Baccarat Strategy Guide: How to Play
Baccarat, also called Punto Banco, is a casino card game often played for high stakes but can be enjoyed by casino players of all levels. The game has a slight advantage for the casino and is very simple to play if you follow the correct baccarat strategy guide.
The game of baccarat is purely a game of luck and has some of the best odds of any casino game. Baccarat is also enjoyed by players in online casinos worldwide and is one of the easiest games to play.
Online Baccarat Guide: Basic Rules
A dealer controls all the cards on the table in baccarat, with bettors not being dealt any cards. The bettor just needs to choose one of three outcomes of the two hands dealt by the dealer, the “Player” hand and the “Banker” hand.
The Player and the Banker each receive a hand with two cards. The objective is to get a hand that totals as close to nine as possible.
Some card values in baccarat are much different than in other casino card games. All tens and face cards are counted as zero, while all other cards are counted at face value.
No total of two cards can be higher than nine. If the sum of two cards is ten or more, the first digit must be dropped. For example, the value of a seven and a six in the same hand would be three since the total of the two cards is 13.
Bettors at the table will bet on whether the “Player” or “Banker” wins the hand or whether the hand will be a tie. After the bets are placed, the game starts with two-card hands being dealt with both the Banker and the player.
Next, the value of the two cards in each hand are added together, with the hand totaling the closest to nine being the winner. If either hand totals eight or nine, that hand is called a “natural” and is the winner.
Once the value of the first two cards in each hand are totaled, a third card could be drawn on either hand. Whether or not a third card is drawn is not decided by the dealer or the bettors but by the rules of the game. For example, if the player’s hand is less than six, it must draw another card, but if the hand totals six or seven, it must stand and not draw another card.
If neither hand dealt totals eight or nine, then the rules must be consulted to decide whether either hand draws a third card. Now, if any hand is dealt a third card, the values are again added together and whichever hand is closest to a total of nine is the winner. If both hands end up with the same total, the hand is a tie.
Third Card Rules
If the two cards in the player’s hand total from 0 to 5, the hand must take a third card. If the player’s hand totals 6 or 7, it does not draw a third card.
In case that the player’s hand stands on the first two cards (a total of 6 or 7), the Banker hand has the same rules as the player stands on 6 or 7 and must take a third card if the total is 0 to 5.
The following rules apply to the Banker hand if the Player hand draws a third card:
| If total of Banker’s two cards is: | Banker takes third card if Player third card is: |
| 0, 1, or 2 | Any card |
| 3 | Any card other than 8 |
| 4 | 2 through 7 |
| 5 | 4 through 7 |
| 6 | 6 or 7 |
Baccarat Casino Guide: Payouts
A winning bet on the player’s hand pays 1-to-1, with the house having an edge of 1.24%. If a bet is won by betting on the Banker’s hand, it is also paid out at even money, but the bettor must pay a 5% commission to the house for any amount won when betting on the Banker. The commission is only paid on winning bets.
Betting on the Banker statistically has the higher odds of winning according to the baccarat strategy guide, which is why wins require the player to pay the 5% commission. The Banker hand will win 50.68% of the time, not counting the tie bet. If playing live, remember to keep some money aside to pay any commission owed, as it’s traditionally paid to the house at the end of the game.
When playing in a casino, the dealer will track how much commission is owed by each player by placing the equal amount in the small area on the table that corresponds to the player’s seat number. Bettors must pay the commission before leaving the table. A bet on the Banker has a house edge of 1.06%.
Bet on a tie is when a player thinks both hands will end with the same total. A winning bet on the tie pays 8-to-1. Although the payout is high, this is not a very smart bet, with the house having a very high 14.36% edge. Therefore, most experienced players avoid making this bet.
In Game Strategies
Since baccarat is purely a game of luck and not skill, bettors sometimes devise a baccarat strategy guide and betting systems that focus on maximizing wins and minimizing losses during losing streaks. Remember, if you want to know more about Slots Paradise, check our social media and join our community.
Some systems will prioritize anticipating the order of the cards coming out of the shoe. For example, some bettors will count card values and adjust their bets based on whether they think more low cards or face cards will be dealt in the next hand.
Another common strategy is that bettors will bet on whatever won the last hand, knowing that baccarat is a game of streaks, and hope that the same result will come in for several hands in a row.
Also, players should keep in mind that the Banker always draws more cards, which gives the Banker slightly better odds. Those odds can change depending on how many decks are in the shoe.
The most common are eight decks in a casino setting, although that can vary depending on where you play. Of course, any strategy used depends on the playing style of the bettor.