The Basics of the Game
Once you’ve found the right baccarat game, you’ll start by placing a bet on the banker hand, the player hand or as a tie. Once you’ve made this bet, you cannot make another bet or change the bet.
Cards are dealt from a 6 or 8 deck shoe and will be dealt facedown by the house dealer. The hands will be dealt according to a fixed set of rules and result in a hand of two or three cards for the banker and player. They will be flipped over and tallied against the value of the cards.
In baccarat, the face cards like Jack, Queen and King as well as, the tens value as zero. Aces value as 1 and all other cards value as their equivalent face values. If the cards total 10 or more, the left digit is dropped. For example, if the dealt cards total 16, the actual value will be 6. After, the dealer calls the total of each hand, and the decision on whether or not a third card should be drawn is made.
“When you play online, you’ll find adrenaline pumping fun at the classic baccarat table and its variations. ”
To add more fun into this exciting game, the third card may come into play. If the player's’ hand totals 6 cards or more, he or she must stand. However, if the cards total 5 or less, the player must draw an additional third card. Likewise, if the banker's’ hand has a total value of 7 or more, he or she will stand. If the banker's’ hand totals 2, a third card is dealt. If the total is 3, the banker draws unless the player's card totals 8. A value of 4 will mean the banker draws unless the player's third card is a 0, 1, 8 or 9. Two cards valuing 5 will result in a draw as long as the player's card is a 4, 5, 6 or 7. If the banker holds 6, a third card will be dealt as long as the player's third card is a 6 or 7.
Learning all these values are probably the most challenging part of the game, and after a few rounds, you’ll likely have them memorized. In case they seem overwhelming, you can write them down or refer back to this guide to online baccarat.
Once the results have been tallied (something that is almost instant when you’re playing online) the hand with the highest value wins the game. If the hands total the same value, a tie is declared.
How you know if you’ve won
You’ve reached the part of this baccarat guide that tells you what you need to know about the bets and winning. You will make your bet before the cards have been dealt. Payouts will be given at even money odds for player and banker bets minus a 5% commission for the house.
The biggest payoff comes from a tie. If you’ve made a wager and won n a tie, you’ll get an 8-1 payout. In other words, a $20 wager would give you $160 payout. As tempting as this bet may be, we recommend avoiding because winning on a tie is rare.
Of course any good casino game will have exciting side bets to keep things interesting. In baccarat, you’ll find several types of side bets including Big, Small, Player Pair, Banker Pair or Perfect Pair. Always review the paytable on the casino site to confirm the odds and payouts for each of these bets.
Quick tips for winning real cash
Baccarat is completely random. There is absolutely no way to control the outcome of the game. Even so, there are a few pointers we can give to you to help you keep the cash in your bankroll and not the casinos’.
- Only play at reputable online operators.
- Games with less than 8 decks of cards give you more chances of winning.
- Mini Baccarat is most suited to beginners
- Betting on a tie is the worst bet.
- Betting on the banker is the best possible bet with a 44% chance at winning.
- Baccarat winning “systems” generally do not work
- Set a limit and stick to it no matter if you’ve won or lost.
- Walk away when you’ve reached your limit.
- Keep the fun and baccarat and play for entertainment purposes only. You never know when lady luck's is on your side.
Baccarat continues to be a favorite game for gamblers around the world. In casinos, the baccarat table is where a lot of the action is going down. Likewise, when you play online, you’ll find adrenaline pumping fun at the classic baccarat table and its variations. If you need something that feels “more real”, be sure to check out the Live Dealer Baccarat which is offered by many of the leading online casinos.
Most importantly, have fun and good luck!