If you’re looking to find out how to play baccarat online, then you’re in luck. With this page, we give all players the opportunity to learn how to play the game so that the next time a real money game of online baccarat comes around, players know exactly what they are doing, how they should and what the best odds of winning are.
Not only do we dive deep into the rules of the game, but we also touch on strategy, the payouts, the other types of games, and much more. We’ll take a look at the table explaining as much as possible and explain how the game plays out each and every time. This is your ultimate casino guide to online baccarat.
The Baccarat Table
Traditionally, the baccarat table has got different sections outlined for the players at the table. This can range from 5 to 10 player spots depending on the game. In each slot, there will be two sections for the players to bet on that will be clearly marked as Bank or Player. Players participating in the round will place their bets on the corresponding spots.
There are also smaller slots where the Tie bet can be placed. This section is a little smaller, but the payout is a lot bigger than the other two bets. Some online casino tables may also have different kinds of sections that include bonuses or other types of bets too, but this is dependent on the game, and the table.
How Baccarat is Played
The only question that you really need to ask yourself when sitting down to play a game of baccarat is “how much do you want to bet?” Truly, that’s the only thing that people need to know when any player considers playing baccarat. Players will take their seat at the table and then bet on either Player, Banker or Tie. The dealer will then count out the cards, and that’s that!
The Bets
As mentioned above, the bets like Player or Banker are the most common bets to place. They’ll both pay out even money, but the Banker bet is more likely to land. This is due to the way the cards are dealt out and the game plays out. Statistically, the player is going to win about 45% of the time for each and every baccarat game they play.
The Process
The dealer will usually play with between six and eight decks of cards and two hands are dealt on the table to start the game off, after players have placed the bets. While it may be a little complicated for new players, it’s best to think of one hand as hand A and the other as hand B. Either way, just because you are the player, it doesn’t mean you’ll win on the Player bet, and the banker doesn’t always win when Banker pops up.
Players will place their chips on the spot they want to bet on, whether this is the Player or the Banker, and then the dealer will start playing out all the cards. The game works on a points system with the cards. Each card has its face as value apart from 10, J, Q, K and Ace. All of the cards worth ten in the traditional sense are worth 0 points, while the Ace is counted as one point.
The object of the game is to get to, or as close to 9. And that is usually with two cards. There are some specific rules though, such as if the player has a total of between 0 and 5, they are given a third card. If the total goes over the value of 9, then only the second digit of the score is considered. For example, if a player gets 8 and 8, then it equals 16, but the final score is then 6.
In-Depth Rules
Some of what the dealer does for the Banker side of the bet will be dependent on the Player’s hand and cards that are dealt. As we’ve already mentioned, anything lower than 5 will give the player a third card. If the player has a total of 6 or 7, then the hand stands.
In either of these scenarios the Banker hand will have to play to a different set of rules. If the player is then dealt a third card, that’s when thing change because mostly, when a player gets two cards and a total, the dealer with take two only as well.
Banker on 2 – A third card is drawn.
Banker on 3 – A third card is drawn unless the player’s third card dealt was an 8.
Banker on 4 – A third card is drawn unless the player received 0, 1, 8 or 9 on the third.
Banker on 5 – A third card is drawn unless the player received 4, 5, 6 or 7 on the third.
Banker on 6 – A third card is drawn unless the player received 6 or 8 on the third.
Banker on 7 – A third card is not drawn.
Banking Strategies
While there aren’t many actual strategies in baccarat because the game is completely luck based, a lot of people tend to use banking strategies. These are similar banking strategies that you might see in games like blackjack and roulette too, so be prepared to hear things like D’Alembert, Martingale and Fibonacci. These will lead players towards bets that can make or break on different kinds of bets.
Baccarat Payouts
When playing baccarat, players will get even money returns on either the Banker or the Player bet. When betting on the Tie, players can get up to 9:1, but even though the payout is a lot more than the evens you might be used to, the chances of it landing are very slim and it ends up being a losing bet.
Players will have an almost 46% chance to win when they bet on the Banker hand, and almost a 45% chance to win on the Player’s hand. This is only because of the extra cards that can appear for either side and the rules that apply to the banker side once the players cards have been issued out. If you bet on a Tie, you’ll have less than 10% chance to win.
Baccarat Varieties
There are only a few types of baccarat that players can play, and because of this, the rules are all somewhat similar. Punto Banco is one of the popular variations of the game and it’s not all too dissimilar from regular baccarat. The dealer will always be the banker in this scenario, as opposed to something like Chemin De Fer, where the dealer moves around the table, and the player has the option of standing or taking another card if their total is 5.
Three Card Baccarat is a game that is popular in Asia and in it, the highest possible card combination to get in the game is having three face cards. Aside from that, the regular hand rankings apply. There’s also Live Baccarat that exists at many different online casinos where players will get the chance to play the game in front of a live dealer.
