Baccarat Rules

Baccarat Rules

Because of the intricate rules of baccarat many refrain from trying this game out. This is a shame since everyone can learn the basic rules quite quickly. It is true that the game can seem a bit complicated in the beginning but it won’t take long till you get a hang of it. It is possible to play baccarat both online and in land-based casinos. Small variations to the baccarat rules do exist but in most cases you will find the same set-up of the game.

Object of the Game
In baccarat you want to get the sum of 9 by the help of two cards. This is the highest number you can get because any 10 is subtracted from the final sum of the cards i.e. if you get 19 this is counted as 9. The 9 is called a natural and it is a given winner since no other card can beat it. Number 8 is also called a natural but is beaten by the 9. You need to decide how to bet. You can bet on the player or the dealer to win or you can bet on a tie.

Value of the Hands
The Ace is counted as 1. The face cards and the 10 are counted as 0. The rest of the cards are counted as the value they have. If you have an Ace and a King it means that your score is 1. If you have a 9 and a 10 it means that your score is 9, a natural!

How to Play
The first thing you need to do is decide how much to bet and on what. The baccarat table looks a bit like the craps table and you will indicate your bet on it. You choose to bet on the player, the dealer or a tie. The dealer will then deal the cards from a shoe with several card decks. If your choice was a winner you can collect your prize money.

Specific Rules
There are specific baccarat rules that will determine if more cards will be drawn after the first two dealt by the dealer. Here are a few of the basic ones but make sure to check out the ones that the casino you choose to play in hold by.

• If the player or dealer gets a natural, an 8 or 9, no further cards are drawn.
• If the player has 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 in his first two cards he get to draw another one.
• When the player has a 6 or 7 he will not draw another card and with this count the dealer won’t draw another card either.
• If the player doesn’t draw a card and the dealer has 5 or less the dealer won’t draw another card either.
• If the player gets a face card which is worth 0 the dealer will draw again if he has 0, 1, 2, or 3 and he will stand with anything above this.

Variations to the Rules
In some casinos the player can become the dealer and in this case the rules for drawing will look different. This is not so common in online casinos but you should check if they do offer it and try it out for the fun of it.