According to
some sources, Baccarat is a very old card game dating back
to the Middle Ages. It originated in Italy and then spread
to many different countries around the world, becoming more
and more popular. From the explanations below, it is an extremely
easy game to learn and will provide many hours of gambling
fun for both beginners and seasoned players.
Learning the rules is quick and easy and once the beginner
has done this he will be well on the way to becoming a confident
and comfortable player.
The player is offered the option of placing his bet on the
Banker’s hand or the Players hand or betting on a Tie between
Banker and the Player.
The game starts when the Banker and the Player are each dealt
2 cards.
If the hand that you placed your bet on wins, you will win
even money, or odds of 1 to 1. So if you bet 10 dollars, you
will win 10 dollars plus get your bet of 10 dollars back.
If you bet on the hands being a tie and they are tied, you
will win at odds of 8 t o 1, so if you bet 10 dollars, you
will win your 10 dollars back plus another 80 dollars.
If you bet on the banker’s hand to win and it does, it will
pay out at odds of 1 to 1, but it will be taxed at about 5%
by the casino.
The objective in this game is for your two cards to total
9 or as near to 9 as possible. In any event, you must be nearer
to 9 than the dealer’s hand to win the hand.
The cards are valued differently in this game, as follows:
10’s and all picture cards - 0
Aces - 1
2 to 9 – face value. This means that the eight of spades counts
as 8 points.
You cannot go bust in Baccarat as you do in Blackjack when
you exceed the target total. If your points total double figures,
you drop the first digit. Let’s say you are dealt a six and
a seven. The total is thirteen. You drop the first digit the
1 and your score is then 3.
If the score you get on the first 2 cards is an 8 or a 9,
the hand is declared a ‘natural’ and will automatically win,
unless, of course, another natural is dealt which results
in a tie. A natural 9 will beat a natural 8. If no natural
is dealt, then a third card is dealt to each hand and this
will determine the winner on the total count of the hands.
The Baccarat table has a special layout which the beginner
needs to know. The table is relatively simple as there are
only three bets being made at any one time, the Player, the
Banker and the Tie.
The table has seating positions for seven players on each
side and these are numbered from 1 to 15, skipping the number
13. The number 13 has a reputation of being unlucky so it
is completely excluded in most casinos. As Baccarat is a game
based purely on luck, the number 13 never appears on a Baccarat
table.
In front of each seating position are three betting areas,
one for each of the possible Baccarat bets. On one row the
word ‘Banker’ is written out, the second row has the word
‘Player’ on it and on the line across the top of both of them,
the word ‘Tie’ is written.
Casinos have rules for the playing of the game, similar to
those in Blackjack.
These are the rules for the Player:
When the Player’s first 2 cards total 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, The
Player must draw a card.
When the Player’s first 2 cards total 6 or 7, the Player ‘stands’.
i.e. no further cards are drawn.
When the Player’s first 2 cards total 8 – 9 this is a “Natural
hand”, and no further cards are drawn.
These are the rules for the Banker:
Point Value of First Two Cards: Draws when the player’s third
card is:
Does not draw when the player’s third card is:
0 – 1 – 2 Always draws a card.
3 0 – 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 9 8
4 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 0 – 1 – 8 – 9
5 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 0 – 1 – 2 – 3 – 8 – 9
6 6 – 7 0 – 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 8 – 9
7 Always stands.
8 – 9 Player cannot draw. Player cannot draw
More about Baccarat:
Learn Baccarat Strategies
Read About The History of Baccarat
Learn some Baccarat Techniques
