Dear Mark, I realize this question might be hard to answer in this setting (your column), but what is the exact pronunciation of Baccarat? Susan D.

My first inclination was to suggest you to look it up in a dictionary, but far to many players mispronounce baccarat. The "t" in baccarat is silent and correctly pronounced it's ba-ka-ra, not back-a-rat (a small rodent found nibbling on buffet leftovers).

Dear Mark, When making a bet on the "bank hand" in baccarat, why do they charge a 5% commission? Wouldn't this make it an inferior wager compared to a "player hand" bet? Bradley G.

Based on the mathematics of baccarat, the player hand should win 44.6% of the time, the bank hand 45.8% and the tie 9.6%. If we discount ties, the player hand statistically will win 49.3% of the time and the bank hand 50.7%. Because the bank hand wins more than 50% of the time, the casino neutralizes this edge you would have over the house by charging a 5% commission every time you win a bank hand bet. By charging this hidden tax, the casino's advantage is now 1.17% for bank hand and 1.36% for the player hand. But even with the commission added, you can see that the bank hand is still a slightly better bet than the player wager. By the way, Bradley, the above wagers are some of the best bets you can make in a casino, but the tie bet should always be avoided: house edge, 14.1%.

Dear Mark, Recently in Puerto Rico, a player at the baccarat table kept calling out "monkey" as the player who was dealing out the cards was about to draw one from the shoe. What did this mean? Pat Z.

In gamb-lingo, I've heard the term monkey used two ways. 1. A sucker. 2. A face card. My guess is that our articulated friend was hoping the next card out of the shoe would be a face card so his hand would win out. Example: Our wishful bettor has wagered the "bank" hand and is sitting pretty with a two-card 7. The "player" hand total is a 3, subsequently needing a hit. A "monkey" would not improve the "player" hand as face cards and 10s have zero card value in baccarat. The "bank" hand would prevail.

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Dear Mark, What does the term "following the shoe" mean in baccarat? Phillip H.

The term simply means whichever side (player or banker) won the last hand, your next bet would be the same. Consequently, if a streak occurs for either side (common in baccarat), you will be riding it for its full duration.

Dear Mark, A dealer once told me that the only way to "soar like an eagle" when playing baccarat is to bet ties after they appear. He claimed they always repeat in streaks. Was he correct? Bobby K.

Eagles may soar, but in this case it's better to gamble like a chicken because they don't get sucked into jet engines. By betting only on the bank or player hands, Bobby, you will avoid being recycled at Foster Farms. That dealer-induced tie bets hold a house advantage of 14.1%. As for streaks, Bobby, the remaining cards in the shoe have no memory, hence, previous results have no bearing on what happens in the future.