 'Dust closed. Their hosts have given me shopping cards before I've even gotten to the tables, and paid my airfare several times.
EvenBob
EvenBob
  • Threads: 441
  • Posts: 28576
Joined: Jul 18, 2010
June 19th, 2012 at 4:09:45 PM permalink
Quote: heather

For me, it's not Baccarat unless I can bend and squeeze the cards, but passing the shoe isn't essential. I do think it's fun, though.

.



My wife thinks its fun, squeezing drives me up
the wall. Its just useless melodrama, it doesn't
advance the game. The card will be the same
if you flip it immediately, or take 2min and get
yourself a lot of attention goofing around with it.
"It's not called gambling if the math is on your side."
heather
heather
  • Threads: 8
  • Posts: 437
Joined: Jun 12, 2011
June 19th, 2012 at 4:12:22 PM permalink
To each his own. I like the slow pace of the game, and I really like the excitement of squeezing the cards.

It just occurred to me that there's another huge difference with big table Baccarat (vice midi or mini-bacc) that hasn't been mentioned, which is the elaborate ten-minute shuffling procedure, where all the cards are dumped on the table and everyone gets to push them around. The length of this procedure (which is probably hated by casino management) provides a great opportunity for bathroom breaks, private phone calls, or a quick snack. Happens about once an hour.
AcesAndEights
AcesAndEights
  • Threads: 67
  • Posts: 4300
Joined: Jan 5, 2012
June 19th, 2012 at 5:28:17 PM permalink
Quote: EvenBob

My wife thinks its fun, squeezing drives me up
the wall. Its just useless melodrama, it doesn't
advance the game. The card will be the same
if you flip it immediately, or take 2min and get
yourself a lot of attention goofing around with it.


The other day I saw an elderly Asian woman losing thousands of dollars playing three card poker. She was playing 3 spots and betting mostly on the pair plus, increasing her bets as her losses added up. Anyway, she would squeeze out her hands looking for that straight flush, much as a big-table Bac player would do. Kind of annoyed me as she was slowing the pace way down, but in retrospect I'm thankful as I was not playing a positive game (there are sometimes flashers at this game, but I'm not disciplined enough to not play when they aren't dealing). She seemed to be having a good time, I hope her bankroll was able to handle the negative variance!
"So drink gamble eat f***, because one day you will be dust." -ontariodealer
P90
P90
  • Threads: 12
  • Posts: 1703
Joined: Jan 8, 2011
June 20th, 2012 at 8:07:25 AM permalink
Quote: EvenBob

My wife thinks its fun, squeezing drives me up
the wall. Its just useless melodrama, it doesn't
advance the game. The card will be the same
if you flip it immediately, or take 2min and get
yourself a lot of attention goofing around with it.


But that's the whole point.

Without all the ritual, Baccarat is little more than glorified Casino War played in overly formal clothes.

They should bring back Chemin de Fer, at least it's more complicated, which should further help keep the unwashed prole masses out.
Resist ANFO Boston PRISM Stormfront IRA Freedom CIA Obama
Tiltpoul
Tiltpoul
  • Threads: 32
  • Posts: 1573
Joined: May 5, 2010
June 20th, 2012 at 2:26:47 PM permalink
Quote: abe3689

It is nice everyone has contributed their personal preferences and tastes. But if anyone has more information on the original question, and follow up question, I'd greatly appreciate it.



I'm pretty sure the OP of this thread wants it to die quickly, so we should probably just stick to the original question and follow-up question...
"One out of every four people are [morons]"- Kyle, South Park
only1choice
only1choice
  • Threads: 59
  • Posts: 386
Joined: Jul 8, 2010
June 20th, 2012 at 3:06:16 PM permalink
Quote: EvenBob

My wife thinks its fun, squeezing drives me up
the wall. Its just useless melodrama, it doesn't
advance the game. The card will be the same
if you flip it immediately, or take 2min and get
yourself a lot of attention goofing around with it.



If anything it slows the game down to a crawl so you will lose less.
IF YOU PLAY "PLAY TO WIN"
buzzpaff
buzzpaff
  • Threads: 112
  • Posts: 5328
Joined: Mar 8, 2011
June 20th, 2012 at 5:25:55 PM permalink
I was trapped in a poker room in Blackhawk, one snowy Tuesday night. By 3:30 am i was the only non-asian in the room, including
2 dealers, 7 other players , and the room manager. I learned a lot about immigrations laws, how much players and staff had paid to bring their families into this country. How many fathers in Asia had standing offer of $10,00 to $25,000 for an American asian male to marry their daughters, etc.

But the thing I remember most were these two female Asian rocks. Somehow the subject of baccarat coming to Colorado was raised. But ladies got excited, and one showed how she squeezed the cards. And it look like she was about to have an orgasm.
heather
heather
  • Threads: 8
  • Posts: 437
Joined: Jun 12, 2011
June 21st, 2012 at 3:53:09 AM permalink
Quote: P90

They should bring back Chemin de Fer, at least it's more complicated, which should further help keep the unwashed prole masses out.



I can't tell you how glad I am to see someone other than myself saying they'd like to see Chemin de Fer in the US. I don't think that it necessarily has to be the James Bond game that it is in Europe, though (although that could be cool). I feel like it's a game that Poker players could get interested in. You're playing for the players' own money, like in Poker, and you get to make strategic decisions about whether to take another card, like in Poker, and you can play it with a positive EV, like Poker, and the rules are simpler than Pai Gow. As a bonus, the table is shaped somewhat like a Poker table. You could even deliberately mistranslate the name of the game as "Railroad" to try to make it sound less foreign (though that might have the unintended consequence of making it sound like a new carnival game).

Quote: P90

Without all the ritual, Baccarat is little more than glorified Casino War played in overly formal clothes.



Same reason I have trouble getting into playing Baccarat online. Hands blow by in seconds and there's no drama while you bend the cards and nobody pulls your chair out for you. (Also the limits are always too low -- although one-dollar Baccarat is almost strange enough to have some novelty value in itself.)
abe3689
abe3689
  • Threads: 3
  • Posts: 10
Joined: Jul 16, 2011
June 21st, 2012 at 1:21:38 PM permalink
Quote: heather

LOL ... why thank you. I usually play at the LV Hilton Baccarat room; the big table minimum is $100. Max depends on the night and they'll let you go over it if they know you and get a supervisor's okay. I used to play at the Stardust years ago but obviously it's gone now; they were black-chip minimums for big table, too.

There are some revamped high limit rooms at some of the newer properties that have very cool big table games. Mandalay Bay has the tuxedoed dealers and $5000 chips. Carta Privada at Aria has $100 minimums on all its games, including big table Baccarat, but even the mini-bacc games there tend to be played with $500 chips or larger (at least when I was there, and I should note as an aside that I don't consider mini-bacc to be Baccarat as I understand the game). They do have a separate Baccarat room, though, which I like. The Wynn's high limit room has windows you can look out of while you're playing (an extreme rarity). I tend to prefer special Baccarat rooms over high limit rooms, though. The MGM Grand used to have the coolest Baccarat room in town, actually a double room with a semi-private lounge in between the two sections, which I really liked, but they've since remodelled (as a result of a massive Baccarat loss to the late Kerry Packer, if what I hear be true).



I spoke to a Table Games supervisor at Mandalay Bay. He said they took out their big table baccarat, and only have midi. I also spoke to a casino host at Aria who told me they only have big table baccarat for reserved guests and minimum $100,000 credit line (Yikes!). Otherwise it's midi there too. Then I spoke to a Table Games Supervisor at Hilton who told me they took out their big table about 2 or 3 years ago.

That doesn't leave many other options. I've heard Wynn and Venetian have it, but the minimum is $300-$500. Outside of my bankroll.

Last year I played at Bellagio which had it running on a weeknight at $100 minimum.

Sad to say, but unless you're Kerry-Packer-esque, this seems to be a dying game.
heather
heather
  • Threads: 8
  • Posts: 437
Joined: Jun 12, 2011
June 21st, 2012 at 2:42:31 PM permalink
Quote: abe3689

I spoke to a Table Games supervisor at Mandalay Bay. He said they took out their big table baccarat, and only have midi. I also spoke to a casino host at Aria who told me they only have big table baccarat for reserved guests and minimum $100,000 credit line (Yikes!).



I've only played once at each of those, mostly to check the places out. Glad that I did while I had a chance.

Quote: abe3689

Then I spoke to a Table Games Supervisor at Hilton who told me they took out their big table about 2 or 3 years ago.



That is a tragedy of monumental proportions. Must have been two years ago because I played there the year before last. I've been really busy and have only been to Atlantic City since, though. What a disaster. Now I have no idea where I'll stay for my next trip. Macau, maybe.
abe3689
abe3689
  • Threads: 3
  • Posts: 10
Joined: Jul 16, 2011
June 21st, 2012 at 5:11:52 PM permalink
Quote: heather

I've only played once at each of those, mostly to check the places out. Glad that I did while I had a chance.



That is a tragedy of monumental proportions. Must have been two years ago because I played there the year before last. I've been really busy and have only been to Atlantic City since, though. What a disaster. Now I have no idea where I'll stay for my next trip. Macau, maybe.



I think they've gotten rid of the bigger tables cause the Asians like midi better. The main reason being that they get to look at the banker cards even if they don't have the shoe.

For your info Bellagio still has a big table and I think they run it at night, and I know they run it during weekends.

The Rio also has a big table and they told me they open it on weekends.

Wynn has a table for $300 minimum.

Caesars also has a big table. I heard a rumor players could not deal from the shoe, but can only handle the cards like in midi, cannot confirm if this is true or not. The minimum is $100.
teddys
teddys
  • Threads: 150
  • Posts: 5527
Joined: Nov 14, 2009
June 21st, 2012 at 6:27:16 PM permalink
For what it's worth Fallsview in Niagara has big table and it's a very nice room.
"Dice, verily, are armed with goads and driving-hooks, deceiving and tormenting, causing grievous woe." -Rig Veda 10.34.4
heather
heather
  • Threads: 8
  • Posts: 437
Joined: Jun 12, 2011
June 22nd, 2012 at 5:51:58 AM permalink
Quote: abe3689

Caesars also has a big table. I heard a rumor players could not deal from the shoe, but can only handle the cards like in midi, cannot confirm if this is true or not. The minimum is $100.



I was actually thinking that Caesars might be the best bet now. I'm not crazy about the theme there, but they do have good shopping, and their players club covers lots of properties in different locations.
abe3689
abe3689
  • Threads: 3
  • Posts: 10
Joined: Jul 16, 2011
June 23rd, 2012 at 4:49:30 AM permalink
I'm staying at Bellagio. I'll let you know what I find when I get back.
abe3689
abe3689
  • Threads: 3
  • Posts: 10
Joined: Jul 16, 2011
October 16th, 2012 at 7:20:39 AM permalink
Bellagio has a big table, and opens it every night on swing shift. $100 min. They allow you to deal free hands.

Caesars has 2 big tables. One crew of women, one crew of men (not sure why) $100 min. They got mad when I wanted free hands. And if I was going to take free hands they stopped letting me deal from the shoe. Typical of CET...

If you want to play the big game, Bellagio is really the only decent reliable game left in town. Every other property is Midi.
  • Jump to: