No casino table games have increased in popularity as much as Baccarat over the past few decades. This is because the game of online Baccarat is both simple and easy to play.
In this article, we’ll give you an insight into the rules and gameplay of Baccarat casino online.
Basics of Baccarat
Before getting to the gameplay, here are some important things to know about Baccarat casino online.
Hand values
Each card retains its numerical value in the game of Baccarat. Kings, queens, jacks, and 10s have a value of 0. Aces have a value of 1.
Table talk
Baccarat table may differ depending on the casino you choose to gamble. The top online casino games may offer large tables that can seat up to 14 players. Other venues may offer mini-baccarat, where seats are usually limited to 8 players and the stakes are lower. Also, there is a slight difference in the gameplay. When playing the mini version, all cards are dealt face up and the player never touches the cards.
Player – A hand dealt for the player.
Banker – A hand dealt for the house.
Tie – It means that you wager that the outcome of the next hand between the player and the banker will be a tie.
How to play Baccarat online
As mentioned earlier, Baccarat casino online is played at a table for 14 players. The table is marked with three boxes in front of each player number to place their bets – one box is for bets on the player, the other is for bets on the banker, and the last one is for bets with a tie. Players place their bets in one of the three boxes. The cards are dealt on the large Player and Banker boxes set in the middle of the table. Depending on the casino, Baccarat is played with six, eight, or nine decks of cards.
The aim in Baccarat is to get as close to a total of 9 points as possible. You don’t have to make many decisions during the gameplay as the rules of Baccarat are pre-determined. As a player, all you have to do is choose who to bet on – the player (punto) or the banker (banco), or the less common tie between the two. Once all the players at the table have placed their bets, the dealer will draw the cards and there will be no more decisions for you to make.
Gameplay
- You place your chips either on the player, banker, or tie box. No cards are dealt until all players place their bets.
- In the first round, the player receives two cards face up in the player box, then the banker receives two cards face up in the banker box on the table. When playing Baccarat in a live dealer casino, the dealer will hand out and call out the total amount of points, and how the game will progress.
- If either the banker or the player has an 8 or 9, which is also called as the natural hand, the closest to 9 wins and the hand is over.
- If both the banker and the player have the same amount of points, the tie bet wins.
- If nobody has a natural or a tie, the value of the player’s hand dictates what happens next:
- The player stands if he has 7 or 6.
- If the player has 5 to 0, he’ll get another card added to the total hand value.
Betting options in Baccarat
Unlike many other casino games, you don’t play against the dealer in Baccarat. Instead, you bet on either the banker or the player.
Betting on the player
The first type of bet you can make is to bet that the player will end up with the best hand closest to nine. Player bets pay 1:1 on your money, which creates a house edge of 1.36%.
Betting on banker
With a house advantage of 1.17%, this is the most favourable bet in Baccarat. As the banker bets win more often than the bets on the player, the house pays 19:20 on your winnings.
