Baccarat (Punto Banco)

The Beginners Guide To The Casinos: Baccarat

Baccarat is a very simple and easily enjoyable gambling card game. You’ll find baccarat in a lot of high-class casinos, and is mostly enjoyed by high-rollers only. The online casino gives you the chance to play this popular game no matter your bankroll!

Baccarat (pronounced Back-a-rah), has three accepted variants of game play. Baccarat chemin de fer, baccarat banque, and punto banco. The version found in North American casinos is punto banco.

Baccarat although simple, is very unlike other casino card games because of the unusual face value of the cards. Any score of 10 is worth 0 in baccarat. The highest score that can be achieved is 9. So in brief, face cards have a value of 0, an Ace holds the value 1, and any other card retains its value.

The game of Baccarat is easy to learn, but like Casino War, contains very little strategy – or lack there of ability to use any sort of strategy. It is wise for the online casino player to try the game to find out if it appeals to them. Blackjack and Poker contain some level of skill and strategy, whereas baccarat does not. Also, it is important to understand that there are really only three possible bets, and only 2 of which should ever be considered. Online Casino Boss has included a detailed guide on how to play this game in the following page.

Punto Banco Rules And How To Play

Found in North America and Australia, this version of baccarat is played as follows:

First a wager is placed on one of three areas on the board. You can either bet on the ‘Banker’, the ‘Player’ or a tie. After bets are placed, the cards are dealt. One card to the ‘Player’, then one to the ‘Banker’, then another card to the ‘Player’ and ‘Banker’ again. Both cards, in both hands are added together with these rules:

• Face cards are worth 0; Jack, Queen, King
• Ace cards are worth 1
• All other cards retain their value

The object of the game is to have placed your wager on the hand with the highest total, keeping in mind that 9 is the highest total allowed. If you are dealt a 7 and an 8, your total is not 15, but 5. At this point the totals on the table of play determine the next steps. If either the ‘Player’ or ‘Banker’ hand draws to 8 or 9, there are no further cards drawn and that round is over and properly paid out. Neither hand at 8 or 9, the following steps play out:

If the 'Player' has an initial total of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, the 'Player' draws another card./li>
• If the 'Player' has an initial total of 6 or 7, the 'Player' stands and draws no further card./li>
• If the 'Player' has an initial total of 8 or 9, this is a natural and neither the 'Player' nor the/li> 'Banker' draw further cards.
• If the 'Banker' has an initial total of 0, 1 or 2, the 'Banker' draws another card.
• If the 'Banker' has an initial total of 3, the 'Banker' draws another card when the 'Player's' third card is anything but an 8.
• If the 'Banker' has an initial total of 4, the 'Banker' draws another card when the 'Player's' third card is a 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7.
• If the 'Banker' has an initial total of 5, the 'Banker' draws another card when the 'Player's' third card is a 4, 5, 6, or 7.
• If the 'Banker' has an initial total of 6, the 'Banker' draws another card when the 'Player's' third card is a 6 or 7.
• If the 'Banker' has an initial total of 7, the 'Banker' stands and draws no further cards./li>
• If the 'Banker' has an initial total of 8 or 9, this is a natural and neither the 'Player' nor the 'Banker' draw further cards.
• If the 'Banker' has an initial total of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 and the 'Player' has an initial total of 6 or 7 and stands, the 'Banker' draws another card./li>
• The 'Banker' must stand on 6 when the 'Player' has a 6 or 7 on the initial deal.

Shall both hands equal the same amount, a tie is announced, and the tie bet is paid out with 8:1 odds. Winning bets on the ‘Player’ hand will pay 1-1, while winning bets on the ‘Banker’ hand will typically pay with a 5% house commission or 95% of the original wager. Check with the online casinos rules before play to verify any differences in their baccarat game.

As mentioned above, most land based casinos in Las Vegas or Atlantic City offer baccarat play in special rooms sectioned off from the rest of the casino floor. This is to maintain security and privacy, because of the often high stakes involved in the game. Unbelievably, the game alone can make or break a casinos profit margin, depending on how well a high-stakes player does at the game.

Despite it’s extremely simple game play, baccarat offers some of the best advantages throughout the house. The ‘Player’ bet has a house advantage of 1.24%, and the ‘Banker’ hand an advantage of 1.06%. There is often strategy involved in baccarat with patterns and such, but all of this is very unnecessary. Mathematically you are better off wagering on the ‘Banker’ hand every time, rather than guessing and moving your bet back and forth.