Basics of Baccarat

Baccarat is a casino gambling game with a fairly long history.

Originating in Italy, this card game spread to France in the 1400s and eventually made its way to the western hemisphere. This gambling game may be unfamiliar to some casino goers, but it is a thrilling game that is offered on most online gambling sites.

Baccarat can be found in nearly every casino, but it is usually played by high-rollers and upper class gamblers. Internet baccarat is the perfect opportunity to join the wealthy gamblers and play with the best of them. Baccarat may appear confusing at first glance, but the rules are relatively simple.

Baccarat Rules

Baccarat exists in three versions but the most common is Punto Banco.

In this version a gambler can bet on one of three possible outcomes - Player, Banker, or Tie. The terms "Player" and "Banker" do not represent the better and the house, they are just betting options.

In most casinos baccarat allows for gamblers to do something other gambling games do not - players may take turns dealing the cards. Two hands are dealt in baccarat. The dealer's hand is designated as the banker and the other hand is designated the player. Gamblers may bet on either of these.

Two cards are dealt to both the player and the banker and the cards are assigned the following values:

2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9
Value: Face Value
10, Jack, Queen, King
Value: 0
Ace
Value: 1

The baccarat hand with the highest score wins. Totaling the scores in this gambling game is very unique, however. A score is calculated by adding the values of the two cards, and ignoring the tens spot. For example, if a hand consisted of two 8's the total would be 6, not 16. Baccarat hands range from 9, the best hand, to 0, the worst hand or "baccarat." Oddly, this casino gambling game is named after its worst possible hand.

Once the first two cards are dealt, a third card may be dealt based on the following criteria:

Player

Player's Hand

  • If the either the player or the banker have a total of 8 or 9, it is called a "natural" and the hand is over.
  • If the player has a total of 6 or 7, the player stands.
  • If the player has a total of 0-5, the player draws a third card.
Banker

Banker's Hand

Whether the banker draws a third card is determined by the banker's hand, whether the player drew a third card, and which card the player received.

When the player did not draw a third card:

  • If the banker has a total of 6 or 7, the banker stands.
  • If the banker has a total of 0-5, the banker draws a third card.

When the player did draw a third card:

  • If the banker has a total of 7, the banker stands.
  • If the banker has a total of 6, the banker draws a third card if the player's third card was 6 or 7.
  • If the banker has a total of 5, the banker draws a third card if the player's third card was 4, 5, 6 or 7.
  • If the banker has a total of 4, the banker draws a third card if the player's third card was 0, 1, 8, or 9.
  • If the banker has a total of 3, the banker draws a third card if the player's third card was 8.
  • If the banker has a total of 0-2, the banker automatically draws a third card.

These third-card rules may seem confusing, but luckily you do not need to memorize them. Casinos will take care of all of this and with online gambling sites, the third cards may be automatically dealt when appropriate. The only thing the gambler has to worry about is placing the initial bet.

Baccarat Betting

As explained above, the gambler may bet either Player, Banker, or Tie. If a gambler bets on the player and wins, the payout is 1 to 1. If a gambler bets on the banker and wins, the payout is 1 to 1, minus a 5% commission. If a gambler bets on a tie and wins, the payout is 8 to 1.

Baccarat Strategy

Unfortunately, there is no way to control how the cards are dealt in baccarat. This limits the strategy that can be used. However, you can control how you bet. This is where baccarat strategy centers.

Any card game can be mathematically analyzed to determine the odds of each hand. Baccarat betting should be based on the calculated odds. For a full analysis of baccarat strategy and betting methods, check out our Baccarat Strategy page. We also rank the top Baccarat websites to make sure you find the best games available.

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