Baccarat is a simple, but quick table game that is popular on both online and live casinos. The game is played on a designated casino area using a table similar to that used in craps. A complete game of Baccarat features three casino dealers and as many as 14 participants. There are a couple of oddities that participants need to master such as the player’s hand and the banker’s hand.
How to Play Baccarat
In certain casinos, it is the gamblers who have the onus of dealing the cards; while in others, it is the casino dealer. In online Baccarat, it is the virtual dealer who automatically deals. Participants can also pass-off the deal or shoe off to the next participating member. Under such circumstances, the shoe remains at the mercy of one of the players as long as the bank wins. If a bettor wins, the next bettor in the queue receives the shoe.
How to Consistently Win at Baccarat
How to Wager
In this game, the house is the entity charged with setting the betting limits and rules. Placing a wager on Baccarat is fairly easy; what is important is the rule that two hands that are dealt in Baccarat are all done in an arbitrary manner. For this reason, the deals are not in reality possessed by any player. More importantly, each participant can make any of the three available wagers on each hand; bet on the player, bank or press for a tie.
The Hand
In the game of Baccarat, players do not make decisions; the decisions are instead driven by the values on the cards. The dealer usually deals with the cards out of a shoe with 6 to 8 packs of the card. Next, the dealer deals two cards, each for the participating individuals and the bank. In terms of the card’s face value; Aces count as one; Tens to Jacks count as zero, while cards 2-to-9 count as their respective values. Player’s cards are normally dealt facing down, while those of bankers are flipped facing up. The individual with the highest amount of wager automatically becomes the custodian.
How to Play Baccarat and Consistently Win
How the first two cards are counted
The dealer usually adds the value of the two cards belonging to the banker; if the count is more than 9, the foremost digit is omitted and the score is recorded. Case in point; if the cards are a 7 and 6, which totals 13. The first digit “1” is dropped leaving the “3”. If the total equals a 9 or 8, the banker’s score is acknowledged as “natural”. Natural 9 is the strongest hand in the game. Once the banker’s side is settled, the custodian unveils the other participant’s cards. These cards are then added up; in case both hands score a natural, the victor is the hand with the highest natural value. On the other hand, if either of the hands-on the participant’s side scores a natural, they are declared winners as the rules stipulate.
The third card rules for the banker are as follows:
- If the total arrived at is 2 or less, the bank draws a card, irrespective of what the player’s third card reads.
- If the cumulative total arrived at is 3, the bank is entitled to draw a third card. However, this can only happen if the player’s third card reads any other number besides 8.
- If the bank sum is 4, it is entitled to draw a third card unless the third card drawn by the play is a 0, 1, 8 or a 9.
- If the bank value adds to 5, the bank draws a third card only if the team member’s card is a 4, 5, 6 or a 7.
- If the sum is 6, the bank is entitled to draw a third card only if the player’s third card is either a 6 or 7.
- Lastly, if the cumulative total is a 7, the banker’s position stands.
The third card rules for the player:
- If the bank or player has a total of 8 or 9 on the first two card draws, no additional draw is required. The hand that arises is known as natural.
- If the player’s betting total is 5 or less, the player’s hand will draw a third card.
- If a participant for any reason does not draw a third card and the bank’s hand holds at 6 or anything higher. The punter takes a third card on a collective total of 5 or lesser numbers. On the other hand, if the contestant takes a third card, the rules tied to the banker will determine whether or not the bank takes a third card.
How to Consistently Win at Baccarat
The Final Result
The final payout is made to the winner whose hand gathers the highest score. In case of a tie, all the tie bets are paid; the remaining bets are then brought back into play for the next hand.
House edge and Baccarat payouts
In the game of Baccarat, the house advantage is capped at 1.24%, while the payouts on the player space are set at $1 for every dollar bet. The payment on the banker’s table is set at $0.95 for every dollar bet or 95% of each dollar bet. Depending on the set house rules, the payout availed on ties can range from 8 – 1 to 9 – 1. Baccarat offers the lowest house edge compared to those offered in other table games.