Baccarat
As in blackjack, the objective of the baccarat game is to draw cards from a deck
of cards and get as close as possible to a certain total score. In baccarat the
best possible score is 9 - even though the name baccarat is Italian for 'zero' -
the worst possible score in baccarat.
In baccarat compared to blackjack you cant go bust (too high score). Aces are always
counted as 1, Jacks, Queens, Kings count as 10, and all other cards at their indicated
value. Only the last digit will of the card totals count as the total score of the
hand. For example, the hand 8 and 3 adds up to 11 - but as only the last digit counts
the total score is only 1, a very poor baccarat hand. Another example, you have
a 9 and for excample 5. The score you have is 4 (14 - 10).
Baccarat is always the game between a palyer and a Banker. However in the casino
you will see many players around the same baccarat table. This is because the baccarat
players take turns acting as the Banker and Player, according to rules that may
vary from casino to casino. Even if a player is not currently acting as the banker
or player, they are still allowed to make bets on the currently active bank or player
hands.
A game of baccarat starts out with the Bank and the Player being dealt two cards
each by the casinos dealer, one card at a time. If one or both the hands has a total
score of 8 or 9 - called a Natural - the cards are turned and the game is finished.
If both hands have 9 or 8, it's a draw. If neither the Bank or the player has a
Natural, the dealer will instruct the players on what to do according to certain
predetermined rules. Because the rules are fixed and enforced by the dealer, it's
possible to play baccarat without even knowing the exact rules of the game.
The player must always stand on 6 and 7 - and must draw another card if he has 1
to 5. The Bank has to draw if his total score is from 0 to 5 if the player stands,
but must always stand on 6 and 7. If the player has drawn a third card, the rules
for the bank are as illustrated in the table above. As mentioned above these baccarat
rules are always the same - and you do not even need to know them as the dealer
will instruct you on what to do when you act as the banker and player. Drawing and
standing according to the above mentioned rules is also the best possible strategical
way to play the hand - so you wouldn't want to play your hand in any other way even
if you were allowed to do so.
When you win a bet on either the Player of Banker you will be paid 1-1. The odds
is slightly in the favor of the Banker. The Banker will win 45.84% of the games
- The Player only 44.61% of the games and the rest of the games - 9.55% - will be
a Tie. A few casinos will also offer a bet on a tie - such a bet normally pay 1-8.
This is the worst baccarat bet as the casino has a edge of 14% on a tie bet. Some
casinos offers odds of 1-9 making tie bets a little bit better - but still not recommended.
In the online casino, one of the gamblers will act as the Banker and one of the
gamblers will act as the Player - while the casinos dealer only hands out the cards
and makes sure the rules of baccarat are followed correctly. The casino do not win
on the game itself - but they normally take a small commission on a banker bet that
wins. Normally the commission is 5%.
Note: The player acting as the Banker isnt financially responsible for the Bank.
He only acts as the Banker - and he is free to place bets on the player if he wishes
to do so. All decisions are decided by the baccarat rules so he can not change the
odds for the better or worse. Many baccarat gamblers believe that the bet on the
player is the best baccarat bet - because of the 5% commission taken by the casino
on winning Banker bets. This is not correct. The best bet at the baccarat table
is a bet on the Banker - even though the casino takes a 5% commission on a winning
banker bet this is still the best baccarat bet. The difference in the odds is not
very big though. So if your friend is acting as he player you will not be seen as
a fool if you place bets on him or her.