How To Play Baccarat Card Game

You sit down, count how many chips you want to invest in the game, and decide where to place them. The goal of the game is to bet on the winning side. The three bets in Baccarat are the Banker’s. The dealer calls for the player hand, and the customer with the largest player bet first looks at the cards, then gives them to the dealer. The dealer turns the cards faceup and announces the point total. Then the dealer calls for the banker hand, and the shoe holder looks at the cards and gives them to the dealer. Contrary to popular opinion, this card game from Italy was imported in our country from the 15 th century by King Charles VIII who was a big fan. The name « baccarat » makes a reference to null points given by all figures or 10; and by the way, this is where the originality of this game lies. Baccarat is an exciting game of pure chance. While it’s portrayed as formal and elegant in the movies – James Bond’s favourite! – it’s actually an easy, slow-paced game that’s great for new players; there’s no strategy or skill needed.

Before you can think of developing a Baccarat strategy, you should learn how to play the game first. In Baccarat, you play between two hands, and these are the player and the banker. When playing the game, you can play with as many as three to six 52 card decks shuffled together. Baccarat - CasinoGames77.com » Baccarat. Free game Baccarat Give us a 'LIKE' Rank this game. A Tie bet pays 8:1. The goal in baccarat is to reach a point total of 9 with your hand. The live dealer gives two cards to both the Player hand and the Banker hand; first to the Player and then the Banker. A third card may be dealt to either or both the Player and the Bank based on the following three-card-rules.

Derived from the European games of chemin de fer and punto banco, baccarat is a game of mystery to most of the betting public even though it's a staple of American casinos. With the aid of this article, you can unravel the secrets of baccarat and even learn how to become a winning player. Let's begin with a little history of the game:
Baccarat is the French spelling for the Italian word baccara, or zero, signifying the point values of face cards. The game has been traced to 1490, when the Italian baccara was introduced into France, where it was a favorite of nobles during the reign of King Charles VIII. Baccarat was first offered in Las Vegas in 1959, about a year and half after chemin de fer was introduced. Both games already were flourishing in illegal casinos in the East.
The direct ancestor of baccarat as played in the United States, chemin de fer is similar in play. One major difference is that the customers bet among themselves, rather than against the casino, with the house taking a commission from the customer holding the bank. Chemin de fer was offered in Las Vegas briefly in the 1950s, but it was quickly replaced by baccarat. Today it remains popular in European casinos.
Baccarat Today
Baccarat comes closer than most other casino games to offering the customer an even break, with house edges of just 1.17 percent for a bet on the banker hand and 1.36 percent for a bet on the player hand. Blackjack players who use basic strategy do better; as do video poker players with refined skills. But baccarat is a game with no playing strategies to master. The average baccarat player is at less of a disadvantage than average blackjack or video poker players.
Nevertheless, the game is familiar to only a relative handful of customers. For decades it was kept under wraps, played in lavish high-roller pits for the amusement of millionaires. The lowest minimum bet in the baccarat pit usually was $20, and at that the customer would feel like a piker near the likes of the late Akio Kashiwagi, who once accepted a challenge to a $12 million freeze-out at an Atlantic City casino. With $200,000-maximum bets, Kashiwagi was challenged to play until he'd either lost the $12 million or won $12 million from the casino. Six days later, with Kashiwagi having played 12 hours a day, the challenge was called off, and Kashiwagi left $10 million behind.
In casinos that cater to high rollers, baccarat has long been the game of the 'whales' -- the highest of the high rollers. The full-scale version is played in a separate, roped-off area at a table for 14 players, run by three dealers -- none of whom actually deals the cards out of the shoe holding the eight decks. A ceremonial passing of the shoe allows players in turn to slide out the cards. In the related game of chemin de fer, the player holding the shoe banks the bets of the other players, but that's not common in the United States.
In the 1980s, casinos began to reach out to the average customer with mini-baccarat, played on a seven-player, blackjack-sized table on the casino floor with the rest of the table games. It moves faster than baccarat, the shoe-passing ceremony has been eliminated, and the dealer deals all cards, but the rules are the same. Now anyone with $10 for a minimum bet, even $5 in some casinos, can play the game of the whales.
At the full-scale, 14-player baccarat table, one dealer -- the 'callman' -- stands up. The callman turns cards faceup after they are dealt by the bettor holding the shoe. The callman is responsible for calling out the point totals of each hand and announcing whether either hand gets another card according to the set hit/stand rules of the game. Two other dealers remain seated on either side of the callman. They are responsible for paying off winning bets and collecting losing wagers. Mini-baccarat has just one dealer, who deals the cards and combines all the responsibilities of the three dealers at the larger table -- but does it much faster.

This layout is typical for baccarat. Some casinos have traditional
tables that can accommodate up to 15 players.
At either table, numbers indicate each customer position. In front of the numbers, each bettor has a lined-off area in which to place a banker bet and another in which to place a player bet. In front of the dealer are also numbers corresponding to each customer. Each time a customer wins a banker bet, the dealer places a marker in the box corresponding to that customer. Bettors must pay a 5 percent commission on winning banker bets, so these wagers must be tracked.
Enough introduction, let's learn how to play. In the next section, you will learn the rules of baccarat, as well as strategies to become a winning player.


Most casinos offer punto banco as their baccarat game. So that’s the game we’ll explain the rules for below. We cover additional variations and side bets later on in this guide.


Baccarat’s a relatively easy game to learn.

The object of the game is to bet on who you think will have the best hand – the banker or the player. Or you can bet on whether you think they’ll tie. You can also bet on any two or all three of these outcomes.

Here’s what a sample hand will look like:

You and anyone else playing will place your bet(s). You can bet on the banker, player, tie, or any combination of those three options.

Once the bets are made, the croupier will deal two hands – one for the player, and another for the banker.

The player hand is dealt with first. The dealer gives it a point value so he can decide whether you’re given a third card or not.

That’s based on the value of your hand, which is based on the following values assigned to each card:

  • 10, J, Q, K = 0
  • 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 = face value
  • Jokers = not used
  • Aces = 1
  • Suits = doesn’t matter

The highest score possible is nine points.

Whenever you have two cards that make a higher (double-digit) score, only the right digit is used.

For example, say you’re dealt two 6s for a total of twelve points. Only the furthest right digit – the two – is used. Your score is two points.

Here are more examples. On the left is the actual (double-digit) value of your hand. On the right is what your score will actually be once the left digit is dropped.

  • 11 = 1 point
  • 12 = 2 points
  • 13 = 3 points
  • 14 = 4 points
  • 15 = 5 points
  • 16 = 6 points
  • 17 = 7 points
  • 18 = 8 points

Once there’s a point value assigned, a third card may or may not be dealt. In punto banco baccarat, this is determined by the croupier and done automatically (based on somewhat complicated rules).

Card

Don’t worry; there’s no need to panic. We list the rules for both the player and banker below. But you don’t need to memorize them because whether you play online or off, the croupier or software will do it all for you.

But it’s a good idea to have a vague understanding so you know what’s going on and why so you’re not confused about why sometimes you’re dealt a third card and other times you’re not.

Here’s what happens based on the value of your hand:

  • 0-5 – The player draws another card.
  • 6-7 – The player stands.
  • 8-9 (natural) – The player stands.

Once the player hand is dealt with, the dealer is next. Here’s what happens based on the total of their hand:

  • 1-2 – Draws another card (no matter the player hand).
  • 3 – Draws another card when the player hand is 1-7 or 9-10, and always stands on player 8.
  • 4 – Draws when player’s hand is 2-7 and always stands on player 1 or 8-10.
  • 5 – Draws when player’s hand is 4-7 and always stands on player 1-3 or 8-10.
  • 6 – Draws when player’s hand is 6-7 and always stands on player 1-5 or 8-10.
  • 7 – Stands (no matter the player hand).
  • 8 or 9 (natural) – Stands (no matter the player hand).

Once both hands are done, they’re compared. You’ll win the hand if you:

How Do You Play Baccarat Card Game

  • Bet on the tie and both the player and banker tie. This pays 8:1 or 9:1, depending on the casino. That means that for every $1 you bet, you’ll receive your $1 back PLUS an additional $8 or $9.
  • Bet on the player and that hand wins. This pays even money. That means for every $1 you bet, you’ll receive your original $1 back PLUS an additional $1.
  • Bet on banker and that hand wins. This pays 0.95:1. That means that for every $1 you bet, you’ll receive your original $1 back PLUS an extra $0.95. That’s because the casino takes a 5% commission on banker bets.

Bet on the wrong outcome, and you lose.

Baccarat Card Game - How To Play

Then the money’s collected and/or paid out. Then another round starts.

How To Play Baccarat Pdf

How To Play Baccarat Card Game

That’s all there is to playing punto banco baccarat. There’s no strategy and no decision making. So this variation is easy to learn and play.

Play Baccarat Free

But there are other variations, including variants where you do make decisions. Let’s look at those now. How to get better at poker.

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