Baccarat is an exclusive game in land-based casinos and is popular among high-rollers. Many people quickly assume that it is a challenging game because of its glamorous reputation and popularity among VIPs. However, in reality, it is relatively simple to learn and play.
Baccarat boasts one of the lowest house edges among all casino games, at just 1.06 per cent on one of its betting options. It gives gamblers a rare advantage over the house, making it one of the most profitable casino games.
Understand the Rules
Before joining a baccarat table, ensure that you understand the rules and the card values. The Baccarat only has three possible outcomes, the player winning, the banker winning, and a tie. Players participating in a baccarat game can place the following betting options:
- Place a wager on the player's hand.
- Bet on the banker's hand.
After knowing your betting options, it is time to familiarize yourself with the different card values. Tens and face cards, such as king or queen are worth zero points, while all other numbered cards are worth their face value, and the ace is worth one point.
If the total of your initial two cards is over 10, the value of your hand is the second digit of the total point. For instance, if your two cards are worth 9 and 6, which totals to 15, you currently hold a five-point hand. A winning hand in baccarat is the one closest to 9 points.
After learning the rules in baccarat, you can now join a table. Baccarat offers different table limits that apply to land-based and online casinos, so choose one that fits your budget.
Join a Table
After learning the card values and what are your wagering options, you can now join a baccarat table. Land-based casinos that offer this casino game are more stringent on who can join baccarat tables. So ensure you came prepared with a lot of money and are wearing the proper dress code. However, for online casinos, you can quickly join any table of any variation.
Distribution of the Cards
The croupier will give out two cards to both the player and the banker. The dealer or player holding the shoe will slide one card out and place it facing up in the player's box on the baccarat table, repeating the same process with the banker. Then the casino operator will hand out the second card for each participant.
Place Your Wager
After the dealer hands out the cards to the banker and the player, you can now place your bet on the player winning or the banker winning.
The Winning Hand
The winning hand is the one that is closest to 9 points. Below are the payout results for the two betting options in baccarat.
- If the player's hand win, you will receive a payout of 1 to 1.
- If the banker wins, you will get a payout of 0.95 to 1.
If you win, the croupier will distribute the payouts to you and all the winners during that round. After this, you can place a new bet, stick with your initial wager, or leave the table and enjoy your winnings.
Baccarat is one of the rare casino games that give players a higher chance of winning against the house, after learning how to play baccarat, you can now test out your newfound knowledge and win big.
