This is a game with simple rules, and all you must do is place a bet on whether the point total of the banker’s hand or the player’s hand will be closest to 9 once the cards are dealt. The third bet you can make is on a tie when both hands end up with the same total. In a game like blackjack, you decide whether you want to hit or stand, but in baccarat, your only decision is placing your bet, and the rules will determine the rest.
Banker versus Player
One of the most common ways of playing baccarat today is at an online casino using a baccarat app on your mobile device. You don’t play as the banker or the player but simply bet on which of the two hands will win. The dealer plays both hands and does so according to very specific rules.
Both hands are dealt two cards face up. If either the banker or the player gets an 8 or 9 with the first two cards, it’s called a ‘natural’ and that hand wins, which ends the game.
Betting on the banker is typically considered the best strategy for new players. Betting on the player is slightly riskier as there is a greater chance involved.
The card values
In baccarat, the aces count as one point, and the 10s and the jack, queen, and king, also called the face cards, all count as zero. The numbers 2 to 9 count at face value. If the total of your two cards is 10 or more, the first digit doesn’t count, and you use only the second digit. For example, if the two cards in a hand are a 6 and an 8, the total counts as 4 and not 14.
Third card draw rules
If neither the banker nor the player gets 8 or 9, then third-card rules come into play. The dealer determines third card deals automatically based on fixed rules. The player’s hand always goes first, and the outcome determines what the banker’s hand does.
If the total of the two player cards is between 0 and 5, the player gets another card. The player will stand if the two cards total 6 or 7. If the two cards total 8 or 9, it’s natural, and it also stands.
If the player stands rather than getting a third card, the banker must draw on a hand of 0 to 5 or stand on 6 or 7.
If the player does draw a third card, its value and the value of the banker’s two cards determine if the banker receives a third card or not. There is a whole chart of the rules dealing with this. You don’t need to learn them all and can simply watch as they play out.
The house edge
The banker has the lowest house end at about 1.06%. The house edge for a player bet is about 1.24%. A tie bet may have the largest payout, but its house edge is very high, often about 14%. For your everyday wellness, placing a tie bet may not be a wise decision because it is by far the riskiest one, even if the payout is higher than the other two bets.
Bets and payouts
Playing baccarat is one of the legit ways to make money fast, as long as you realize that it is a game of chance and there is no guarantee you will win.
If you bet that the player’s hand will win, it pays 1:1. If you bet the banker’s hand will win, it also pays 1:1, but this will be minus a standard house commission of 5%. This means that if you bet $10 on the banker’s hand to win, you get $10 minus the 5%, which is $9.50. This is because the banker has a slight mathematical edge, as the banker’s hand is drawn last, and acts based on the hand of the player. A tie bet is a bet that both hands will end on the same point total, and it pays out at 8:1 and may even pay out 9:1 in some cases.
