A beginner’s guide to the rules of playing Baccarat.
Object Of Baccarat – Game Rules And Strategies
The object of baccarat is to hold a hand with a point value closest to 9. Aces count as one; 2 through 9 as their face value; tens and face cards count as zero. If the value of the hand is ten points or more, subtract ten, and the remainder is the baccarat point value of the hand. For example: 7+4=14, subtract 10 for a point value of 4 for that hand. The game pits two hands against each other; the player and the banker.
Dont be fooled; betting on the player doesnt mean you actually are the player. The player is just the opposing hand to the banker.
You place your wager on the bankers hand and/or on the players hand and/or on a tie. The player and the banker are then each dealt a two-card hand. Then, depending on those two cards, the player and/or banker may draw a third card. If either the player and/or the banker has a total of 8 or 9, they both stand and the game is over. If not, the rules on what hands get an additional card are already pre-determined, so all you have to do is sit back and watch (or pray, depending on how big your bet is).
The players hand is the first to act. Here are the rules for the player:
- If dealt a hand with a point value of 6 or higher, the player stands (for instance a deuce and a four, or a three and a six, a queen and a seven, etc)
- If dealt a hand with a point value of 5 or lower the player takes one additional card.
The rules for the banker are a little more complicated. If you never really commit them to memory dont worry- 90% of your fellow baccarat players are in the same boat.
Here are the rules for the banker
- If the player stands, the banker hits on a total of five or less.
- If the banker has a total of eight or nine he stands no matter what.
The player closest to 9 at the end, wins. If you bet on the player and the player wins, you are paid 2 to 1 winnings on your bet. If you bet on the banker and the banker wins, you are paid 2 to 1 minus 5% bank commission. If both the players hand and the bankers hand have equal totals, the game result is a tie. If you have placed a bet on the tie field, your payoff is 9 to 1.
Baccarat is easy to play and a lot of fun! Try it out today!