Baccarat is a card game that has garnered a reputation for sophistication and is often associated with high rollers and luxury. However, the game is not only suitable for those with large bankrolls; players can also play it with small bets and still enjoy all the elegance that this casino game has to offer.
Baccarat is played with eight standard 52-card decks that are shuffled together and dealt from a special box called a shoe. The dealer, or croupier, deals one card at a time to each player and to the Banker hand. Each hand is compared and whichever is closest to nine wins. The player may stand on a total of 8 or 9 (known as a natural), but must hit when they have a total less than 8. The Banker hand is always dealt a third card, unless the initial score is a natural.
The first step in playing Baccarat is to decide whether to bet on the Player, Banker or Tie. Players place their bets at the table by placing chips in a number of numbered boxes on the table layout. Once all bets have been placed, the dealer calls a stop and then reveals one card in the Player box, followed by a card in the Banker box. The dealer then sums up the values of both hands and then decides whether to draw a third card for the Player or not.
If the Player’s hand has a total of eight or nine, it is known as a “natural” and no additional cards are drawn. When the Banker’s hand has a total of eight, it is known as a “natural” as well and no additional cards are drawn. If the Banker’s hand has a score of six or less, it must hit, but if it has a score of seven or more, it is considered to be a’stand’ and no third card is drawn.
A ‘Tie’ bet pays out 9:1 to the winner, with the house taking a 5% commission on winning Banker bets only. The player must pay the commission to the dealer, which is tracked in a separate commission box and collected after each win.
While baccarat is a fairly simple game, some players like to make side bets to increase their chances of winning. These include the Super Six and Pair Bets. The Super Six Bet pays out 12:1 on a winning bet, while the Pair Bet pays out 11:1 on a winning Banker or Player pair. Both of these bets can be made alongside the original bet. See our Baccarat rules page for more details. We recommend reading the full rules before you play Baccarat. This will help you understand the game and increase your chances of success. Good luck!
