Baccarat rules and Strategies
Baccarat
Baccarat is simultaneously very easy and sophisticated game to play, the one you shouldn't learn for ages or whole life. It combines simplicity, low house edge and sense of elegance. You can play baccarat not leaving you apartments now, just read through some necessary things.
History
History of baccarat seems to begin from Middle Ages when baccarat was played with Tarot cards. It spread throughout Europe among aristocracy and was very popular.
When it appeared in America in the late 1950s, it tried to transfer glamour and atmosphere of European variant in local casinos. Even now the areas of play are located in separate rooms, are roped-off or guarded by security. Nevertheless, all this shouldn't deceive you - almost everyone can play baccarat online and taste this exquisite game.
You shouldn't be an expert to play baccarat - just learn few easy rules.
Rules
Note that all described hereinafter is for online baccarat which is less complicated than offline one.
In majority of online casinos first thing each player has to do is to make a bet. There are three fields to bet - the Banker hand field, the Player hand field and a tie between two. You can also bet on the two fields altogether. Then two cards are dealt to the Banker and the player.
The main goal in baccarat is - get 9 points or result close to it. The sum you received can be evaluated according to following table:
| Card |
Value |
| Ace |
1 point |
| 2,3,,9 |
2 - 2 points |
| 3 - 3 points |
| ... |
| 9 - 9 points |
| 10, Jack, Queen, King |
0 points (Zero) |
If the sum is bigger than 10, just consider the last number (i.e. 21 = 1, 15 = 5).
Whenever the Banker or player has 8 or 9 in first two cards it is declared Natural and the hand wins (unless there are two naturals). Natural 8 can be beaten only by Natural 9, which is the best result.
If the game continues, players can draw additional card to each hand to determine winner.
The Player gets his third card in the following cases:
| The total value of the first two cards |
Cases |
| 0-1-2-3-4-5 |
The player gets a third card automatically and passes the turn to the Banker |
| 6-7 |
The player passes the turn to the Banker without taking a card (he "stands") |
| 8-9 |
Natural 8 / Natural 9 |
The Banker gets his third card in such cases:
| The total value of the first two cards |
The Banker gets a card, if the value of the player's third card is equal to: |
The Banker doesn't get a card, if the value of the player's third card is equal to: |
| 0-1-2 |
Always gets a card regardless of the Player's third card |
|
| 3 |
0-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-9 |
8 |
| 4 |
2-3-4-5-6-7 |
0-1-8-9 |
| 5 |
4-5-6-7 |
0-1-2-3-8-9 |
| 6 |
6-7 |
0-1-2-3-4-5-8-9 |
| 7 |
Banker doesn't get a card regardless of the Player's third card |
|
If you are betting on any hand and it wins, your profit is 1 to 1 (if you bet 10 dollars and won, you would get 10+10=20 dollars, so the income is equal to the size of bet).If you are betting on a tie and it is a tie, your profit is 8 to 1 (if you bet 10 dollars on a tie and it’s a tie, you would get $90 (10+80=90) dollars).
How to play
In most of houses your chips are assembled at the bottom of the game window by denomination. You should select the wager amount on the given hand by clicking on appropriate chip. Place your bet on a Baccarat table. Your total bet will be displayed in the "Bet" field. To specify a bet that differs from the previous bet just click on another chip denomination. You may repeat you last bet by clicking "Re-Bet" button or hitting "0". If you want to withdraw all bets just click on the right mouse button. If you place the wager less than minimum bet amount allowed it would be automatically adjusted to the minimum.
In a multi-player version of Baccarat one table can accommodate up to 5 players and a dealer, so you can easily choose position at the table by clicking on a spot between hands. You may bet when "Deal", "Pass" buttons and betting chips are placed in front of your seat.
Once you bet, you may choose to skip deal by clicking "Pass" or proceed by clicking "Deal". You are excluded from the hand if you don't bet or pass within 15 seconds. Please note that if you join a table in the middle of a hand, you will be able to make a bet after the round is over.
After all players made their choice, the Player and the Banker are dealt two cards. Aces are worth 1, all tens and picture cards are counted as zeros, and all others are counted according to their face value. If the hand value is more than 9 it's adjusted by subtracting 10 from total.
A third additional card may be dealt after the first two cards. All third cards are subject to a "Third Card Rule". No hand exceeds the limit of three cards. When Player and Banker hands equal the same total sum, Tie is declared. According to the "Third Card Rules" Player's hand can draw if Banker's hand total on first two cards is 0-7 inclusive.
Numeric Keyboard Shortcuts
| Keyboard Entry |
Action |
| 0 |
Repeat last bet |
| Enter |
Deal |
| 1 |
Bet on Player Hand |
| 2 |
Bet on Banker Hand |
| 3 |
Bet on Tie |
| Up Arrow |
Increase bet by $1 |
| Down Arrow |
Decrease bet by $1 |
| "Up Arrow" |
Increase bet by $10 |
| "Down Arrow" |
Decrease bet by $10 |
| Del or. |
Remove bets |
If you have no keypads just use Fn key plus shortcuts listed above. Shortcuts are proposed as recommendations.
Casino Baccarat strategies
There is a 5% commission taken from a won bet on the Banker hand in almost all casinos. The difference between betting on the Player and on the Banker is about 0,18% in favor of the Banker. Betting on the tie is not recommended.
Maximum possibility to win is reached by placing always either on the Player or the Banker hand.
All these recommendations are regarded as the parts of entertainment game, not practical advices. You should remember that bets of the Player and the Banker regardless of commission make baccarat one of the best casino games.
Betting limits
Minimum bet is $5, maximum - $300. In majority of casinos, if you want to play your own bets just select Bet options in Game menu and Modify Table Bet Limit window will appear. To change maximum limit just type in the appropriate number and confirm it by entering PIN in the box below. To complete the update click OK. Note that modifications can be implemented not more than once a week but if they're done they're applied to all games you play.
Chatting
You can chat with other players by clicking "Chat" button at the bottom left corner. A chat window will pop-up so you can type in messages there and send them. The window is closed by "x" button and reopens if you click on "Chat" in the top menu bar.
Statistics
In most casinos you can see a list of previous winners in the "Statistics" on the left side of the screen. Consecutive wins by the Player or the Banker are displayed ibid. If anyone starts a new winning streak a new column appears. A tie is considered a part of the same winning streak and is always displayed in the same column as the previous winner.
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