|
|
 |
| |
| |
| |
Real Money Baccarat Basics
Baccarat is a game of chance between the player and the banker. It is a popular game played for large sums of money in land-based and online casinos. You may think of baccarat as a complex game but it is actually purely a game of luck, like keno, in which the player has very few decisions to make. You bet on whether the banker's or the player's hand will have a value closest to 9. You can also choose to bet on a tie. Real Money Baccarat is played with one standard deck of cards.
How to Play Baccarat
In baccarat, two hands of two cards are dealt on the table: the banker's and the player's. Face cards and 10s have a value of 0; aces are worth 1; all other cards are worth their face value. If the value of the two cards totals 10 or over, then the first digit of the total is discarded. For example, if an 8 and a 5 are showing, the 1 is eliminated and the value becomes 3, not 13. In some situations a third card may be dealt. There is a series of conditions for when the player and/or the banker may or may not stand or hit. These are compulsory rules that do not really affect the betters. When the dust settles and the final cards are dealt, the hand closest to 9 wins the money.
In baccarat, the perfect hand is one that totals nine in the first two cards. Eight is the second-best hand and, along with the nine, it constitutes the two "natural" hands. The only hand that will beat a natural eight is a natural nine. If any player or banker hand has a natural eight or nine, the others may not draw a third card. In the case of a tie, bets are called off.
Baccarat has a Low House Edge
The player with the most money is usually the banker - this is the house in Baccarat "Banque" and rotates in "Chemin de Fer," two popular versions of casino baccarat. The banker deals three hands of two cards each, face down. These hands are for two players, one to the right and one the left of the banker, plus his own hand. If either player has a count less than eight or nine, he may stand or get one more card face up. The player must stand on six or seven and must draw on four or less.
Once the baccarat bets are made, the dealer turns over the cards. Winning bets made on the banker are subject to a "fine", usually around 5%. This is because, statistically, the banker's hands win slightly more over the course of a deck of cards. This "tax" represents the house edge. A bet on the banker's hand pays out 2 times the original bet minus the 5% "tax." A bet on the player's hand pays a straight 2:1. And a winning bet on a tie pays 8 times the original bet. If the hand you've bet on loses, you lose your bet. But if there is a tie - and you've bet on either the banker or the player - your bet is returned to you.
Real Money Baccarat Tips
If you're playing baccarat for real money, try to keep the following few tips in mind. First of all, pick a game that uses as few decks as possible. Since the banker bet has a lower house edge, that's the one you should be going for (especially if you've found a casino that takes a commission of less than 5% on the banker bet). Manage your money wisely and don't bother with baccarat systems. Baccarat is a game of chance - the only thing that matters when you gamble is getting lucky and having fun.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
