Baccarat is one of the famous tabletop games in both land-based and online casinos. At first glance, it may look like poker, blackjack and any casino card game, but its gameplay and mechanics are different. For starters, the goal in baccarat is to guess which between the Player and Banker will have a hand closest or equal to 9. To further understand the game, you need to know the baccarat basics.
How to play baccarat
- Place your bets on one of the following: player, dealer, and tie bets.
- Once the betting stage is over, the dealer will give two cards to both the player and dealer hands.
- Afterwards, the hands are revealed and the values of the cards are added. For baccarat, here are the card values you need to take note of:
- 2-9 cards – Retain face value
- 10, Jack, Queen and King – 0 value
- Aces – 1 value
- Here is an example of hands in a game of baccarat:
- Player hand: 6 hearts + 9 spades
- Dealer hand: 5 diamonds + 3 clovers
When you add the values of the player’s hands, the result will be 15. In baccarat, double-digit values are not allowed, so only the second digit will remain, hence the player’s hand value will be 5. On the other hand, the dealer’s hand value will add up to 8.
- Whoever has a hand that adds up to 8 or 9 is the winning hand. As such, this is called a natural win. In this case, no more cards are added, and all the bets at the beginning of the round will be cashed out.
- However, if no hands result in an 8 or 9, another card needs to be drawn. Here’s when you need to pay attention:
- If the player’s hand value adds up to 6 or 7, no additional card is given to the player.
- If the player’s hand value is 5 or lower, they get an additional card
- If the dealer’s hand is 5 or lower, they get to draw another card
- If the dealer’s hand results in 6 or 7, the hand stands.
With a third card, all of the values will be added up again, and whichever has the hand that results in a value closest to 9 wins the round.
- Additionally, if both the dealer and player’s hands add up to the same value, the game results in a tie.
Interesting baccarat variations you need to know
The original version of baccarat is easy, but you need to study the mechanics to understand the game. On top of this, casinos invented other variations to engage their customers to keep on playing. Here are the most famous baccarat variations you need to know:
Punto Banco
From its name, punto directly translates to player, while banco means banker. As such, you are playing against the dealer or banker in this variation. The goal of this game is to reach a value closer or equal to 9 before the other hand does. Additionally, you should aim to not exceed 9 or go bust.
Chemin-de-Fer
Chemin-de-Fer is a baccarat variation originating from France where all the players are playing against each other. Throughout the game, the role of a banker rotates on each player, and they need to stake a high wager that players can base on. Your aim here is to get a hand value resulting in an 8 or 9 to get a natural win.
Betting tips you need to take note of in baccarat
Throughout a game of baccarat, the only thing you can do is to bet on three bet types, namely: player, banker, and tie bets. During the betting stage, there are no cards yet on the table, so you need to decide which hand you will wager on. Here are betting tips you can use to make informed bets.
When in doubt, bet on the banker’s hand
Always remember that betting on the banker’s hand is the best option. This is because it has a house edge of 1.06%, which means that you have a higher chance of receiving the payout. The reason for this is that the banker is usually the last one that makes a move, depending on the action of the player. This means that if the player’s hand is bad, it has a good chance of getting a better hand and winning.
However, the downside is that every time the banker’s hand wins, you need to pay a commission fee of 5% apart from your original wager. This is only applicable when you place a bet on the banker’s hand.
Only bet on the player’s hand when you want the thrill
The house edge of the player’s hand is 1.24%. This is a bit higher than the banker’s house edge, which makes it a less favourable betting option. Although, wagering on the player’s hands still has a high chance of winning, but only do this when you are highly confident and looking for a mind-game challenge.
Strategies you can do in baccarat
Martingale system
Whichever hand you bet on, start with a low amount first. If it loses, gradually increase the amount until you win. This win will make up for all of the rounds you’ve lost.
Fibonacci system
In the Fibonacci system, you need to follow a series of numbers as the basis for increasing your wagers. 1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 34 55 89 is the series you always need to keep in mind. This set of numbers represent bet units that you will need to add after each round.
At the start, you must bet 1 unit from your bankroll. If you happen to lose, add 1 more on the next round, and so on until you win again. Compared to the Martingale system, this has a more controlled and less aggressive approach.
Bet on your luck at Livecasino!
Now that you know how to play baccarat, it is time to test your knowledge and luck by playing this game at Livecasino! On this website, the game offers stunning visuals and interesting game features that will keep you engaged for a long time. Aside from baccarat, play to your heart’s content with other casino games such as slots, roulette and many more!