How to Play Baccarat - Rules
Online baccarat rules are the same as those for offline baccarat played there. Initially the game begins when the person called the dealer mixes the cards and puts them on the table. All persons playing the game have to bet on the bank or the player’s hand. Once a hand has been dealt, players can choose to place a bet on the banker’s hand winning, the player’s hand winning, or a tie being reached between the two. These bets are called Banker, Player and Standoff. Banker is also known as Banco and Player as Punto. Standoff is less commonly used in baccarat games. So we will consider that there are two hands here – the player hand and the banker hand. If the hand you bet on wins, you receive an even money (1:1) payoff. There is one other bet you can make, called the tie bet. If you make this bet and the two hands tie, you receive an 8:1 payoff. Ties, however, occur less than once out of every ten hands.
After this, every player receives two cards in each hand and players may draw a third card. The cards have particular values up to ten and the face cards have no value. An ace may have the value of one or ten, depending on the situation. The person whose cards total to nine after distribution of cards is the winner. 10s, jacks, queens, and kings all have a value of 0. The aces through 9 cards have values of 1 to 9, respectively. To determine the value of each hand, you simply add the cards. If the total is over 10, the first digit is ignored. So an 8 and a 6, when added up, would normally equal 14, but in baccarat, we disregard the first digit, and instead end up with a value of 4. Similarly, a 6 and 4 would equal 0, and a 10 and 9 would equal 9. If the first two cards total 9, the hand is called a natural, and it automatically wins. Say for example you place a bet on the Banker. The two-card hands are then revealed and the Banker has a 6 and a 1, while the Player’s hand consists of a 3 and a 1. The Banker’s hand has won that game and you have won that bet and even money back – because you successfully bet on the Banker hand winning. One must remember that as always the casino enjoys an advantage over the players in all situations.
Player must have the primary knowledge of the other rules of baccarat when one draws the third card. In case the player or bank has a sum of eight or nine from the first two cards, the hand is a natural and there is no need to draw more cards. Players draw a third card only when the sum of the first two cards is less than or equal to five. In case the player does not take a third card, the banker can always take a third card, but that totally depends on his cards. If the bank sum is less than or equal to two then he takes a third card. If the banker’s total is three then he takes another card subject to the fact that the player’s sum of cards is not eight.
The bank can draw a third card with a sum of four if the player’s third card is not a 0, 1, 8 or 9. If the player’s third card is a four, five, six or seven and the bank’s sum is five then he can take another card. The bank can take a third card if the player’s third card is six or seven and his sum is six. In case the bank sum he seven, he remains in the game. These rules are easy to remember and one can wager on either the bank’s side or the player’s side.
One can bet in three ways in baccarat; on the player’s hand, the dealer’s hand or on a tie. In case one bets on the player and the player hand is better than the dealer’s card, then one wins and one has to pay no fees. In case one bets on the bank and the bank hand is better than the player’s cards, then one wins the bet. However, one has to pay some fees on the winning amount. The dealer notes the wins and the fees and collects them at the end of a round so that there is no slack in the pace of the game.
In case of a tie, the players get back the player and banker bets. One can take them back or leave them for the next round. This type of bet has the highest house advantage and one must try not to fall into this situation. Baccarat is pretty much a game of chance, and all you really have to do is decide which hand you think will win, and bet accordingly. However, knowing the basic rules will certainly help you follow what is going on, making the game a lot more enjoyable.
It is a good idea to avoid tie bets altogether, since they give the house a significant advantage which can be estimated at around 20%. Hence, by sticking to only the banker and player bets, the house advantage will remain at a minimum, thereby maximizing your chances of winning.
