Baccarat is a very exciting table card game. It is filled with intrigue and suspense, and you can easily learn to play the game. In baccarat, there are three possible outcomes, which are banker wins, player wins or there is a tie.
It is important to note that here the Banker does not necessarily refer to the house. In Punto Banco baccarat, players can choose to bet on either the banker’s hand or the player’s hand.
If you want to play this game, you can choose to play at either an online or land-based casino. The baccarat games offered at online casinos might be a bit different from those offered by land-based casinos also live casino or video casino game.
However, the rules of the game are essentially the same no matter where you are choosing to play. Therefore, you do not need to learn anything new if you decide to switch from one operator to another.
Getting Started
Punto Banco Baccarat is quite easy and straightforward. The first thing you need to do is to simply choose which hand you are going to bet on. Afterwards, you wait for the cards to be dealt by the dealer.
The dealer will deal two cards to both the player and banker. The first card for the player’s hand dealt by the dealer is placed face up in the Player’s box, and banker’s card goes in the Banker’s box.
A second card is then dealt to both player and banker and the points total is calculated. Cards 2-9 of any suit are worth their face value, aces score 1 point, while 10, Jack, Queen and King are worth zero.
The aim is to achieve a score of 8 or 9. If the total is over 10, only the right hand figure is used. For example, cards 7 and 8 would equal 15, so score would be 5.
Finishing the game
Apart from the “natural” win, where only one hand gets a total of 8 or 9 and so wins, it is often the case that more cards are needed.
There is a set of drawing rules that determine whether or not this is the case. For instance, if the player’s hand is valued at 6 or 7, player stands, but if their hand scores 5 or less, they draw a third card.
If the player hasn’t drawn a third card – stands pat – banker applies the same rule to their hand, only drawing a card if their score was 0-5.
However, if the player has drawn a third card, the rules for the banker are a little more involved. If banker’s total is 7, they stand, if 2, they draw a third card regardless. If banker’s total is between 2 and 6, then drawing depends on what card value the player received.
Final Note
Baccarat is an enjoyable game that anyone can play as there is no need for building strategies and techniques.
We’ve spoken mostly about the commonest form of Baccarat – Punto Banco – where 2 players hold the cards, but others can place bets on the outcome. The cards they hold dictate each player’s moves.
You may also find Baccarat Chemin de Fer and Baccarat Banque games on offer, where more players compete against the bank. Enjoy!
Last Updated on January 4, 2024 by editor