How To Play Baccarat
Baccarat is a thrilling, edge of your seat table game which adds intrigue and suspense, leaving people wondering how to play Baccarat themselves.
It is often associated with high roller players in a physical casino like Star Sydney, Ville Resort Casino or Wrest Point Casino in Australia, and made famous in James Bond movies. Baccarat is one of the easiest casino games to learn and play.
There is only three possible outcomes for each game:
- Banker Win
- Player Win
- Tie
It’s also important to know that banker (like a dealer) does not mean the house. You can either bet on the player or bet on the banker.
After learning how to play Baccarat, you can get started in as little as 10 minutes for real money. Anyone can become an expert right away.
Place Your Bet
How to win Baccarat is to bet on the winning hand. To do so, you can choose to bet on the player, bet on the banker, or bet on a tie. Each bet must be placed before any cards are dealt. After that, you have no way to influence the hand.
Rules
During a Baccarat table game, the dealer will use between six and eight decks of cards. The player and the banker are each dealt two cards, face up. Whichever hand is closest to nine wins.
Winning bets are equal to double the value of whatever you bet. If you bet on the banker, there is a slight house edge, with the banker hand paying 95% of your bet.
Face cards and tens are equal to zero points. Aces are worth one point, and all other cards are equal to their value. If both cards add up to double digits, then you only count the second-digit.
E.g. If the player’s hand is eight and five, it adds up to 13. Only the second digit is counted, which leaves a score of three.
That’s the basis of the rules for how to play Baccarat. But there are some other things to keep in mind.
Natural Win
If the player or banker hand’s total from the first two cards is eight or nine, they are considered the winner of the hand, which is also called a natural win.
Anytime this happens, there are no more cards dealt, and all bets from the start of the hand are cashed out.
When To Draw More Cards
If neither the player and the banker has a natural win, then one more card will need to be drawn to determine how to win Baccarat for the player and the banker. It depends on the following for who draws the card:
- If the player’s hand total is five or less, then the player will draw another card. Otherwise, the player stands.
- If the player stands, then if the banker hand is five or less, the banker must draw another card.
Here is where the rules for how to play Baccarat get a little bit more complicated.
For the third card, if the player:
- Draws an Ace, face-card, 9 or 10, the banker stays on a score of 4-7 or draws another card if they have a score of 0-3.
- Draws an 8, the banker stays on a score of 3-7 or draws another card if they have a score of 0-2.
- Draws a 6 or 7, the banker stays on a score of 7 or draws another card if they have a score of 0-6.
- Draws a 4 or 5, the banker stays on a score of 6 or 7 or draws again on a score of 0-5.
- Draws a 2 or 3, the banker stays on a score of 5, 6, or 7, and draws on a score of 0-4.
After the cards have been dealt, it’s then just a matter of counting the total points to determine the winner. Whoever has hand totals closest to nine points wins the hand.
Tie Bet in Baccarat
Sometimes both the player and the banker may have the same score. When this happens, it’s a tie, and both bets are returned to the banker and the player. No one wins, no one loses. The only winning bets are for a tie. Payouts vary from between 8:1 to 9:1.
How To Win Baccarat
Now that you have mastered how to play Baccarat and the rules, let’s take a look at how to win Baccarat at an online casino. The basic strategy is the same, whether you are playing your first hand, or you are an experienced high roller.
You should always bet on the banker.
Although there is a 5 percent commission for betting on a banker win, it still gives you the best chance of placing winning bets.
- Never bet on a tie. While they do happen, they are rare.
- Not including ties, the banker hand will win about 51% of the time, giving it a slight house edge, and the safest bet to make.
After you’ve learnt how to play Baccarat, it’s the same at any casino. While a physical casino may bring with it all the glitz and glamour associated with a table game like Baccarat, it is an online casino like Joe Fortune, which offers the convenience of playing from home, without having to battle the crowds in a casino in Australia, as well as adhere to a strict dress code.
Online gambling also provides higher payouts due to having lower overhead costs, which means you can win more money with less effort and play like a high roller.