Baccarat Games and Strategies

Baccarat – The Card Game for High Rollers

• Baccarat, or Punto Banco, is played in a community setting where each player is focused solely on the outcome of a hand. The goal is to get as close to nine as possible. It is played at a table roughly the size of a craps table with three casino dealers and up to 12 or 14 players. In online games, the cards are dealt automatically by a virtual dealer.
• There are only two basic bets to make: Banker or Player – Banco or Punto, plus the rarely used Standoff. Some online casinos allow players to deal the cards in a circle, while others have a casino dealer who deals the cards.
• Each player, including the player dealing, can bet on either Punto or Banco, but it is common for the dealer to bet on Banco. Players have the option not to deal the cards by passing the shoe to the next player. The shoe stays with one player as long as the Bank wins. If Punto wins, the shoe is passed to the next player.
• Baccarat is played with a six-deck or eight-deck shoe (six or eight card decks). Two hands are dealt, and you bet on which one will win or if there will be a tie. It’s like betting on red or black in roulette, and the payout is the same amount as you wagered, 1:1 (except for Standoff, which pays 8:1 or 9:1). The only difference between the Banco and Punto bets is that a win on Banco costs you a 5% commission or a fee charged by the casino – the built-in advantage.
• The reason for taxing Banco is that it has been shown that in an 8-deck card game, Banco wins on average three or four rounds more often than Punto. Each hand consists of at least two and a maximum of three cards. The person dealing the cards places two cards face down under the shoe and gives the player with the highest bet on Punto the other two cards, also face down. The Punto player then looks at the two cards and returns them to the dealer. The dealer then flips the cards of both hands while one of the casino dealers announces the player’s result and the winner.
• If either hand has a total of 8 or 9 (nine being the highest), it is called a “Natural,” and no additional cards are dealt. If it is not a Natural, whether the casino dealer requests the dealer to deal a third card depends on the value of each hand. The decision of when to deal a third card follows precise rules that all casinos adhere to.
• Once the dealing of cards is complete, the hand with the highest score wins. The paying casino dealers first collect the lost bets and then pay out the winnings. The player dealing the cards is not responsible for the payouts. They are just like any other player and are playing against the casino.

Baccarat Rules

Baccarat Ruleset

To begin, players bet on either Banco or Punto or a Standoff. The dealer gives each two cards; first to the players, then to the bank. The goal of the game is to bet on the hand you believe has the highest value. A third card may be dealt to either the player (Punto) or the bank (Banco), based on the following three-card rules. It is not necessary to learn these rules to play. They are preset decisions and thus automatic. Mistakes are rarely made:

Third Card Rule for the Player

• If either the player or the bank has a total of 8 or 9 with the first two cards, no further cards are dealt. The resulting hand is called a Natural, and the round is over.
• If the player’s total is 5 or less, then the player receives a third card.
• If the player does not draw a third card, then the bank stands on 6 or more and draws a third card on a total of 5 or less. However, if the player does draw a third card, then the Third Card rule for the bank, outlined below, determines whether the bank draws a third card.

Third Card Rule for the Bank

• If the bank’s total is 2 or less, then the bank draws a card, regardless of what the player’s third card is.
• If the bank’s total is 3, then the bank draws a third card unless the player’s third card was an 8.
• If the bank’s total is 4, then the bank draws a third card unless the player’s third card was a 0, 1, 8, or 9.
• If the bank’s total is 5, then the bank draws a third card if the player’s third card was a 4, 5, 6, or 7.
• If the bank’s total is 6, then the bank draws a third card if the player’s third card was a 6 or 7.
• If the bank’s total is 7, then the bank stands.

This strategy also dictates that you should never bet on a Tie. Betting on a Tie has an extremely high house edge of 15%, so it’s never a good idea. The house edge also depends on how many card decks are used in the game. If you find a casino that uses six decks instead of eight, you can play with a lower house edge.

Before sitting at a table, you should always check what fee the casino charges. Typically, this is 5%, but some casinos charge only 4%. So, you should try to find a table where only six decks are used and where you only have to pay a 4% commission. At this table, you will exclusively bet on the banker, cross your fingers, and hope for the best!