BACCARAT
The game of Baccarat is often regarded as glamorous as it is frequently played by the rich elite in a fancy roped-off Baccarat pit. However, don't be intimidated because once you know the rules you'll realize that Baccarat is one of the easiest casino games there is. You don't even need to know the rules in order to play as the game is entirely based on chance, but knowing the rules will help you get into the spirit of the game and enjoy your wins more.
The Basics:
'Live' Baccarat is played with eight complete decks of cards. The cards are shuffled by the dealer or "croupier," and then reshuffled and placed in a special box called the "shoe." The game is played by set rules, so no special skill is involved. The player with the "shoe" is considered the banker. He/she may place his/her bet either with the bank or with the players. In live games every player at the table gets a chance to deal the cards, but you don't have to deal, just pass the shoe to the next player. Baccarat is traditionally a high stakes game. At an online casino you'll be able to play at considerably lower limits, so this is an ideal place to start.
A player places a wager on which of two hands (the "Player" or the "Banker") will have a total point closest to 9. Each hand receives at least two cards but no more than three. The first and third cards dealt from the shoe constitute the "Player's" hand and the second and forth cards constitute the "Banker's" hand.
Face cards and tens count as 0; Aces count as 1, and all other cards count as face value. If required, a third card is dealt to each hand according to specific rules (see the table below). To work out the value of each hand, you simply add the cards. If the total is over 10, the first digit is ignored. So a 4 and an 8 would normally equal 12, but because we disregard the first digit, the hand is worth 2 points. Similarly, a 3 and 7 would equal 0, and a 10 and 9 would equal 9. If the point value of the first two cards drawn for either hand is 8 or 9, it is known as a "Natural" and no further cards will be drawn.
The hand with the highest point total closest to nine wins. Winning bets are paid even money (1:1). However, a winning "Banker" bet pays a 5% commission which is withheld from winnings after each such bet. That means if you made a $10 banker bet and won, you would receive $10.00 minus 5% ($0.50), which would actually be $9.50. If both hands result in identical totals, the "Tie" bet wins, paying 8 to 1. Ties, however, occur less than once out of every ten hands. When a "Tie" occurs, all bets on the "Player" and the "Banker" are neither paid nor taken.
The Player Hand
The player hand is played first, according to the following rules:
When the first two cards equal.... ...the player must:
6, 7, 8, or 9 -> Stand
Any other value -> Draw one card
The player hand can never receive more than one additional card. The hand must stand after the third card, regardless of its value at that point.
The Banker Hand
The banker hand is a bit more complicated. How the banker hand gets played is usually determined by what the player hand's third card is. If the player did not draw a third card (i.e. had a 6 or higher), then the banker draws a card only if its first two cards total less than 5. Otherwise, the banker stands.
If the player did draw a third card, then the banker plays as follows:
When the banker's first two cards equal… ...the banker draws if the player's third card is:
3 -> 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10
4 -> 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
5 -> 4, 5, 6, 7
6 -> 6, 7
When the banker's first two cards equal... ...the banker will:
2 or less -> Always draw
7, 8, or 9 -> Always stand
BACCARAT TIPS
Baccarat (correctly pronounced "BAH-kah-rah") has long been a favorite card game of high rollers, but even many more budgeted players as well! The rules are incredibly simple and can be mastered in a few minutes. The object of baccarat is to correctly predict whether the banker's hand will win, the player's hand will win, or the game will result in a tie.
The value of a hand is determined by adding the values of its individual cards. Tens and face cards count as zero, while all other cards count as their numerical value. After summing the total, only the last digit is used. Therefore, baccarat hands all have values from 0 to 9. The hand with the higher value wins. If the hands have the same value, the game results in a tie. Initially, both the banker and the player are dealt two cards. If the two initial cards total 8 or 9, the hand is called a "natural", and the game will end at that point. Otherwise, standard Baccarat "third card rules" (that Gold Club players need not remember) determine if a hand should receive a third and final card.
Winning bets on the player's hand are paid at 1:1 odds. A 5% commission is charged on winnings as a result of a bet on the banker, making the net odds on banker bets 0.95 to 1. A winning wager on a tie bet is paid at 8:1odds. If the game does result in a tie, bets on the banker or player are returned.
If you have an abundance of pure luck, then Baccarat is your game. Baccarat is played using a fixed set of rules for the player and the dealer. Calculations have been made that show the odds of the player winning are 44.62%, losing 45.85%, and tying 9.53%. Thus it would seem advantageous to bet on the house winning virtually every hand.
To even out the odds, the house charges a commission (usually 5%) on winning bets placed on the house. How should this change the way a player wagers?
Factoring in the commission, you are still slightly better off betting that the house will win. This assumes the commission is the usual 5%. However, should the commission change then you have to adapt your strategy. If the commission is less than 5% then it is always advantageous to bet on the house, while if the commission is more than 5% it pays to bet on the player winning.
Removing the tie hands in the event there is no payoff, the odds of the player winning are 49.32% and for losing 50.68%.
Baccarat sometimes allows for a bet to be made for a tie, and sometimes doesn't (mini Baccarat typically played online usually does). Although the odds of 8 to 1 may sound appealing, it is considered one of the worst wagers in the casino, so don't bother making this bet part of your baccarat strategy.
Good luck at the Baccarat Tables!
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