How to Play Baccarat

Introduction

Baccarat is a fun filled online casino game which most beginner feel intimidated about a little because of its name and a little because most people feel it is too complicated - which in fact it is not. The truth is that Baccarat is a fun game that anyone can play. The good thing about it is that the house edge is normally low with Baccarat and hence gives the player the best odds.

How to Play Baccarat

Baccarat is game that needs a large table which can seat 12 to 14 players at one time on seats that are numbered. Note that even though the players would have to be 12-14, there would be no seat bearing number 13 as it is considered inauspicious. The game can be played as mini-Baccarat which would need a blackjack size table; the rules of the Baccarat game stay unchanged.

When you play Baccarat you have three choices for a bet - the player, the banker or the tie which are indicated on the table in the form of three squares. There are only two hands of cards dealt at a Baccarat game.

The object of the Baccarat game is to bet on the hand that comes as closely as possible to a total of nine for which purpose the Baccarat considers only the number cards (i.e. 2-9); the Ace is valued to be one and the rest of the cards (the Jack, Queen, King and the Tens) are valued as zero. When the cards total more than nine, the first digit is removed. In this way if the total is 13, the actual number considered would be 3; if it is 25 the number considered would be 5 and so on.

To win the Baccarat game you need to get the first two cards to add up to eight, though the highest possible hand would total nine. If you get this combination (total 8 or 9) when you are dealt your first two cards, it means you have a natural. The moment a Baccarat player gets a natural, no more cards would be drawn for that particular player. However, if there are no naturals with any of the Baccarat players, the game would continue as per the usual Baccarat rules.

Since there are two hands - the player and the banker - the Baccarat rules that govern each are a little different. A hand that totals 6 or 7 in his/her first hand would need to stand. If the total comes below 5, then the Baccarat player would be required to draw another card.

The banker's hand would act the same way if the total is 7, 8 or 9. If the total is 1 or 2, the banker hand would have to draw another card. If the total of the first two cards is 3 the banker will draw if the third card is 0-7; if it is 8 the banker would stand. If the total is 4, the drawn card should be between 2 and 7; the banker would stand if the third card 1, 8 or 9. If it is 5, the draw should be 4-7; it would stand if the third card is 0-3, 8 or 9. Lastly, if the card is 6 or 7, the banker's hand would stand only if the third card reads anything other then these two numbers.