Baccarat Rules

Learning how to play baccarat is relatively simple and there are many different ways in which to learn. A wealth of information exists online in the form of baccarat tutorials, guides and free software downloads from casinos that will help you to master the game of baccarat in a very short time.

Some simple baccarat rules are discussed below. Bear in mind that you should be familiar with these rules and comfortable incorporating them into your game of baccarat before you visit the baccarat lounge!

The aim of a game of baccarat is to get a hand that is as close to possible as the total sum of nine. For baccarat purposes, king, queen, jack and ten are counted as zero and face cards 2-9 keep their own value. Aces are valued as one. The idea behind baccarat is to obtain a winning pair close to nine, with the first digit of the sum of the pair being dropped. For example, if you had two sevens to total 14, the one is dropped, leaving you with a total of four.

Betting works in baccarat by placing bets on which hand you think will be the winning hand, be it the banker’s or the player’s hand, based on the two card hand they are each dealt. The betting ratio is one to one, or even money. For example, a ten dollar bet earns you an additional ten dollars if you win the bet. A tie has eight to one payout odds.

A baccarat game can be won in the first hand if the pair makes a total of eight or nine. A winning hand in this fashion is known as a ‘natural’ and is the best possible hand you can have in a baccarat game. If a natural is not held by any hand, a further card is drawn to determine a winner.

Most casinos tend to take a commission of around five percent on a banker’s winning hand. Although any player can act as the banker, the odds are in favor of the banker’s hand winning a game of baccarat by 0.18 percent.

The best way to become familiar with the rules of baccarat is to play a game and learn the ropes as you proceed. This is easier to do online than in a real life casino, so it is recommended that you visit a few casinos online to become comfortable with the game.