How to play baccarat card game

The main task in baccarat is to collect equal to 9 or the closest number of points to it. Kings, queens, jacks, tens and combinations of 10 points are not taken into account by the croupier. Other cards are valued according to the standard face value. An ace is worth 1 point, a deuce is worth 2 points, a three is worth 3 points, and so on. If a player collects 9 and 5 on his hands at the same time, then such a combination is considered 4 points, since the sum of the numbers is 14, and it is customary to discard ten.

For baccarat, six full decks are used simultaneously. The dealer deals cards from a special box called a clog or shoe. The distribution takes place on one card. The croupier does this the first time in a clockwise direction, and the second time in the opposite direction. As a result, each participant (the dealer also plays) receives 2 cards. Only the points the player has have value. The dealer puts a certain amount of funds into the general bank, after which the punters from the right to the left of the croupier accept the bet or fold the cards (pass).

If none of the participants supported the bet, the dealer has the right to offer it to several players. After the end of the distribution, the bet is doubled until the moment when one of the players decides to accept it. Further, the size of bets is again reset to the minimum value. As the cards are dealt, the tension at the table gradually increases. Players study the received combinations, and if someone scored 8 or 9 points, then he voices this information and wins.

If there are no such participants, then the croupier offers to take one more card to the player on the right. He can refuse to take it, as well as the person to the left of the dealer. Then the croupier will take an additional card. At the next stage, the players are completely open, and the croupier pays out the winnings to the one whose total points are closest to 9 or vice versa.

Baccarat betting system

The dealer distributes 2 cards to the participants on special fields, which are called "player", "bank". Players decide on their own what kind of bet to make - for the player, against the house, "tie bet" (falling out of two equivalent cards).

The participant who chooses the sector "player" takes the winnings in the amount of 1k1. If the “bank” sector wins, the bettor receives the amount of his bet minus 5% commission. It should be remembered that the bank rate will require additional funds to pay the commission fee.

When a “tie bet” combination falls out, the participant who has chosen this field is paid a win in the ratio of 8x1. In a situation where the bet goes to the “pot” or “player”, and the “tie bet” wins, your funds are saved.

If the participants who bet on the “player” sector complete the distribution with two cards, then everyone who chose the “bank” receives an additional card if they have 3, 4 or 5 points. The game ends if someone from the "bank" sector collects 6 points.

James Bond Baccarat Strategy

In the novel "Casino Royale", the famous writer Ian Fleming explains the baccarat tactics of the main character of the James Bond book. The super spy talks about his strategy like this: “If after the distribution of two cards I get 8, 9 points, then I open and win, only the dealer should not have a similar combination. When I get 7, 6 points I try to bluff, when 5 points I should think about the need for an additional card. If less than 5 points come, then I always take a card. Five points is a definite limit.

Baccarat Rules

With such a combination, the chances of worsening or improving your position with another card are the same. The croupier can only look at his combination when I give him a sign by tapping my finger on the table, which means that I am given another card. If I tapped on the cards, I leave everything as it is. When the dealer scores the points necessary to win, he will definitely reveal himself. Otherwise, the croupier is in the same situation with me.

But he has the special advantage of seeing my position. When I leave everything unchanged, the croupier may guess that I scored 5,6 or 7 points. If I ask for an additional card, then I have fewer points in my hands and it is absolutely not a fact that my situation will improve. It is also worth considering that the new map will be visible to everyone. According to it, the croupier is able to assess my chances of winning, after which he will decide whether to take a card for him or leave everything as it is. Therefore, it has a slight advantage.

There is a situation in the game that is problematic: when 5 points are rolled, should you take another card or not? How will the opponent act in similar conditions? Some players choose to stop and some always take. Personally, I used to trust my intuition. Although in reality it depends more and more on the roll of 8 or 9 on the first hand. They just have to come to me more often than the croupier.”

Additional odds in baccarat and their benefits

"Dragon Bonus"

In the English interface, such a bet is referred to as the Dragon Bonus Bet. It can be called the most popular among side bets. She wins if the participant in the distribution (banker or player - at the user's choice) wins with a combination of natural 9 ("natural points"), or with an advantage of more than 4 points. Payouts for this bet depend on the final advantage of one of the participants in the distribution.

*If both participants in the distribution roll 9, then a draw is declared.

The house edge over long distances at these rates is quite high: 2.65% (if you bet on the player), and 9.37% on the dealer. These indicators are not static, they can change, relative to the number of decks available. However, in any case, the casino will have a high advantage.

Dragon 7

A much less common bet. She will play if the dealer wins with 7 points, having 3 cards in hand. The payout is 40 to 1. Despite the gigantic odds, this is an extremely unprofitable bet, since such situations happen very rarely. The advantage of the gambling establishment in this case is 7.5%, which indicates the inappropriateness of such a bet.

Panda 8

Another rare and unprofitable bet. It passes if the banker wins with 8 points on three cards. The payout is 25 to 1. Such situations are also not very frequent, so the advantage of the casino over long distances is even greater - 10.2%.

"Big & Small Bets"

This side bet is found predominantly in online casinos built on the Playtech platform. The Small Bet passes if both participants in the hand receive four cards. Big Bet will play if the number of cards of all participants in the distribution increases by one or two. For the first bet, the odds are 3 to 2, for the second, 0.54 to 1. The house edge is 5.27% and 4.35%, respectively.

"Perfect Pair Bet"

This side bet is also found in online casinos developed by Playtech. It passes if the first card pair (in any position) consists of cards of the same suit or equal in value. The analogy with the "perfect pairs" bet from blackjack is obvious. Payouts are made at a ratio of 25 to 1. For tables with 8 decks, the house edge is 13%, with six 17%.

"Either Pair Bet"

Another side bet from the developers at Playtech. It consists in the fact that the user bets on the loss of a pair from one of the participants in the distribution. Payouts are made at a rate of 5 to 1. In this case, the casino has an advantage of 14.5% with 6 decks, and 13.7% with 8.

"4-5-6 Bet"

This bet is very popular in US offline gambling establishments. It consists in guessing the total number of cards the banker and the player have. If number 4 wins, then the payout is 1.5 to 1. If 5 or 6 wins, the payout is 2 to 1.

Lucky Bonus Bet

Another common bet in US gambling establishments. It passes if the banker wins with 6 points. The payout is 18 to 1. Such situations are quite rare, so this rate is not very profitable - the house edge is 2.34%. In this case, one more nuance must be taken into account - the “lucky bonus” should not exceed 1/10 of the main bet. A similar rate can be found exclusively in the United States, mainly in gambling establishments located in the state of California.