What is Baccarat?
Baccarat is a card game that has become hugely popular with players at online and land-based casinos. The game is played with a banker and a player, each hand having three possible outcomes: player wins, banker wins, or a tie. Baccarat is an easy game to learn and can be a fun way to pass the time.
The goal of the game is to bet on the hand you think will have a total closest to nine. Each hand is dealt two cards and the values are summed up; whichever hand has a total closer to 9 wins. The values of the cards are determined by their suits (clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades) and the rank of each card (tens, jacks, queens, and kings count as zero; aces count as one).
Each player has a betting area and the dealer has a separate area to deal the cards. The game can be played with anywhere from seven to 14 players, although only two hands are dealt per round. When playing baccarat, the player and banker bets are placed on a box that indicates which hand you believe will win. If the player or banker have a total of 8 or 9, no additional cards are drawn. If the hand has a total lower than 8, a third card may be drawn on either the player or banker.
A tie result is the worst outcome for a bet; the player and banker each receive the same amount of money. A win results in a higher payout for the player. The Banker’s hand is a more likely winner, so it pays out a lower house edge than the Player’s bet. This is why the game is a favorite among high rollers and the rich and famous.
There are many different variations of baccarat, each with its own rules and strategy. The version of the game that most people are familiar with is Punto Banco, which was created in France and is a simplified version of baccarat. This version of the game has a lower house edge than Chemin de Fer but still requires very little skill.
The most common side bets on a baccarat table are the Super Six and Pair Bets. These bets are placed on the first two cards that are dealt and pay out if they win. A Super Six Bet pays out 12x your bet if the Banker’s first two cards have a value of 6 or higher. A Pair Bet pays out 11x your bet if the first two cards are of the same suit. These bets are available at most online and land-based casinos. The house edge on these bets varies by casino.