Baccarat is a card game played at casino which is a comparing between two hands, the “player” and the “banker”. Each round of play has three possible outcomes: player (player has the higher score), banker, and tie. Baccarat is one of the simplest casino games you can play. You don’t need to learn super complicated winning strategies before you come close to the Baccarat tables. It requires some serious guts to play Baccarat, but you can learn the guidelines quite quickly and learn to start making smart, safe bets that’ll perhaps you have ruling the table. In this article, we’ll provide an overview of baccarat. Explaining the advantages of playing online. While Lady Luck isn’t going to smile on you more often after reading this document, at least you won’t feel lost when sitting down at a high stakes table.
How to play baccarat
You start by sitting down at the table and buying chips. Points calculation in Baccarat is different from most games. The card is played from an 8-card deck, and the cards are given point values, just like they are in blackjack. Here’s how the cards work and how the points add up:
- The ace is worth one point.
- Cards numbered from 2-9 are worth their face value.
- Face cards (the jack, queen, and king) and Tens are each worth zero points.
Players sign into a digital table that always seats seven, with spots facing them to place their bets. Two hands are dealt: one to the gamer and one to the banker. Bettors must predict whether the gamer or banker is likely to make a hand closest to a complete of nine, or they could bet on a tie.
Baccarat has a unique system for determining the value of a hand (also known as a “coup”). Begin by adding up the values of the cards. If the total equals one digit, then this is our total. If it equals two digits, then take only the value of the right digit to determine your total.
The different baccarat variations
As the baccarat game travelled trough different countries, each country made its contribution to the game. The game therefore for different variations, which are played in different parts of the world. The basic rules of the all the variations are the same – to get a natural nine or eight in the first two cards or draw a third card to get a score closer to the perfect nine. The four main variations of the game are mini baccarat, punto bunco, chemin de fer and baccarat banque, but some casinos also offer slight variations on the rules.
- Mini baccarat — This version of the game is offered for players with smaller bankrolls, and it can be found at most online and land-based casinos. This is a mini version of the game, as the name indicates. The biggest difference is in terms of stakes. It is played round a table and accommodates only seven players. Instead of the usual three croupiers required in the bigger version of the game, mini baccarat is played with only one croupier. He acts as both the dealer and the banker. The most attractive feature about mini baccarat is its low bet rates. The rules are the same, too, and there’s no real difference in terms of the math behind the game and who has an edge. This is the reason why a majority of small time gamblers prefer this game.
- Punto Bunco — Baccarat is also called punto banco. This is the traditional, high roller version of the game. This Cuban version of the game involves the highest number of players. Up to 14 players can play in the Cuban version at once. The players are called Punto and the banker is called Bunco. The minimum bets in these games usually start at around $100, although some casinos have minimum bets of $500. You can often negotiate a maximum bet with the casino in these rooms. Six to eight decks are used in the game and the croupier does all the shuffling and distribution. The players don’t get to decide on the third card. It is dealt anyway, and the winner is announced by the croupier. These games usually use 8 decks, but sometimes they only use 6 decks. There’s not a big difference in the house edge between a 6-deck and an 8-deck game. In the traditional version of baccarat, or punto banco, the croupier directs the gameplay. She’s assisted by 2 baccarat dealers who handle the bets and payouts.
- Chemin de Fer — An older variation of baccarat which is mean to be faster than the original game. The name is French for “railway,” which used to be the fastest way to travel. The game has slight variations when compared to the other version of the baccarat. Mainly, the game is played using six decks of cards. The croupier only shuffles the cards. The cards are distributed by the player who is the banker. The other players are the punters. The banker position rotates counterclockwise around the table. So, the game involves more active participation of the players. The game cards are distributed face down, instead of face up. The decision to draw the third card rests with the player. During a round of Chemin de fer, the banker decides how much she wants to risk. Then the players get to match that wager or bet something smaller. If the total wagers from the punters amount to more than the banker was willing to bank, the banker has the opportunity to increase that amount. This is not played much these days.
- Baccarat Banque — In this version of the game, one of the players will play the role of the dealer for the whole game, unlike chemin de fer, where all players get a chance. Lesser number of decks is used in this version of the game. This popular European version of the game offers big bet options to the players.