Gambling Bee - Baccarat Rules

The game of Baccarat (pronounced ba-ka-ra) is derived from Chemin De Fer or Baccarat en Banque, one of Europe's oldest and most popular card games. It is a high-limit game, from which casinos developed a game for lower-limit players called mini-baccarat. Baccarat is a hard game to pronounce, but a very simple game to play! Once you've looked over the rules, be sure to check out our online casino reviews to decide where to play no download baccarat!

Now, the rules! In baccarat, the dealer handles the draw of cards according to specific rules and, as in Roulette or Craps, the player has no decisions to make during the game. The only two decisions a bettor must make, before each hand is dealt, are selection of the position he or she believes will win the next hand, and determining the amount of the wager. The House banks all bets, and collects or makes payouts on each hand that is dealt. However, it is a good idea to be familiar with the rules, as it will heighten the enjoyment of the game, and the anticipation of the turn of a card. Overall, Baccarat is one of the best games in the Casino for the bettor.

Objective
To wager on the hand that will finish with a point total of 9, or as close to it as possible.

Betting Options
There are three options a player may wager on: Player hand, Banker hand or Tie bet.

Card Values

The Game
Baccarat is played with six decks of cards that are re-shuffled after each hand. The cards are dealt from a shoe, similar to Blackjack. You can bet on either the Player's side, the Bank side, or on a Tie. Four cards are dealt, the first and third to the Player's hand, the second and fourth to the Banker's hand.

If either hand totals 8 or 9, each of these numbers is called a "Natural", then no additional cards are dealt. The winning hand is the one with a point total closest to 9. When both hands have equal totals, a "Tie" is declared.

Confused? Baccarat can be made to seeem a lot more complicated than it is, but don't be afraid! Like many things, it's not hard to learn, it's just hard to learn WELL. So here is a basic run through.

As the player you are given the choice of either betting on the banker hand winning, the player hand winning, or a tie between the two. Two cards are dealt to the player and the banker. If the hand you're betting on wins, you win even money. Even money bets are 1 to 1, meaning if you bet five dollars, you're paid back the five plus five more, so your profit is equal to your bet. If you bet on a tie and it turns out to be one, you're paid 8 to 1. Meaning if you bet 5 dollars on a tie and win, you're paid back your five, plus 40 dollars more.

The goal of your two-card hand is to try and have a total that is close to 9. Tens and face cards count as zero, with the exception of the ace, which is worth 1. Cards 2 thru 9 are worth their face value. The simplicity of baccarat rules reflects the simplicity of the scoring and goal itself. There is really only one tricky part: although there is no such thing as a 'busting hand' as in blackjack, when your initial card total is a two digit number, the first digit is dropped. Say you are dealt a pair of sevens - the total is 14, but the count is set to 4, as the leading 1 is dropped. If the first two cards of a hand total 8 or 9 the hand is declared a 'natural' and wins (unless there is a tie between two naturals). If either hand is a natural, both hands stand, the natural hand wins. If the total is not a natural win on either hand, another card is drawn for each hand to determine the winner.

Winning banker hands are usually taxed 5% by the casinos. Remember, anybody can be the banker, not always a casino employee. This hint is enough to gain an advantage in baccarat, because you know if the casinos take a cut of just one hand, that one hand probably has a good chance of winning. Eeven with the 5% cut taken from winning on a banker hand bet, there is still an advantage to betting on the banker. The advantage is small, about 0.18%, but it's there!