Baccarat Rules

Baccarat (pronounced ba-ka-ra) originates from France in the late 15th century and there are three variations: Baccarat Banque, Baccarat Chemin de Fer, and Punto Banco (also known as North American Baccarat) The first two versions allow the players to make choices during gameplay so there is an element of skill, whereas Punto Banco is strictly a game of chance as the players moves are dictated by the cards dealt and is the variation you will usually find in online casinos.

The game itself has only three possible outcomes: ‘player wins’, ‘banker wins’ and ‘tie’. The term ‘player’, however, does not refer to the customer, likewise ‘banker’ doesn’t refer to the house. They are just the options that the customer can bet on. The house edge on Baccarat is among the lowest of any casino game with the player bet having a house advantage of 1.24% and the banker bet 1.06%. The tie bet is alot higher at 14.44% based on a six deck game.

Moving on to the gameplay, the objective is to wager on the hand that finishes with a points total of 9, or as close to it as possible. You can bet on Player hand, Banker hand or Tie hand. There is also the option to bet on Banker and Player hand or Tie hand at the same time.

For the purposes of Baccarat aces count as one, two’s through to nine’s count as face value, and ten’s/pictures count as zero.

Four cards are dealt with the first and third going to the Player’s hand, the second and fourth to the Banker’s hand. If either hand totals 8 or 9, each of these numbers is called a ‘natural’ hand and no additional cards are dealt. The winning hand is the one with a total closest to 9 and if the totals are equal then it is a ‘tie’.

The dealer may need to deal a third card after the initial draw, this is dependant on the points accumulated by each hand. If this is the case then a third card is drawn face up, first to the player’s hand and then, if necessary, to the Banker’s hand. No more cards are dealt after the third one. The rules for drawing a third card are based on the following:

If the Player’s hand totals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 0 a card is drawn if the Banker’s hand isn’t a natural 8 or 9. If the Player’s hand is 6, 7, 8 or 9 then they Stand and don’t draw another card.

If the Banker’s hand totals 0, 1 or 2 a card is drawn if the Player’s hand isn’t a natural 8 or 9. If the Banker’s hand is 7, 8 or 9 then they Stand. When the Banker’s hand totals 3 they draw if the Player’s third card is anything other than 8 (when they Stand). If the Banker’s hand totals 4, they draw if the Player’s third card is 2 to 7 and Stand for all other cards. If the Banker’s hand totals 5 they draw if the Player’s third card is 4 to 7 and Stand for all others. If the Banker’s hand totals 6 they draw if the Player’s third card is a 6 or 7 (but only if the Player has already taken a third card).

Winning hands are paid 1 to 1 for Player’s hands. Banker’s hands are also paid 1 to 1 but there is a 5% house commission on all winning Banker wagers. Tie bets are paid 8 to 1 meaning you get back your initial bet plus an additional amount equal to the bet multiplied by 8.

So as you can see, Baccarat Rules are easy to follow, and the game is one of the best for Players to try in a casino given the low house-edge!

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