Baccarat is a simple popular casino game irrespective of how unorthodox the name sounds. It is nothing but a card game that is played with a typical 52-card deck. Needless to mention, it is an age-old casino game that was initially played with tarot cards. It was believed to be first introduced during the beginning of the 15th century. Two European countries i.e. Italy and France had claimed that they had invented this amazing card game, and, their dispute (related to the origin of this game) has not been settled yet.
This game is all about money management and luck which doesn’t require any particular skill. However, most of the people often believe that baccarat is a complex casino game that features extremely complicated gaming strategy. In reality, you can easily learn the basic rules of baccarat games in a few minutes. Not only that the game comes with a set of simple rules, but it also has just three possible winning outcomes: banker, player, and tie.
Baccarat Rules
Baccarat Table: In the real-life casino, baccarat table can usually accommodate up to thirteen players and each player’s position will be designated by a number. For example, in a table for 12 players, the possible numbers can be from 1 to 12. Also, there will be separate boxes for placing wagers for every player position.
In online casinos, almost all virtual baccarat tables are nothing but mini baccarat tables. The mini-baccarat tables are pretty much similar to a blackjack table that accommodate fewer players and provide faster gameplay. However, the standard baccarat rules are same whether you are playing it at a physical casino or on an online platform i.e. web casino.
Basic Baccarat Rules:
As mentioned in the earlier section, it is extremely easy and simple to understand the basic baccarat rules. First of all, you will need to understand the primary objective of this multi-player casino game. Here, both player and dealer are dealt either two cards or three cards. The one that’s closer to “nine” will win the game. In general, two cards are dealt. However, if a third card is dealt, it should be dealt according to third card rules.
Each hand consists of a maximum of three cards. The standard baccarat rules don’t allow the fourth card to be dealt with under any gaming situations or circumstances. Before playing baccarat games, you should also understand the face value of each card. Note, each card has its own unique value, eg, An Ace card is counted to have only one point, most other cards are valued as per their count (up to Nine). The remaining cards (King, Queen, Jack, and 10) are considered to hold zero point.
Basic game rules and strategy:
Players typically place their preferred bets on the banker, tie, or player sections of the table. Once the bet is placed, the gameplay is kick-started. Next, both the dealer and player will be provided two cards each. According to the rules, any of the parties (player or dealer) that has a card that has a value closer to “nine”, will win the game. If neither the dealer nor the player has 8 – 9 points, a final card i.e. a third card will be drawn in order to decide the round.
The rules of drawing the third card in baccarat games:
The player can draw a third card if his/her two-card total value is less than five. But, the player is not allowed to draw a third card if his/her two-card total value is less than 8 or 9 and greater than five.
When the player does not draw a third card, the dealer can draw a third card if his/her two-card total value is less than five. If dealer’s two-card total value is either eight or nine, he/she won’t draw a third card. If dealer’s two-card total value is seven, the dealer stands.
Payout Rules of Baccarat Games:
- A wager on the player will offer an even amount of money (1:1)
- A wager on the dealer will offer an even amount of money, but it’s taxed at 5%.
- A wager on a tie will pay 8:1.
- In the case of a draw, the wager amount will be refunded.
The Possible Implications of Not Following the Aforementioned Baccarat Rules
- The aforementioned baccarat rules are generic and universal that should be typically followed by all dealers and players. If you don’t know or follow these rules, you will simply not understand what’s happening in the game.
- If you do not abide by the standard baccarat rules, you will face various issues, for example, lost earnings or possible ban.
- If you do not follow the associated baccarat rules, you will not understand the fundamental objective of the game. And, if you do not have any idea about the game objective, you can never become an efficient player.
In summary, it is safe to assume that to be a great baccarat player, it is extremely important to follow the standard rules.
