Baccarat Rules

Baccarat is one of the most elegant of casino games, associated with high-rollers, fancy dressers and beautiful casinos.

Learning to play this card game is easy. It is played at a baccarat table with the participation of a croupier, two dealers and up to 14 gamblers. The croupier stands at a spot half-way down the table, making calls on the hands and directing players as regards play procedure. The two dealers are positioned behind the chip rack; they pay and/or take the players' bets depending on the results for the hand.

The image to the right shows a baccarat table layout. The large numbers around the ends of the table are players' positions. The number 13 is traditionally eliminated. Those areas marked as "Players" or "Bankers" indicate which outcome a player is wagering on. The area at the center of each end of the table marked "Tie" is for players who want to wager that the hand will come out a tie. The numbers inside circles alongside the image below indicate the following; 1) Croupier, 2) and 3) Dealers, 4) Drop Box, 5) Discard Tray and 6) Its box.

Betting in Baccarat presents you with three options; Player, Banker or Tie. If you bet on the Player and win, you will receive a 1 to 1 payout. A winning bet on the Banker also pays out 1 to 1, but you must pay a 5% commission back to the casino, collected at the end of play, not after the individual hands. The commission exists because the Banker has a statistical edge over the Player. The Tie bet pays out 8 to 1 but a tie is the least likely of outcomes.

As a game of baccarat is about to start, the dealers shuffle eight decks of cards together. The croupier then takes two decks worth of cards from the top and shuffles, or "laces" them into the remaining cards before placing the cards in a covered "shoe."

The player at the #1 spot is given the chance to be the "Banker," who will deal two cards for each hand. No player is obliged to deal. Only two hands are dealt in a given round; they are referred to as the "Player's" hand and the "Banker's" hand. The baccarat players must predict which of the two hands will get a point value closest to 9. Aces count as ones, 10 cards and face cards count as zero. Suit is irrelevant. Any total over 9 drops the left digit. For example, 9 + 8 = 17, which counts as 7. The hand with the highest point value wins.

To clarify now; individual baccarat players do not receive cards in the course of the game. Instead, players bet on whether what are called the Player's and the Banker's hands are going to win or tie.

The Banker and the Player are each dealt a hand of 2 cards. In some circumstances, play may advance to a third card, but never beyond. The first card is the first Player card and goes to the croupier. The second card is the first Banker card and goes under the corner of the shoe. The third card is the second Player card and goes to the croupier. The initial deal is finished with the fourth card, the second Banker card, placed under the corner of the shoe.

At this point, the croupier passes the Player's cards to the player with the highest bet on the Player's side. If nobody has placed a bet on the Player's side, the croupier simply exposes the cards.

Hands worth both 9 and 8 are called "naturals," with 9 beating 8. If the Player hand or the Banker hand has a natural 8 or 9 and the opposing hand has a lower point value, the natural hand wins.

Baccarat Drawing Rules:

Baccarat rules are very simple and automatic, because of this the Dealer act without consulting players.

9 is the highest total of any baccarat hand.

You have a “Natural” when your two-cards totalize nine and cannot lose.

The second best hand is an eight and called a natural too. Nobody wins when all hands have identical number: it is a standoff.

The banker and the player receive 2 cards:

1) One rule override the other rules: If either the banker or the player has a total of eight or nine they both stand. There are no exceptions.

2) The player stands if he has total of six or seven.

3) When the player stands, the banker hits on a total of five or less.

4) The player hits If he has a total of five or less, and the banker gives the player a third card.
According to the following rules the banker draws a third card if the player gets the third card:

• Banker has total of 0, 1, 2: Banker draws a third card always.
• Banker has total of 3: If Player's Third Card is 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-9-0 (not 8) Banker draws.
• Banker has total of 4: If Player's Third Card is 2-3-4-5-6-7 Banker draws.
• Banker has total of 5: If Player's Third Card is 4-5-6-7 Banker draws.
• Banker has total of 6: If Player's Third Card is of 6-7 Banker draws.
• Banker always stands when he has a total of 7.

Check the following table to determine if the Banker hits or stands if the Player has drawn a card.
H - Hit, S - Stand.

Once the final cards are dealt, the score of the player and dealer are compared. The winning hand is the one with the greater total.