Baccarat is one of those games that looks much more complicated than it really is. As a result, there are lots of people not willing to learn how to play it. And that’s a shame, because baccarat is the card equivalent to roulette. You just choose what to wager on from 3 different options, sit back and wait to see if you win or not. Easy game.
But instead of me telling you how easy baccarat is, I’ll just show you.
Baccarat Betting Rules
The objective of baccarat is to choose who is going to be dealt the better hand between the “banker” and the “player.” And to be clear, the names “banker” and “player” have no relevance to the game, except for the difference in edge. The house will have a 1.24% edge on player bets and 1.06% edge on banker bets. Aside from that, they’re the same. You can also wager that they’ll tie, but the odds are so against you (14.36%) that you shouldn’t bother.
Once you place your wager, both the banker and the player will be dealt 2 cards face up. The player who has a hand valued closest to 9 will be the winner.
But the one slightly tricky aspect to baccarat is that not all cards are to be taken at face value. These are the values assigned to cards in baccarat:
- All face cards have a value of 0.
- Aces are worth 1.
- All other cards are worth their face value.
So, say the banker has been dealt an ace and an 8 — his total would be 9. Now, another thing to understand is that 10 points will be subtracted for all hands value at 10 or higher. For example, if the player was dealt a 7 and an 8 totaling 15, then 10 will be subtracted leaving the real total at 5.
Last, a third card may be dealt depending on the total of a hand. Here is how that works:
1. If the player or banker has a point total of 8 or 9 with the first two cards dealt, no more cards are dealt — whoever has the best hand wins.
2. The player is dealt another card if they have a point total of 5 points or less. They will stand at 6 or 7.
3. The banker will draw another card if their point total is 2 or less. The banker will stand at 7.
4. The banker will not draw another card if their 2-card total is:
- 3 and the players third card is an 8
- 4 and the players third card is a 0, 1, 8 or 9
- 5 and the players third card is a 0, 1, 2, 3, 8 or 9
- 6 and the players third card is a 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8 or 9
When playing online you won’t have to worry about the third card. It’ll be dealt automatically if it’s warranted. It’s just good to know so you know why it’s happening.
Once the cards have been dealt and the best hand determined, chips will be awarded to the winners and a new hand will start.
Play Baccarat Online For Real Money
Hopefully the game of baccarat doesn’t look nearly as intimidating as it might have before. Truthfully, it’s much easier to learn it by sitting down at an online game and running through a few hands than it is to read about it. I encourage you to do so by visiting one of our recommended sites above. You’ll get the hang of baccarat before you know it.
