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Baccarat is one of the best casino games available for today's player. The object of the game is simple: Players bet on either of two hands dealt on the table: the "player" or the "banker". The hand that comes closer to 9 wins.
Baccarat History
Baccarat has a European origin. It was invented by Italian gambler more than five centuries ago. Since that ancient times, baccarat traveled across the countries and continents, getting different variations and rules. Nowadays we know about four popular variations of the game: American, Chemin de fer, European and Baccarat en Banque.
Objective
The goal of Baccarat is to draw a two or three card hand with a value closer to 9 than the banker's hand.
Value of the Cards
Numbered cards have their face value.10, Jack, Queen and King count as 0. Ace counts as 1.If the value of your cards is more than ten, you subtract 10. So a 8-9 hand totals 7 (after subtracting 17).
Playing the Game
You draw two cards, as does the banker. If either you or the banker totals 8 or 9, both of you automatically stand. If your total is 6 or 7, you stand. If you stand, the banker hits on a total of 5 or less.
Meanwhile, if your total is 5 or less, you automatically hit and receive a third card from the banker. If you receive a third card, the banker draws a third card, according to these rules:
When the banker's hand totals 0,1,2: banker always draws a third card.When the banker's hand totals 3: banker draws if your third card is 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-9-0 (not 8).When the banker's hand totals 4: banker draws if your third card is 2-3-4-5-6-7.When the banker's hand totals 5: banker draws if your third card is 4-5-6-7.When the banker's hand totals 6: banker draws if your third card is 6-7.When the banker's hand totals 7: banker stands. After the final cards are dealt, the side with the total closest to 9 wins.
Betting
The house edge when you bet on your own hand is 1.24%. If you bet on the banker's hand, the house edge will be 0.6% on a 4% house cut, or 1.06% on a 5% house cut. The tie bet give the house almost a 5% edge (8:1), or at worst 14% or more (9:1). The tie bet is NOT worthwhile.
Strategy
This is really simple. The only strategy is to play the game and enjoy it. There is no effective way of improving your odds and card counting is ineffective in this fun game.
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