The best hand – a natural nine – would contain just 2 cards totaling 9. Or a player could generate a natural eight, with an 8 total. Once a player has either of these possible outcomes, no other players, including the banker may draw a third card. The player with the natural eight or nine would win, unless of course a tie ensued in which case the game is nullified.

Betting in Baccarat begins when no players have the natural eight or nine. Of course the option of folding is on the table too.

From the 8 decks of cards the banker and the players will play to win. Players can bet on player’s hands, banker’s hand or a tie. But nothing comes from the latter option if a player bets on a tie. A tie is not only rare but betting on one will cost you around 14% of your winnings.

Be sure to check up on house edge for banker’s hand and player’s hand before you game. You always draw if your card total is less than 6 or 7 and a banker always stands on 7.

Typical casino baccarat comes replete with dealers in tuxedos, amazing ambience and lots of buzz. But baccarat betting minimums are high. Playing the game is simple, here’s how:

Getting into it

The way baccarat is played is by placing a bet on the banker’s or player’s hand. Essentially that’s as simple as it is. Two cards are dealt from a shoe. The player receives the first hand and the second is the banker. It is possible for a third card to be dealt to either player or banker.

Baccarat odds

• Bank wins 45.84% of the time
• Players’ win 44.61% of the time
• A tie occurs 9.54% of the time

The house advantage is the following

• The Bank: 1.17%
• The Player: 1.36%
• A Tie: 4.57%

The cards

The goal is to get as close to 9 as possible. All cards that are 10 or above (picture cards) count as zero and all numbered cards from 1 to 9 are taken at face value.

Here’s where it gets interesting. If both cards dealt total a two-digit number, then only the last number counts. For example 6 + 8= 14 so the baccarat total is 4. Bets are paid even money and a commission is charged on winning banker wagers. A profitable albeit rare win would be on a tie hand which pays 8 to 1.

Knowing the rules

• Players and the banker will stand on a total of 8 or 9
• The player always draws a card if his/her total is less than or equal to 5, otherwise the player stands
• If the player does not draw a third card, then the Banker’s hand stands on a total of 6 or more and takes a third card on a total of 5 or less
• When the banker’s total is less than or equal to 2 then the banker draws another card – despite what the player’s third card is
• When the banker’s total is 3 then the banker draws another card unless the player’s third card is an 8
• When the banker’s total is 4 then banker draws another card unless the player’s third card is a 0, 1, 8, or 9
• If the banker’s total is 5 then banker draws another card if the player’s third card is a 4,5,6, or 7
• When the banker’s total is a 6 then the banker draws another card if the player’s third card is a 6 or 7
• Finally if the banker’s total is 7, then the banker stands firm