All true, Bob. When baccarat started in Vegas approximately 1959, the Sands used jetons and plaques on their table to make it look more exclusive. The Sahara later did that also. There are pictures that show that some baccarat tables in that era used cash, if you can believe that. There is a famous picture of Frank Sinatra at a table where all the players are holding cash in their hands like a street crap game. The house’s bank is a large pile of bills. Also, the 5% commission baccarat game is almost extinct. What most casinos now do is rule a bank win of 6 a push for bank bettors. This way they don’t have to constantly count out $95 for $100 bettors and I believe it is better for the house mathematically. The last time I was in Macau, the baccarat capital of the world, I could not find a commission table in any of the big hotels, only in the smaller joints.
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