Baccarat is an international game, known by many names and throughout the world. There is much debate as to the origins of this game in the Western world. Some say Italy. Some say France. In fact, in Italian ‘baccarat’ means zero! Nevertheless, this favourite of James Bond is a hit with card players worldwide. Many new casino sites have this in their range of games.
There are four main versions of baccarat to be encountered should one enter a casino in the flesh, and knowledge of the appropriate rules would be necessary. This is because the ceremony of gameplay and the roles of the participants are dependent on the context.
In online casinos however, gameplay is usually based on a single variant, and an understanding of this will be outlined below. Use our baccarat guide to get a flavour of the game, then look around the site for our recommendations for the best baccarat sites online.
What to Expect when Playing Baccarat Online
Make your bet. Draw. This is simple. Four cards are initially dealt. Since there are only two participants, the player and the dealer, two cards are held by each party. One by one they are dealt. The player receives the first card, the dealer the second, and so on. Play on a no deposit casino here.
After all four cards have been dealt there is a possibility for the winner of the hand to be decided, if one of the players cards total an 8 or 9. Note that there is no possibility for the value of the hand to exceed 9, because only one place value matters in this game; the digit farthest right. For example, should the total value of the cards equal to 12, then the hand is actually valued at 2.
The four cards have been dealt, and both hands are less than 8. The hand will be decided by a 3rd card; dealt to the player or the banker according to the total of the hand. If it is the case that the player has the highest hand, say a 6 or 7, there will be no third card dealt to the player; they ‘stand’, for short. The banker will instead be dealt a third card.
Now, if the hand of the banker meets or exceeds the player’s hand then a third card will be dealt to the player. Ultimately, a tie will only happen when the player and banker each hold 3 cards. These specifics will be understood during gameplay, as the only decisions to be made deal with bet amount and where to place it. The rest is controlled by the dealer.
A Few Important Details About the Rules of Baccarat
The game of baccarat includes two participants, those of the player and the banker. In some forms of baccarat there are other roles or participants. However, the player and the banker are the stars of baccarat. Bets are placed on the player or the banker winning, or the case that a tie is the result. For those betting on the outcome, the process is therefore pretty simple; only three possible outcomes.
Each participant will be dealt one card at a time, alternating between first the player and second the banker, until the conditions for a winner or tie has been met. No more than three cards will be dealt to a single participant.
The value of each participants hand is dependent upon the number holding the one’s place value, such as the 2 in 12. The participant whose hand is valued at or close to 9 wins. One should note that an ace holds a value of 1, face cards a value of 0, jokers are not played, and all pip card values are represented by their numbers.
Bets placed on the participants pay out evenly, or 1:1. However, the house will take a 5% commission on all winning bets which were placed on the banker. More so, ties, for which the house edge will average 14%, pay 8:1.
The Draw of Baccarat – Gameplay Explained
Baccarat remains a very simple game. The complexity of the game is reliant upon the ceremony involved in playing games in a live setting. Detailed texts about baccarat are likely confusing for the beginner, as baccarat online guides mention the difficulty of understanding by text alone.
Otherwise, with the simplest understanding of the rules, such that the winning bet is one placed on the participant with a hand close to or exactly at 9, one can begin immediately.
Frequenting a casino, large baccarat tables may have a high buy in, or a high minimum bet. Still, players can practice their luck at smaller, less daunting tables. Gameplay will be smooth and steady at all of these table options, or through online and live online baccarat games.
Online Baccarat 2019
The beauty of online casinos is that they give players the chance to practise their gameplay and strategy in a non-threatening environment. The best advice is to get a grip of the basic fundamentals, and then just dive right in.
Learning by doing is key with baccarat, and after a few hands it will all become much clearer. When you feel more confident, you can graduate to a love casino to show off your skills. Give it a try, and you might even make some winnings at the baccarat table.