How to play Baccarat: Rules and Strategy

 How to play baccarat - Rules, odds and strategy

It's an online game that many people play, but they don't know how to play. It's easy to learn and is very accessible for everyone. Baccarat still offers a unique combination of excitement and tension that keeps players coming back.

It is easy to learn and offers attractive odds when compared with other casino games. James Bond was known to have played this game in Casino Royale (1967). However, you don't need to be a special agent to play it.

Baccarat is now available online in small stakes formats so even beginners can place winning bets.

How to play baccarat

A virtual table is where players sign in and place their wagers. It usually has seven seats. Two hands are dealt, one to each player and one for the banker. Bettors must predict whether the banker or the player will make a hand that is closest to nine. They can also bet on a tie.

Baccarat's charm lies in the guesswork. Which hand will win?

Some players keep track and search for patterns in their hands.

It is more fun to pick the winner, and builds excitement. Perhaps a pattern indicates that the banker will hit when the player wins several consecutively. It's a strategy that some players consider serious, but it's only a best guess.

The deal

Baccarat is unique in that both face cards as well as 10s have a zero value. Aces have a 1 value. All other cards are worth face value.

Another difference is the fact that bettors do not get dealt a hand. The banker and the player each receive a pair. The dealer will first turn over the cards of the player and then declare their value. If the value is between 6 and 9, the player can either draw or stand, but not additional cards.

A banker or player who has eight or nine hands wins automatically. Tie-breakers are when both hands have equal value. Tie bets -- 9.6% long shots -- are paid an 8 to 1 payoff. All other bets, however, are returned to players as a push.

Add the cards

Understanding the value of the cards is key to learning how to play baccarat.

To find the total, just subtract the first digit from the total.

To illustrate, a nine and seven total 16; subtract the one for a six value.

Drawing a third deck

A player, banker, or both can draw an additional card from time to time. But it will never exceed three cards. A third card will be dealt to the player whose total hand is less than five. The banker may also take a third or fourth card in certain situations. These are described more fully.

If their first two cards have a combined value of 0, 1 or 2, the banker will draw another card.

If the player's second card is 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7, the banker takes another card. The player's third cards are 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 4, 5, 6, 7, 7 or 9; the banker stands if the card is 8.

The hand closest in score to nine is the winning hand. If the banker and player tie, all wagers on that hand are returned. Bets on a tie will be paid.

Bacarrat odds

Winning bets on a player's hand are paid 1-to-1 or even more. Winning bets on banker's hands pay even money. The 5% commission is what makes baccarat profitable. 9.50 is the cost of a $10 banker's hand bet.

Tie bets pay 8-to-1 but only 9.6% of all the time. It is a negative expectation wager which suits most players. If a tie occurs, the bet will lose more money each time it happens.

One of the benefits of baccarat, which is a game of chance, is that the casino's edge or house edge is one of the lowest among table games. The edge on the banker's hands is 1.06% and the player's is 1.24%. The math shows that 45.8% of bankers will win, and 44.6% of players.

The difference is the 9.6% likelihood of a tie. If you take out ties, the banker will win 51% of the times. That is why betting is more common on the banker. The advantage is so small that betting on only the banker has no real upside.  How to Play Baccarat