Baccarat Game Rules

If you've always wanted to know how to play Baccarat in a way that gives you better chances of winning, then keep reading. Not only will you learn all the baccarat rules here, the basics of one of the most interesting games you can find in online casinos, but you will also understand how best to play to get the highest odds of winning your bets ahead of time. the dealer starts dealing the cards.

Rules: How To Play Baccarat?

You don't have to be James Bond to sit at the Baccarat table before the cards are dealt. In fact, learning to play Baccarat is so easy that we're willing to bet you'll have gone from beginner to pro by the end of this article. So fast indeed. We'd even bet you on it, but… Think about your answer because – betting is about the only thing you can do in the game.

That's how the game works: You sit down, count how many chips you want to invest in the game and decide what to bet them on. The object of the game is to bet on the winning side. The three bets in Baccarat are the Bank's Bet, the Player's Bet and the Tie Bet. In a regular game, the dealer uses six to eight decks of cards. The game begins with two hands dealt on the table:

• The bank's hand
• The player's hand

You are not limited to playing the Player's hand and you do not always win when the Player wins. As we know this can complicate things a bit, we suggest you look at the two hands in live Baccarat as follows:

• The Bank's Hand (or) Hand A
• The Player's Hand (or) Hand B

Once the dealer puts two cards on each part of the table, it's time to calculate the points and determine the value of each hand. Note that the Tens and hole cards are all counted as zero points. The other cards are worth their face value and, to avoid any misunderstanding, the Ace is counted as one point. If the value of your hand is a two-digit number, the two are added together and the result counts.

Let's look at a simple example:

• The Bank receives 10 spades and 7 hearts
• The Player receives 9 hearts and 3 clubs

In this hypothetical Baccarat hand, the win goes to the Bank because 0 (the 10 is counted as 0 points) +7 = 7 points, while the Player's hand is worth only 3 points (9+3 = 12 points so 1 +2=3).

Natural Winners

We are about to tell you a very specific Baccarat rule that you should keep in mind whenever you bet on the Bank or the Player. In the event that the point total of the first two cards equals 8 or 9, the Player who gets this score (called a natural win) wins the hand. When this happens, no more cards are dealt and the bets placed at the start of the action can be paid out.

In other cases

If no one gets a natural win, there's a good chance you'll get another card on the table. That's because the Player (playing first) might be on a total of 6 or 7, but needs another card if the score is 0-5.

It's a bit more complicated when it comes to the bank, but if you want to master the Baccarat rules, you better read on. If the Player does not have to draw a third card, the Bank remains on a total of 6 or 7 and draws a card on a total of 0-5.

Otherwise, the following rules apply:

• If the Player draws a 9, 10, open card or Ace as the third card, the Bank draws another card with a score of 0-3 and is left with a score of 4-7
• If the Player draws an 8 as a third card, the Bank draws another card with a score of 0-2 and is left with a score of 3-7
• If the Player draws a 6 or a 7 as the third card, the Bank with a score of 0-6 draws another card and is left with a total of 7
• If the Player draws a 4 or a 5 as the third card, the Bank with a score of 0-5 draws another card and is left with a total of 6 or 7
• If the Player draws a 2 or 3 as a third card, the Bank with a score of 0-4 draws another card and remains on a total of 5, 6 or 7.

When all cards have been dealt, all you have to do is count the points to determine the winner. Whoever comes closest to nine points wins the round.

The Tie Bet

In the game of Baccarat, sometimes no one wins. If the Player and the Bank have the same number of points, the game will result in a tie. In this case, the bets on the Bank and the bets on the Player are returned (no one wins, and no one loses) and only the Tie bets are paid out. The payout of Tie bets ranges from 8:1 to 9:1.

Best Baccarat Betting Rules

Now that you know how to play Baccarat, let's focus on how to get more chances to win. Whether you're a high roller or not, the basic Baccarat strategy doesn't change: You should always bet on the Bank.

This is because of the following; Although most casinos apply a commission to this bet (5%), it is the best bet in the game. The secret is in the house edge, which is as follows:

• The house edge of a bet on the Bank is 1.06%
• The house edge of a bet on the Player is 1.24%
• The house edge of the Tie bet is… it doesn't matter.

You have so little chance of winning the Tie bet that only a player who likes a really big challenge would choose this third option. That's all there is to say about it – really!

Frequently Asked Questions