How to play Baccarat
with real money
Baccarat is one of the most feared games on the casino floor because people tend to think that it’s too complicated to play. However, it is one of the more simple table games in a casino, and there is not much you need to know to start playing.
Baccarat tables are now also available online as Live Casino Baccarat, where you will have a live dealer, or digital baccarat, which uses a random number generator. Both options will get you on the road to winning real money!
Learn to play Baccarat
As mentioned, baccarat can be somewhat intimidating at first. But at its crux, it’s a decent card game with only three possible outcomes per hand. Contrary to popular misconception, baccarat requires little to no skill from the player!
Baccarat uses three to six standard 52-card decks. The croupier is the real hero behind the game, dealing the cards, doing the calculations, and following all the baccarat rules. All you really have to do is place your bet, sit back, and let the flip of the cards decide your fate.
To start, you will place a wager on one of three options: Player hand, Bank hand, Tie.
The dealer will deal two cards face up to the Player and two cards face up to the Banker. The goal here is to guess which hand has a count that’s as close to 9 as possible.
● Cards 2 – 9 carry their face values.
● Tens (10s) and face cards (J, Q, and K) have a numerical value equal to zero (0).
● Every ace (A) counts as 1.
The values of the two cards are added up to determine the worth of each hand.
Example: If the Player has 3 and K, then the hand is worth 3 points. If the Banker has 3 and 5, the hand is worth 8 points.
If the total of any hand is more than 9, the points are adjusted by deducting 10, or likewise by dropping the sum’s first digit. Therefore, if the hand’s two cards are 9 and 4, the total comes up to 3 – not 13.
Each hand can hold up to three cards, and there are rules specified by the casino on whether the Player hand or Banker will receive a third drawcard.
Rules for drawing a third card in baccarat
Player
| Card Total | |
|---|---|
| 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10 | Dealer draws a card |
| 6, 7 | Stands |
| 8, 9 | Natural (Banker cannot draw) |
Banco
| Card Total |
Banker Draws when Player’s third card is |
Banker Stands when Player’s third card is |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 | 8 |
| 4 | 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 | 1, 8, 9, 10 |
| 5 | 4, 5, 6, 7 | 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10 |
| 6 | 6, 7 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10 |
| 7 | Stands | Stands |
| 8, 9 | Natural (Player cannot draw) |
Pros and Cons of Playing Baccarat
✔ Easy to play
✔ Good payouts and high RTP percentage
✔ High win frequency
❌ Not particularly strategy based
❌ Game of chance
