How To Play Baccarat

RULES
Baccarat is a very simple game to play with no decisions made after a bet is placed. Three bets can be made: The Player’s hand, the Banker’s hand, or a Tie. The winning hand will hold two or three cards totaling closest to 9. A bet on the Player pays even money. A bet on the Banker pays even money minus a 5% house commission. A bet on a Tie pays 8 to 1.

All Tens and face cards have a value of 0. Aces count as 1, and Two through Nine are counted at face value.

In the classic game of Baccarat, the deal rotates among the players. Even though the player dealing is acting as the Banker, he or she is not obligated to bet on the Banker’s hand. In Mini Baccarat and some online baccarat games, a casino dealer handles the deal. After players make their bets, the dealer deals a two-card hand each to the Banker and Player. A Tie at any point in the game ends the hand and pays Tie bets. If either hand dealt is a total of 9, it is called a “Natural” and automatically wins. If neither hand is 9, a hand with a total of 8 is a Natural winner. Natural hands immediately win or Tie, although a 9 beats an 8.

If neither hand is an 8 or a 9 and there is no Tie, additional cards may be dealt. The Player’s hand is dealt to first. Player gets a third card if the total is 5 or lower. If the Player did not draw a third card, then the Banker only draws a card to a hand of 4 or less. If the Player did draw a third card, the Banker may get a third card if the total is 6 or lower, depending on what the Player and Banker have. Banker get a new card if: Banker has 6 and Player has 6-7; Banker has 5 and Player has 4-7; Banker has 4 and Player has 2-7; Banker has 3 and Player has 0-7 or 9; Banker has 0-2 and Player has anything.

TIPS
Baccarat has good odds, and is easy to play -- a great game for beginners or savvy gamblers.
NEVER bet on a Tie -- among the worst odds in the casino!

Betting on the Banker's hand has slightly better odds than betting on the Player's hand.

Except for the tie bet, baccarat is one of the best bets in the casino. The following table shows the house edge on all available bets. Usually a tie will pay 8:1 but sometimes will pay 9:1.

ODDS
Probabilities in 8-deck Baccarat