How To Play Baccarat

How To Play Baccarat- Rules & Card Values

How To Play Baccarat- Rules & Card Values

How To Play Baccarat
How To Play Baccarat

The best way to enjoy a game live and at online casinos and to increase your chances of winning is when you understand it. Baccarat is one of the interesting games at online casinos. Learning how to play the game is even easier. Before you start playing, read on this article so that you understand how to play baccarat, how to win and all the rules involved.

How To Play Baccarat Online

The game of baccarat involves a table of 14 players.  The table is marked from 1-15 where each player should bet. The number 13 is excluded as it is believed to be a bad luck number.  In front of each player number, there are 3 boxes where they can place their bets. Since there are three bets involved each box represents those three bets. One box is betting on the player, the other one is betting on the banker and the third one is banking on a tie. A player can place a bet in any of the boxes that he wants. Depending on the casino that one is playing at baccarat game makes use of six, eight or nine decks of cards.  The cards are reshuffled with each new hand.

Baccarat aims to get a number close to a total of 9. The rules of the game are predetermined therefore there are not so many decisions that you can make throughout. The only thing a player can do is to choose who to bet on whether it’s the player, banker or you bet on a tie. When all the bets are placed the dealer will then draw the cards and the game starts.

Baccarat Gameplay

We are going to show you how to play baccarat in steps.

  1. Place your bets in any of the three boxes on the player’s number. You bet on either the player, the banker or a tie.
  2. During the first round, the player gets two cards face up in the player’s box. The banker receives two cards face up in the banker’s box. These are dealt by a virtual dealer. When you are in a live casino, it is the croupier who is the casino dealer that will hand out and is in control of all including how the game progress.
  3. What happens Is that if the banker or the player has an 8 or a 9, it is called a natural hand. The number that is closest to 9 becomes the winner. The hand is over and you get your money for winning the bet. However, if the player and the banker both get the same points, it means the tie bet wins.
  4. If no one has a natural or a tie, it is the value of the player’s hand that then dictates what follows.

rd Card Rule

If a player has a 6 or 7, they stand. If the player has a 5 or 0 he then receives another card added to the total hand value. This then finishes the player’s hand. To make it easier to understand, we are going to make a table.

Player’s First Two Cards Total Next Move
0-5 Draws the 3rd card
6-7 stand
8-9 Natural- Hand over

<Dealer’s 3rd Card Rule

It may seem a little bit complicated now, but once you start playing it gets better. These rules will help you understand the gameplay better. It helps you understand why you have won or lost a bet. For the dealer to draw or to not draw a third card is determined by the rules that we are going to layout for you. However, it also depends on which cards he receives when he gets the first 2 cards.

  1. If the dealer has a total of 7,8 or 9 he stands
  2. When he has a 6 whilst the player’s 3rd card is a 6 – 7 the dealer takes another card
  3. If he has a 5 and the player’s 3rd card is a 4-7 the dealer tales another card
  4. When he has a 4 and the player’s 3rd card is a 2-7 the dealer takes another card
  5. If he has a 3 and the player’s 3rd card is anything but 8 the dealer takes another card
  6. When he has a 0-2 they also take another card

Baccarat Cards And Hand Values

When you are playing online baccarat, after receiving your cards, you add the value of cards to get a total. The total should be between 0 and 9. 9 is the best and 0 is the worst as you need a 9 or the closest number to 9 to win. you don’t have to worry as all this will be done automatically since you are playing online.  To understand the numbers, we are going to briefly talk about the cards and their value.

  1. Numbers 2 to 9 are counted as their face value
  2. Ace is counted as 1
  3. Face cards like Queen, King, Jack and also a 10 are all worth a 10.

Looking at the cards and their value there is a possibility that you may get a total value that is above 10. For instance, you have a 10 and a 4 the total becomes 14. When this happens, a 10 is subtracted from your total value. The remaining is your hand. In this case, your hand value will be a 4. If you have a total of 15, you subtract it by 10 and your value becomes 5.

Bets Involved In Baccarat

Like we mentioned before, in the game of Baccarat, players don’t bet against the dealer, rather they bet on whether the banker wins or the player wins or on a tie.

  1. Betting On The Player

    Betting on the player is the first bet. In this bet, you will be saying that the player will win as he will have the hand closest to 9. Some refer to this bet as the Punto Bet. The bet pays 1:1 on the player’s money and it generates a house advantage of 1.36%.

  2. Betting On Bank

    If you don’t want to bet on a player, you can consider betting on the banker. Unlike the player’s bet, this one has only 1.17% house advantage. This bet wins more than that of the player, therefore the house pays out 19:20 on your winnings. This means that a casino deducts a 5% built-in fee which you can only be charged if sand when you win.

  3. Tie Bet

    Betting on a tie means that you are saying that the banker and the player will have the same card total. This bet pays 8:1 on your money as the bet is rare. That is why it is tempting to most players who like large payouts. The house advantage is 14.2% which is the more reason why you should avoid the bet.

Playing Baccarat In A Live Casino

Some may prefer playing baccarat in a live casino. However, there are certain regulations that players need to be aware of.

  1. When you get to the baccarat table, 3 members of the casino staff will be monitoring the game. These are two dealers and the callman.
  2. The cards are dealt by the bettor who will be holding the shoe with the cards. The callman is the only one who can turn the cards faceup.
  3. Two dealers that will be sitting on either side of the callman will be responsible for the bets.
  4. Many minimum bets are allowed on tables that are outside the exclusive zone.
  5. Mini baccarat is played more as it allows for minimum bets

Conclusion

Learning how to play baccarat is quite easy. All you need to do is to place your bet. However, understanding the rules of the game and the terms will help you in making the best bets that will reward you. That is why we recommend you also look at the baccarat strategy page on this website. This is so that you understand the strategies that you can use in the game.

How To Play Baccarat FAQs

[accordiongroup id=”469″][accordion group=”469″ title=”How Many Bets Are Involved In Baccarat?” active=”true”]There are three bets involved in this table game. A player either bets that the player wins, or the banker or you bet on a tie.[/accordion][accordion group=”469″ title=”Is Baccarat A Game Of Skill?” active=””]Baccarat is a game of luck. That is the first strategy one should have. when you have placed your bet, there is nothing more you can do as the game will be out of your hands. Your job is to just choose a side and you wait to see the outcome.[/accordion][accordion group=”469″ title=”What Is The Best Bet?” active=””]The best bet is betting on the banker. This is because this bet is likely to win and it has the lowest house edge among the three bets involved in this game.[/accordion][accordion group=”469″ title=”Can You Win At Baccarat?” active=””]Yes, you can win this game. It simply depends on the bet that you make. A tie bet is a rare bet, therefore, you should try avoiding it. Betting in the banker is a good bet as it has a low house edge and the bet is likely to win.[/accordion][accordion group=”469″ title=”What Are The Card Values in Baccarat?” active=””]2-9 cards are worth their face value. All face cards are worth 10. Aces are worth 1.[/accordion][accordion group=”469″ title=”Can I Always Bet On  A Banker?” active=””]You can make any bet that you want. The good thing about the banker’s bet is that it is widely considered as a safe bet as it has a lower house edge. Hence the banker gives you a better chance of winning more from the casino. We recommend that players make use of this bet for better winning chances.[/accordion][accordion group=”469″ title=”What Is A Natural in Baccarat?” active=””]If the first two cards totals to 8 or 9  the hand is called a natural.  That means winning automatically.[/accordion][/accordiongroup]