Online Baccarat

Online Baccarat

Baccarat is a fairly simple game. There are two designations for the hands dealt, the “player” hand and the “banker” hand. The object of the game is to bet on the highest hand, with the highest hand being 9. You can place your bet on either hand or you can bet on both, referred to as a “tie”. Here is the lowdown, the “player” and “banker” hands pay out one to one, not bad. Betting on the “tie” to come through is enticing at eight to one odds, but remember there is a 1 in 10 shot at making the tie. Tricky business, your best bet is not to split your bet. Both hands get dealt two cards.

The maximum number of cards either hand can get is three, and with face cards and 10 cards being worth nothing (yes, your reading that right, face cards are useless in Baccarat) you’ll have your work cut out for you. Aces are worth 1 with the rest of the number cards being worth their face value. Remember this is a simple game, you’re betting that the hand you chose will be higher than the other hand on the table. Add up the numbers and if they go over 10 take off the first number, so if you draw an 8 and a 5, you would add those cards up and get 13 right? Well last time I checked, 13 is a wee bit higher than 9, so 13 becomes 3, get it? We took the 1 from the 13 and ended up with 3. You draw again and you get a 6, big bang boom, you have a nine and you win. The hands work out like this, first and third hands go to the Player with second and fourth hands going to the Banker.

The object of the game is to bet for the side whose cards have a point total closest to 9. Point totals are calculated in the following way:

     aces count as 1
     cards 2 through 9 count at face value, a
     10 as well as all face cards count as 0.

It’s important to note that if you’re dealt a 9 and a 7, for example, the total is not 16, but 6. If you’re dealt a 3 and an 8, the total is not 11, but 1. In other words, it’s impossible to have a combination of cards that totals more than 9.

The dealer deals 4 cards, 2 each for the house and player. If the point total of either or both sides is 8 or 9, it’s called “a natural” and no more cards are dealt. If the point total of both sides is the same, of course, it’s a tie. The only complication in Baccarat is when the house or the player’s points, after the initial two cards, don’t add up to a natural, or when there is no tie. In this case, one additional card will be dealt according to specific rules as described below.

If the player’s initial hand adds up to 6 or more, he must stand and will not be dealt additional cards. For 5 or less, the player will be dealt an additional card. If the house hand, meanwhile, adds up to 7 or more, the house must stand. If the house total adds up to 0, 1 or 2, the house must take an additional card.

If the house hand totals 3, and the player’s third card is anything other than 8 (in Baccarat, the player receives his cards before the house), the house will hit. If the house hand totals 4, and the player’s third card is anything other than 1, 8, 9, or 0, the house will hit. If the house hand totals 5, and the player is dealt a 4, 5, 6, or 7, the house will hit. And if the house hand totals 6, and the player’s third card is 6 or 7, the house will hit.

Payoffs in Baccarat are very straightforward. If you bet on a winning player’s hand, you’ll be paid at 1 to 1. If you bet on a winning house hand, you’ll also be paid at 1 to 1. If you bet on a tie, the payoff is 8 to 1. Online Baccarat tables usually have a minimum bet of $1 and a maximum bet of $250. Check with your online casino for particular ranges and percentages.

Unfortunately there is no real strategies that work for Baccarat because the player has not many options. The rules are automatic and after you have made a bet you can only hope on your luck. Any baccarat system that is based on the previous hands is useless and should be completely disregarded.

However, as for any other casino game there is always room for improvement and if you want to establish an effective baccarat strategy there is a few things to consider.