Although baccarat is one of the lesser known casino games it's actually popular amongst high rollers. The main advantage to baccarat is that the house edge is considerably lower than with blackjack or roulette, that's why the limits played are usually higher.
Baccarat is more amazing than you'd think. Some casinos isolate the baccarat table in a private area and the dealer is dressed up to the nines in a tuxedo. It really is an experience. Fortunately, we can explain how to play bacccarat, for those who do not go to casinos often or are not ready to commit to a large bankroll there are online versions of baccarat.
BASIC RULES
Similar to blackjack, in baccarat the players are dealt face up cards and they have to make bets between them or with the banker. The object of the game is to get the closest to 9 points. Cards 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 represent the number of points in the game, the Ace is 1 point and tens and face cards score as 0 points.
For example, if you are dealt a 9 and an 8 you hold 17 points. If you're lucky enough to get 8 points or 9 points on your first go that's a great hand. If you hold more than 10 points though, the first digit is dropped. That is, following the example above, if you have 17 points you drop the first digit and you actually have 7 points. I hope it doesn't sound so confusing - it's easier to play than it looks. The house edge is low because the banker has the obligation to stand at 7 points.
HOW TO PLAY BACCARAT
The betting structure is actually a bit more complicated and you can find it here:
|
Dealer holds |
Dealer must |
|
7 or more |
Stand |
|
0, 1, 2 |
Draw |
|
3, except if player holds 8 |
Draw |
|
4, except if player holds 1, 8, 9, 0 |
Draw |
|
5, except if player holds 0, 1, 2, 3, 8, 9 |
Draw |
|
6, except if player holds 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9 |
Dra |
As I said earlier, it's actually more simple than it looks but I wanted to break it down in details. Even if you bet on other players' hands or the dealer's hand the payout is the same, that is, 1 to 1. However, there is an extra bet that you can make, and that is for a tie. This does not happen that often but the payout is much much juicier at 8 to 1.
There are a lot of rules to take in, so it is advisable to start with online play. It's much easier because you can even keep the rules and payout pages open while you play so you don't make any mistakes. Also, the computer will give you your play options which is always handy.
So, remember how to play to win big and have fun at the baccarat tables!
