How to Play Baccarat

Baccarat is casino gaming at its best. It's a fast-paced card game that can be highly rewarding, and that offers a true casino thrill. And although baccarat can look intimidating at first, it’s actually easy to pick up.

Here we’ll run through everything you need to know about playing baccarat. We’ll detail

baccarat rules (including baccarat card values), how to bet on baccarat and how to win.

What is Baccarat?

Baccarat is a casino table card game that’s popular around the world. It’s at least 200 years old, possibly over 600! Baccarat is considered a game of pure chance – meaning you’re playing with luck – and is often a high-stakes casino game.

Baccarat Rules

Baccarat is played at a casino table that looks similar to a blackjack table. The dealer stands or sits on one side and the players take seats opposite them. The dealer runs the game, dealing cards and managing all the bets.

The Player’s Hand and Banker’s Hand

At the start of a round of baccarat, the dealer draws four cards: two for the player’s hand and two for the banker’s hand .

Unlike blackjack, where each player competes against the bank, in baccarat player and banker are just the names given to the two hands. The banker’s hand doesn’t belong to the dealer, nor does the player’s hand belong to any of the players at the table.

The cards are turned face up after they’re dealt, to see which hand wins.

What’s the Goal of Baccarat?

As a player, your goal is to pick which hand you think will be the winning hand, either the banker’s or the dealer’s. You’ll place your bets before the cards are drawn.

The winning hand in baccarat is the one that gets closest to a total of nine.

What are the Card Values in Baccarat?

Most cards have their face value in baccarat, except 10s and all face cards are valued at 0. Aces are valued at 1.

How are Hands Totalled in Baccarat?

A hand’s total is the value of the two cards added together (in some cases a third card may also be drawn).

But in baccarat, once a hand goes into double digits the first digit is ignored. A hand that totals 16 becomes a total of 6, and a hand that totals 19 becomes 9.

A Natural in baccarat is a hand that totals 8 or 9 with two cards. If a Natural is dealt, no more cards are ever added to that hand.

Take a look at these examples of hand total in baccarat to make sure you understand how they’re calculated.

When is a Third Card Drawn in Baccarat?

A round of baccarat is usually played with two cards dealt for the banker’s hand and two cards for the player’s hand. But in some cases, a third card can be added to either hand.

For the player’s hand:

●      If the player’s hand is worth 7 or 8, they have a Natural, and no new cards are added.

●      If the player’s hand is worth 6 or 7, they stand, and no new cards are added.

●      If the player’s hand is worth 5 or less, then a third card is added.

For the banker’s hand:

●      If the player’s hand is worth 6 or 7, then the banker plays as follows:

○      If the banker’s hand is worth 7 or 8, they have a Natural and they win.

○      If the banker’s hand is worth 6 or 7, they stand and no new cards are added.

○      If the banker’s hand is worth 5 or less, then a third card is added.

●      If the player’s hand is worth 5 or less, then the banker’s hand is played depending on which third card was also added to the player’s hand:

○      If the banker’s hand is worth 0, 1, 2 – the banker’s hand always receives a third card.

○      If the banker’s hand is worth 3 – the banker’s hand receives a third card, unless the player’s hand received an 8.

○      If the banker’s hand is worth 4 – the banker’s hand receives a third card, unless the player’s hand received a 2 to a 7.

○      If the banker’s hand is worth 5 – the banker’s hand receives a third card, unless the player’s hand received a 4 to a 7.

○      If the banker’s hand is worth 6 – the banker’s hand receives a third card, unless the player’s hand received a 6 or 7.

○      If the banker’s hand is worth 7 or more – the banker’s hand receives no additional card.

How Do You Win in Baccarat?

The winning hand in baccarat is the hand that gets closest to 9.

If the banker’s hand is worth 7 and the player’s 10, the player’s hand will revert to 1 meaning the banker wins.

How to Bet on Baccarat?

Betting on baccarat takes place at the start of the round, before any cards are dealt.

Baccarat rules can vary by casino and table, but with most variants of baccarat you can make five different bets. Three main bets and two side bets.

The three main bets you can place in baccarat are:

1. Player’s hand to win: You bet on the player’s hand to be closest to 9.
2. Banker’s hand to win: You bet on the banker’s hand to be closest to 9.
3. Tie: You bet on the player’s and banker’s hand being equal and therefore a draw.

The two most common side bets available in baccarat are:

1. Player pair: You bet on the player’s hand containing a pair of cards that are the same value (they usually don’t have to be the same suit).
2. Banker pair: You bet on the banker’s hand containing a pair of cards that are the same value (they usually don’t have to be the same suit).

Again, payouts in baccarat can vary by table but most games offer the following baccarat payouts:

Bets are paid out once the winning hand is declared. If the outcome is a draw, players who made a bet on a tie will receive their winnings. For all the other players, it’s a “push” and they’ll receive their bet back.

How to Win at Baccarat?

Baccarat is a game of chance. This means that there’s no way for you to influence which cards will be drawn, just as there’s no way you can accurately predict which cards will be in the player’s or banker’s hand. However, there are plenty of steps you can take to improve your baccarat betting, including:

Knowing the Rules of Baccarat

The first step in betting on baccarat successfully is to understand how to play baccarat. Guides to baccarat rules like this are a great help, but nothing beats playing a few rounds of baccarat to really understand card values, drawing rules, and betting options. You can play many of our online baccarat games for free in a demo mode, to make sure you understand the baccarat rules clearly before you play for real money.

Strategic Baccarat Betting

The bet with the best chances of winning in baccarat is a bet on the banker’s hand, which wins 45.86% of the time compared to 44.62% for the player’s hand. This is due to the slightly advantageous rules for adding a third card to the banker’s hand. Even with the slightly lower payout, the banker’s hand is the most sensible bet to make in baccarat.

Other bets in baccarat can be tempting and offer bigger payouts. But if you want to maximise your chances of winning, try and avoid the tie bet and the outside baccarat bets. They offer much lower odds.

Manage Your Bankroll

When playing baccarat, set yourself a bankroll. This is a defined amount of money you have available to play with. Once you reach that limit, stop playing. You should only ever gamble with money you can afford to lose.

Myths and Misconceptions of Baccarat Betting

One big misconception about gambling is that previous results influence what happens next. But each round of baccarat is independent from the past ones. Just because the banker’s hand won the last three rounds in a row, it doesn’t mean the player’s hand is more likely to win the next one. The odds of each hand winning remain the same, no matter what happened in previous bets.

And whilst baccarat betting strategies may help you improve your winnings, they’re not infallible. Betting strategies won’t change the underlying odds of baccarat.

Can I Play Baccarat Online?

You certainly can, and playing baccarat online is a great way to ensure you understand baccarat rules and how to play baccarat.

You’ll find a variety of online baccarat games available at BoyleSports Games , including both classic baccarat simulators and novel takes on the game. You’ll also find live baccarat offered online in our BoyleSports Live Casino , with real-life dealers and all the action streamed to your screen.

Sign up to BoyleSports to play baccarat online today.