The name of the game comes from the Italian word “baccara”, meaning “zero”. Almost all top online casinos offer an extensive selection of different options for this game.
Being the favorite game of high rollers, baccarat may seem complicated at first glance, but in fact the principle is as simple as betting on a coin toss.
Here is a simple guide explaining the basic rules and strategies to keep in mind in this game. Having mastered a few simple rules, you can play like a pro.
MINIMUM & MAXIMUM LIMITS IN ONLINE BACCARAT
Each casino has a minimum and maximum bet that a player can make at the table. A casino that wants to attract players with a large cash pool can set higher limits so that a novice player with a small budget cannot join.
In addition, games with a lower house edge often have a higher minimum bet. Baccarat almost always has a high minimum bet as the house edge is relatively small.
Low minimum stakes are not profitable for most establishments, so online platforms are a great solution for those who do not want to spend large amounts of cash, but prefer to risk smaller amounts in exchange for a lot of fun playing.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PLAYING BACCARAT
The goal of the game is to score or get as close as possible to 9 points. You can use 2 or 3 cards for this. The game uses 6 or 8 standard decks of cards, so the same numbers can appear multiple times.
Some similarities to blackjack can be seen , however, baccarat is a completely different game and the key difference is that the player can bet on himself, the banker, or a tie.
Card meanings
- Cards 2 through 9 have the same value as their face value;
- Ace gives 1 point;
- The remaining face cards (jack, queen) and 10s are equal to zero (0).
Baccarat has its own unique scoring system:
The values of the cards described above are the basis for the calculation. The best possible hand is 9.
It is worth noting that when reaching 10 or more, 10 is subtracted from the amount, and the remainder is taken into account when calculating the results.
The color of the card doesn’t matter.
Examples of how to calculate the value of a hand in baccarat :
- Salt + 2 = (1 + 3) 3
- 5 + 8 = 3 (5 + 8 = 13, discard the ten)
- 2 + 3 = 5
- 9 + 6 \u003d 5, (9 + 6 \u003d 15, discard the “ten”)
- Jack + Ace = 1 (0 + 1)
- Lady + 7 = 7 (0 + 7)
- 6 + 3 = 9
- 5 + 4 = 9
TYPES OF BETS IN BACCARAT
In this game, it is possible to make a variety of bets.
Player bet
You are betting that the player will have the best hand.
If your predictions are correct, this bet pays 1:1.
Bet on the dealer (banker)
A bet that the banker will have the best hand at the end of the round.
As with the player bet, the banker bet also pays 1:1. But since the chance of winning is slightly higher here, the casino usually charges a 5% commission on every winning bet.
Couples
“Player couple”
The bet on this option is that the baccarat player will get two identical cards.
These can be any cards – two kings, two aces, two fives, etc. If you are dealt such cards, you won the bet.
“Banker couple”
As you might guess, this is a bet on two cards of the same value received by the banker.
“Any Couple”
Here you are betting that the first two cards dealt to the player and the banker form a pair.
Bet on a Draw
The chance of a tie coming up is low, so advanced baccarat players try to avoid this bet.
It pays 8:1, which is very tempting.
Big bet
A kind of extra bet. She wins if the total number of hands dealt to the player and the banker reaches 5 or 6.
Small bet
The small bet is the sum of the first four cards of the player and the banker. The casino will pay out the winnings if this amount reaches 4.
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The banker’s hand will win 45.8% of the time, which is slightly higher than the player’s hand (44.6%). A bet on a draw wins 9.6% of the time. Barring ties, the banker’s hand wins about 51% of the time.
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Most physical tables have between 7 and 14 seats for players. Online casinos, including live baccarat, can be played by hundreds of people at the same time.
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Firstly, the atmosphere in a real casino and the game with the active laying of chips on the table are difficult to convey online. On the other hand, the variety of games that can be found online cannot be found in land-based casinos.
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Yes. Various types of this game are fully optimized for mobile devices, including high-tech live games.
