What is Baccarat?
Baccarat is a casino card game whose rules are very similar to those of blackjack. There are many different variations of the game, and it can be played in casinos all over the world.
The Game
Two cards are dealt to each of the Bank hand and the Player hand. These hands are then compared to see which one is closer to nine. If the bank hand is closer, then it wins.
The Players
The players, who are seated around the table, act in turn to place their bets on the banker or the player. The first player to do so claims to have “gone banker”, followed by the next player on their right and so on in counter-clockwise rotation.
Depending on the number of players, there may be a maximum amount of money that can be staked on each hand. This can range from a few thousand dollars to a few million dollars.
There are some differences between the game in a brick and mortar casino and online gambling, such as the amount of time between deals, the number of times that the cards are dealt, and the number of decks used. The game in a brick and mortar casino is usually played with a shoe of six or eight decks, while most online games use an online poker-style game which uses a single deck.
The Bank
In basic baccarat the bank is held by the house. In the related game Chemin de fer, or chemmy, this bank passes from player to player as the hand is drawn.
Punto banco
The majority of baccarat in casinos today is “punto banco” which means the house commits to playing out both hands according to fixed drawing rules. This version of the game is especially popular in Asian countries, and favoured by high rollers who want to play the game with a lot of money.
Rules
The main rule of baccarat is to bet that the Bank hand or the Player hand will win, although some versions allow a third bet on both. If a third bet is placed, then the player’s total will be adjusted to account for this extra bet. This is done by dropping the first digit of the sum, or by subtracting 10 from the sum to get an adjusted count.
It is very important to read the rules carefully before making a bet. It is also important to read the pay outs of each bet.
In baccarat, each player’s hand is a set of numbered cards; the value of each card is determined by its face value. The numbers between 2 and 9 are worth face value, tens and picture cards are valued at zero, and the ace is valued at 1.
Once the card values have been determined, each player’s bets are tallied and the results calculated. The winning bets are then paid out.
The player’s bets are then added to the banker’s, and the total is displayed to the players. The player who is closest to 9 wins the coup, and if there is a tie, the banker’s stakes are returned to the player.