Rules To Playing Baccarat at Online Casinos

Baccarat, one of the oldest and most popular casino games in the world. It is also one of the most popular online casino games, especially amongst high rollers.

If you’re interested in playing the game, but aren’t familiar with the rules, here are a few tips to get you started.

Premise

The main objective in baccarat is to have the score closest to nine. Unlike poker and blackjack, the player does not make any choices in terms of taking extra cards or hitting. The baccarat version played in the U.S. is known as Punto Banco, which means player-banker.

As a gambler on the table, you can bet on three things: the player’s hand winning, the dealer’s hand winning, and a tie.

Rules

In baccarat, aces count as one, tens are zero, and 2 through 9 count as their actual (2 – 9) value. Punto Banco baccarat is dealt from a shoe containing eight decks of cards.

Once you place your bet, the dealer will deal two cards to you and himself, followed by a third according to a set of predetermined rules. If the Player or the Banker has 8 or 9, it is known as “natural”, and both hands stand.

However, you can also bet on a Tie before the hand is dealt. Ties pay 8 to 1.

You bet on the Banker hand winning, you will pay a 5 percent commission to the dealer if you win. Your payoff is 1 to 1, or even money.

Even if you bet on the Player hand winning, you are paid even money if you win.

If neither the Player nor the Banker has 8 or 9 play will continue. If the player’s hand has a total of 0-5 then it draws a third card, before standing on a total of 6 or 7. When this third card is drawn, the banker’s rules become a little more complicated.

• The Banker hand has to hit with a total of 2 or less, regardless of the player’s card;
• The Banker hand has to hit with a total of 3 unless the player’s third card is an 8;
• The Banker hand has to hit with a total of 4 if the player’s third card is between 2 and 7;
• The Banker hand has to hit with a total of 5 if the player’s third card is between 4 and 7;
• The Banker hand has to hit with a total of 6 if the player’s third card is a 6 or 7;
• The Banker hand always stands on 7;

The cards are then totaled, and winners determined.