Monte Carlo Baccarat

Monte Carlo Baccarat is another decent release in the genre that Capstone seems best at doing (at least compared to their horrendous action and adventure titles): casino games.

Similar to Trump Castle 2, this is a reasonably realistic simulation of baccarat game the way it is played in Monte Carlo. Up to four players can play at a time, and true to the real baccarat (which is reputedly the high rollers' most favorite game), you can bet very high stakes in this computer version: even $500 or more. Baccarat is a relatively simple game that relies more on luck than skill. All you really need to do is decide how much you want to bet, make your bet selection from the 3 available, and let the dealer do the rest.

A short explanation fo the rules: Baccarat is a card game dealt from a shoe that holds 6 or 8 decks of cards. Two hands are dealt by the house dealer: the "banker" hand and the "player" hand. Before the hands are dealt, bets may be placed on the banker hand, on the player hand, or on a tie. Winning bets on banker or player are paid 1:1, but a commission of 5% is charged on bank bets making the net odds on such bets 0.95 to 1. Once a bet has been placed, there are no opportunities for further decisions - both the banker hand and the player hand are dealt according to fixed rules, resulting in final hands of either two or three cards for each. The value of a hand is determined by adding the values of its individual cards: tens and face cards are counted as zero, while all other cards are counted by the number of "pips" on the card face. Only the last digit of the total is used, so all baccarat hands have values in the range 0 to 9 inclusive. The hand with the higher value wins; if the hands have the same value, the result is a tie. In this game, tie bets are paid 8:1.

Pleasant VGA graphics, intuitive mouse-based interface, and even pleasant music accompany this fun little underdog. Recommended for fans of Baccarat, but those looking for a more comprehensive and long-lasting casino game should check out Trump Castle series instead.

Review By HOTUD