There are a lot of card games out there some more some less known. They all rely on both luck and the deduction skills of the players. Many of these are played in casinos worldwide and make an enormous turnover of the resources. Nevertheless, people love the thrill and they will always come back to their favorite and most profitable games. One of those games is baccarat. If you are interested in learning a new game, and possibly play it in a casino, rules and strategies will be laid out below.
This game is not too complicated, but there are a few rules that need to be followed.
Firstly, while playing it is always one on one; meaning only two players can play at the time, no matter the number of players sitting at the table. Two hands of cards are being dealt, yours and the bankers. Any other participant in the game can place a bet predicting the outcome of the hand-drawn. The person in possession of shoe can bet only on the dealer or pass on the shoe.
The one who is in possession of the shoe needs to slide a card. The card is now in the possession of the dealer. The next step is to give it to the player who has placed the highest bet. The following card is drawn, the bankers’ card is laid out alongside the shoe. The next round of cards is dealt with, one for the player and one for the banker. After this dealer makes a call, and the player with the highest bet takes a look at his cards and passes them to the dealer who flips the cards and tells everyone to present the sum of these cards. Banker is next, and the same procedure follows which ends with the dealer handling the cards. If more cards are needed both player and banker need to call for them to be dealt with. When the player and/or dealer need the card, it will be given one by the dealer who has got it by the person holding the shoe. In order to speed up the game, or in so-called mini-baccarat, the shoe holder is left out in order to speed up the whole game.
The whole point is to bet on the cards that sum up to nine or close to it. All tens and cards with faces (queen, king and, jack) do not contribute to the game in a sense they are not worth any points. All other cards bring the number of points equivalent to their number and ace brings one point to the game. When the sum of all cards is larger than 10, only the second digit is accounted for; meaning if the hand is 7 and 5, they sum up to 13 and the hand is worth 3.
At the beginning two cards are given in each hand; their sum, however, determines the further development of the game and will the next card be passed to the player or dealer. The first one to complete the card drawing is the player who will draw a card if the sum of his cards is lower or equal to five. If the sum is six or seven player stands, and the sum of eight or nine is considered neutral and no cards in these two cases are handed to the player.
For the banker, the same rules apply but his possibility of taking more cards highly depends on the hand of the player. If the players’ third card is 8, the banker can draw his third card. It can get the fourth card if the player has any other card except 1,8,9 and 10. The fifth draw is possible if the player has cards 4-7 and the sixth draw is done only if the last card of the player is 6 or 7.
It is important to remember that if there is a tie everyone wins.
Now that we have covered basic rules it is good to mention where you can play the game and use this knowledge. You will not need to suit up and get your formal couture from the back of your closet for this game. Luckily for you, there is a vast number of online casinos, such as Best Casinos India or Real Casino Canada where you can play this, and many other games.
There are some tips that are worth mentioning.
- Be sure to avoid betting on the tie since for this type of bet here are the least chances of winning. Even though this seems like the most logical solution, some statistical calculations suggest that these are where people lose most of the money; since this type of bet is more favorable to the house and not the players.
- When in doubt, bet on the banker, he has more hands, more cards and more chances of hitting the sweet spot
- If you are on the streak and want to keep on the lucky chain bet on the banker as long as wins. Again more cards mean greater chances of winning. This does not mean that the baker a safe bet. Maybe a bit safer than players, but luck played a great role in this game and tables can turn very fast.
- When a banker loses, bet on the winning player, it’s simple as that. Follow the luck around the table.
- If you think that mini-baccarat is safer since there are fewer steps, you are wrong. Fewer steps mean faster game means more decisions and that can lead to more mistakes which can and will cost you.
- Money management is very important since in this game it is very easy to have a winning strike followed by a losing strike.
Conclusion
Baccarat is an easy and fun game to play. It doesn’t have too many rules, it is good as a pass time and it is played relatively fast. In this game time passes fast, players change and if played in the casino it can make a positive impact on your budget. It is a game in which strategy comes second, and luck comes first, so if you are feeling lucky hit that button and see where it can take you.