Gaming
What Is Baccarat: Everything You Need To Know About This Game
Baccarat is one of the oldest and most popular card games at any casino. Some sources state that baccarat started in Italy in the 1400s, and throughout the years the game has spread on every other continent.
As we stepped into the 21st century with modern technology, a wide range of traditional games are now being transformed into new high-tech gambling activities performed online. There are many strategies to increase your chances in this game and you can visit edge.twinspires.com to learn how to win baccarat games.
Although the winnings in the majority of the games depend on the luck factor, there are certain games like Baccarat where a well-designed strategy can boost your profits.
What is Baccarat?
Baccarat is a comparing card game that is played between two hands, the banker and the player. The rules of the game are simple which brings us to three possible outcomes. You can either win the hand if you have the highest score, the banker can win by having the highest score, or it can be a tie.
There are different versions of Baccarat, and the traditional one involves a table with 9 to 14 seats, with the dealer. Irrespective of the number of players, only two hands of cards are played.
After the dealer hands out the cards, players can start betting. When all the bets are placed, four cards are kept on the table. The dealer pulls out a card and positions it in the Player box. The successive card is now placed in the Banker box. This process is completed when each box contains two cards.
The main objective of the game is to reach the highest points out of possible 9 points.
How Does Baccarat Work?
The first things you need to understand are the rules of the game and how to calculate the score.
- Pictures & Tens are worth zero points
- Cards from 2-9 are worth their face value
- Aces are worth 1 point
Additionally, if the total value of your hand is above 10, then you subtract 10 from your points.
For example:
If you have 8 and 7 = a total of 15, your score is 5.
You play against the dealer and the goal is to reach the closest points to nine. If the game finishes with the same points between the player and the banker, all the bets are refunded.
That’s it!
Placing Bets
The goal in baccarat is to bet on the winning side with the possible three outcomes we mentioned before.
In regular Baccarat, the dealer uses six to eight decks of cards and two cards are dealt on the table. You can either choose to bet on the player, the banker, or a tie.
Betting Strategies
When it comes to betting, it is always wise to bet on the Banker, and here is why.
The secret is in the house edge. A house edge is the percentage of money that is taken from the casino.
The house edge of the Banker’s bet is 1.06%, whereas the house edge of the Player’s bet is 1.24%.
This means there is a higher chance for the Banker winning the hand rather than the player.
When it comes to the house edge of the Tie bet, it really doesn’t matter since the probability of a tie happening is very small.
Baccarat Variations
Baccarat Banque
Is one of the oldest and highly desired versions of Baccarat usually available in most casinos. In this version, the dealer is chosen at the start of each round. In most cases, the player who first joined the game or who made the highest bet is chosen as the dealer. Baccarat Banque is played with three standard decks, and the dealer reshuffles the cards.
Punto Banco
The difference with Punto Banco is that this Baccarat game is played with 6 standard decks and players have the traditional three betting options. The banker deals one card to each player and the bank in the first hand, and once both hands are dealt, the card value is determined.
Mini Baccarat
Mini Baccarat is very similar to Punto Banco but with a lower-stake version. This game uses eight standard decks and it is usually played on a smaller table compared to other versions. This is the most popular version when it comes to online Baccarat.
