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BACCARAT RULES
The rules of baccarat are basic and simple to follow. Once you learn it's easy to remember and you can feel completely comfortable sitting at any baccarat table or mini baccarat table at the casino, or playing online. If you're learning the simple (yet non-intuitive) baccarat rules for the first time you should download a free software package from one of the many online casinos out there and play along. Many offer unlimited free play. We have a number of downloads available on this site which include a selection of online casino packages and a few tutorial style baccarat programs. I have honestly found it easier to learn, and easier to teach, by simply downloading a game from a real casino (one which offers free play of course) and reading along while messing with the software. The tutorial style software available for baccarat often overcomplicates the learning process and tends to leave you feeling more confused than ever.
As the player you are given the choice of either betting on the banker hand winning, the player hand winning, or a tie between the two. Two cards are dealt to the player and the banker. If the hand you're betting on wins, you win even money. Even money bets are 1 to 1, meaning if you bet five dollars, you're paid back the five plus five more, so your profit is equal to your bet. If you bet on a tie and it turns out to be one, you're paid 8 to 1. Meaning if you bet 5 dollars on a tie and win, you're paid back your five, plus 40 dollars more.
The goal of your two-card hand is to try and have a total that is close to 9. Tens and face cards count as zero, with the exception of the ace, which is worth 1. Cards 2 thru 9 are worth their face value. The simplicity of baccarat rules reflects the simplicity of the scoring and goal itself. There is really only one tricky part: although there is no such thing as a 'busting hand' as in blackjack, when your initial card total is a two digit number, the first digit is dropped. Say you are dealt a pair of sevens - the total is 14, but the count is set to 4, as the leading 1 is arbitrarily dropped.
If the first two cards of a hand total 8 or 9 the hand is declared a 'natural' and wins (unless there is a tie between two naturals). If either hand is a natural, both hands stand, the natural hand wins. If the total is not a natural win on either hand, another card is drawn for each hand to determine the winner. Winning banker hands are usually taxed 5% by the casinos. Remember, anybody can be the banker, not always a casino employee. This hint is enough to gain an advantage in baccarat, because you know if the casinos take a cut of just one hand, that one hand probably has a good chance of winning.
Something the other baccarat rules pages on the Internet aren't likely to offer as info is this interesting tidbit: even with the 5% cut taken from winning on a banker hand bet, there is still an advantage to betting on the banker. The advantage is slim, in the area 0.18%, but in the world of gambling that's really not that small. So from reading this page you should have picked up enough about baccarat rules to play a game. It may still be a good idea to try it online first, and within minutes you'll feel comfortable enough to play anywhere. There aren't many rules, and the baccarat rules that do exist are fairly simple, they just differ from other games you may have played at the casino, so may take a little getting used to.
Also:
Although it looks complicated, Baccarat, (pronounced with the silent "T"), is the simplest card game played in contemporary American casinos. It is played in a separate, closed-off area called the Baccarat Pit and on a large table, generally seating twelve players. Baccarat is a game of pure chance that requires no skill on the part of the players. Baccarat is by far the best bet for your gaming dollar. The House Edge is only 1.2% on Player hands, and 1.1% on Banker hands. Mini-Baccarat, which is played on a Blackjack-style table in the main casino, allows for only seven players. Minimum bets are $5, instead of $20, and is dealt exclusively by a single dealer.
Baccarat Gambling System
The Baccarat table is rectangular and about the size of a Crap's table. It has even spaces for players, size on each side, numbered 1 through 6 on one side, and 7 through 12 on the other. Each player's position features three betting areas, marked Player, Banker, and Tie. There are 12 little boxes, called Commission Boxes, where dealers place the players' appropriate commission payments due the House before each player leaves the game.
How to Play Baccarat.
In Baccarat, the gaming chips are quite a bit bigger than the regular casino chips; purely for show. At the Baccarat table is doesn't matter which seat you take. You are not playing against the other players or the House. Your betting action is against the cards, no player decisions are involved. Baccarat is played with eight standard decks of cards, no jokers, all shuffled together. The Shoe containing the eight shuffled decks is called The Bank. In American Baccarat, the player holding The Bank has no specific advantage over the other players. Each player at the table is then given The Bank in turn and can hold it as long as the Bank wins. Once it loses, The Bank moves to the player on his or her right, counter clockwise, and so on. The player holding The Bank deals out four cards, two sets of two cards, with the first and third cards going to the Player hand, and the second and fourth cards to the Banker hand. There are only three bets available in Baccarat, the The Bank hand, the PLAYER hand, or the Tie hand. You can place your gaming chips in the area so marked.
Baccarat Rules
For the bettor, the object of Baccarat is to place a wager on the hand that will at the close of dealing, be closest to '9' in total value, without going over. In Baccarat, all 10-value cards and face cards are counted as zero, Aces are counted as 1, and all other cards are counted at their numerical value. The various suits play no role in this game. If either Baccarat hand has a King and a 2, the value of the hand is 2. There are very strict rules dictating whether, after the first two cards dealt, more are to be drawn. Players in Baccarat have no choice in what cards are drawn and cannot manipulate the outcome. There are no individual hands dealt to player. The game ends on its own and bets are paid on this final result. Winning depends on what option you placed your bet on . If either the Player's hand or the Banker's hand is dealt an 8 or 9 on the first two cards, this called a Natural. The desired objective in Baccarat is to receive a Natural. If both the Player's hand and the Banker's hand draw the same Natural, say '9', it is called a Tie, neither hand wins or loses, but the payoff is made on those bets placed on the Tie hand. Tied hands do not occur frequently, but pay off at '9 to 1 odds', while the other two bets, Banker and Player hands, only pay off at Even Money.
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