What Is Baccarat?
Baccarat is a very simple and popular card game that dates back to the 15th century in Italy.
Baccarat is known worldwide. It’s a game that is found in numerous online casinos. To some, it’s also known as a rich man’s game. The reason for this is that many rich people and high rollers often play Baccarat because of the exclusivity and atmosphere of the game. There are many stories about rich men losing their entire fortunes in just a few hours. To others, it’s known as James Bond’s game of preference.
Baccarat Rules
Baccarat is quite similar to Blackjack. Both games are all about drawing cards and getting as close to a certain score as possible. There are a few ground rules that you should know before starting the game. They’re actually very simple:
The best score is 9. It’s not possible to get a score that’s higher than 9.
Aces are equal to 1 numerically, picture cards (10, J, Q, K) are equal to 0, and all other cards (2-9) are equal to the number that you see on the cards.
If a total is more than 10, the second digit is the value of the hand
Here’s an example: You’ve drawn 3 + 8 on your first hand which equals a score of 11. Since it’s over 10, your total score after the first two cards is 1. This isn’t a good hand in Baccarat since it’s low.
Another example could be 10 + 4 = 14. But since only the last digit counts when the total is over 10, the total score is 4.
How to Play Baccarat Like a Pro
Baccarat is a game that’s played between the player and the banker. In Chemin De Fer and Baccarat Banque, the players switch between the roles of the player and the banker. As mentioned earlier, in Punto Banco, it’s always the casino that plays the banker and the players are just the players. But how does the course of the game actually go? You start off by placing a bet.
Placing the Bet
Baccarat is a guessing game. Therefore, players have to place their bets before the cards have been dealt. When placing a bet in Baccarat, you have three options:
The Banker’s Hand: You bet on the hand of the banker. If you’re correct, you will double your money, also called 1:1.
The Player’s Hand: If you win by betting on the player’s hand, you will also double your money.
Tie: Should you be lucky to win after having a bet on a tie, you’re paid 8:1.
Simple, right? But... You should note that you should avoid the tie bet, as it tends to drain players’ wallets. Even though it may have the best payout – 8:1 – it also has, by far, the worst odds of winning. The house advantage tends to be at a whopping 14.36%. This means that if you were to make a hundred wagers of $1, you could theoretically lose $14.36. Now that we’ve established how to make your bets when playing Baccarat, let’s take a closer look at how the game works.
The Round
The game starts with the player and banker both getting two cards each. If one or both hands are equal to either 8 or 9, it’s a “natural” win and the game will be over. Bets that have been placed will therefore be cashed out.
If neither the hand of the player nor the banker is equal to 8 or 9, a third card is drawn.
The rules for drawing the third card in the game of Baccarat are different for the player and the banker:
Third card rules for the player
The player always goes first.
If the hand of the player is equal to 8 or 9 points, this is a natural win and a third card will not be drawn.
If the hand of the player equals 6 or 7, the player stands pat (doesn’t draw an additional card).
If the hand of the player equals a total from 0 – 5 points, the player draws a third card – unless the banker’s hand is 8 or 9. In this case, no further cards are drawn and the banker wins
Third card rules for the banker
The third card rule for the banker depends on the hand of the player. If the player drew a third card, the banker must act according to the following rules.
If the banker has a score of 2 or less, then the banker must draw a third card, regardless of what the player’s cards are – unless the player has a natural win, of course.
If the banker’s score is 3, the banker must draw a card, unless the player’s third card is an 8 – in which case the banker stands pat.
If the banker’s score is 4, the banker must draw a card if the player’s third card is 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.
If the banker’s score is 5, the banker must draw a card if the player’s third card is 4, 5, 6 or 7.
If the banker’s score is 6, the banker must draw if the player’s third card is a 6 or 7.
If the banker’s score is 7, the banker needs to stand.
If the banker’s score is 8 or 9, neither the banker nor the player draws a card.
How to Win at Baccarat
A common question that is always asked is how do you win in a game of Baccarat? In Baccarat, there is something called a winning hand. The winning hand is calculated after all of the cards have been dealt. Both the banker and the player can’t get more than three cards in a game of Baccarat. Whoever comes closest to the total of 9 wins. If there’s a tie, neither hand loses – the dealer simply collects the lost bets and pays the winnings.
The statistics and strategies in Baccarat
If you’re new to Baccarat, you might not have heard of the famous gambling quote that you “should always wager on the banker”. Betting on the banker isn’t only the simplest and safest baccarat strategy. There’s mathematical proof that betting on the banker is the most profitable strategy when playing Baccarat. Here’s the example:
Assuming that the casino is using eight standard 52-card decks, the percentages of each hand are as follows:
The player’s hand loses 45.87% of the time, wins 44.63% of the time, and ties 9.51% of the time.
The banker’s hand, on the other hand, loses 44.65% of the time, wins 45.87% of the time, and ties 9.51% of the time.
If we remove all hands that tie from the equation, then the banker’s hand loses 49.32% of the time, while it wins 50.68% of the time. On the flip side, 50.68% of the player’s hands lose, while 49.32% win.
Looking at this mathematical background, it’s clear that betting on the banker’s hand has a higher chance of winning. In order to correct this difference, there’s a 5% commission on all winning bets made on the banker’s hand.
Online Baccarat: Pros and Cons
With the advent of online casinos, it has become much easier to enjoy the world of online gambling. You can play wherever you want, at any time you wish. You only need an Internet connection and a smart device. Simple and easy. It’s become incredibly popular to play at online casinos. There are other advantages to online Baccarat than just the fact that it’s convenient. Below, we have gathered a list of the advantages of playing online Baccarat:
It’s convenient and accessible. From anywhere, anytime.
Lots of different bonuses and promotions.
You can use free demo versions. Test out the game for free before you start playing with real money.
Many different variations of the game are gathered in a single place.
The possibility of playing live.
Many different ways of paying for the chips or tokens that you play with (multiple payment methods).
But of course, there aren’t only advantages attached to online gambling. There are also some disadvantages attached to playing Baccarat online:
Not the same atmosphere as a traditional casino.
Not all online casinos can be trusted. Make sure to check whether they’re licensed or not!
Can increase gambling addiction due to the accessibility and convenience.
Slower payouts than at traditional casinos.
Baccarat is a fun and simple game. There aren’t many rules and it’s easy to learn. If you’ve never tried it before, and you’re curious about what the game is like, go find a demo version where you can learn and practice for free!
