Baccarat

Of the card games found on online casinos, Baccarat is one of the most interesting and is one of the very few games where you can bet against your hand. But it is also one of the least known by casino ⭐ players. For this reason Steeves250 has decided to create a guide on how to play Baccarat in which we will explain the rules and the main game strategies.

The Rules of Baccarat

If you want to find out how to play Baccarat on a live casino the first thing you will need to do is to understand its workings perfectly in order to become a player who can successfully enjoy it. The main objective of a Baccarat game is to get a score that is close to or equal to 9 with your cards 🂤. And the round will be considered won by the one who comes closest to this value and in case the value is equal the hand will be considered as a tie.

An important aspect that differentiates Baccarat from Blackjack is that if the sum of the cards is greater than nine, only the second digit of the sum is taken into account. For example, if you are holding a 9 and a 7, the value of your turn will be 6.

How to Play Baccarat: The Value of Cards

In baccarat, the figures (jack, queen and king) and the number ten are worth zero, the ace is worth one and cards two through nine are worth exactly what is shown on the card.

Here are some examples of possible outcomes based on the cards you may have in your hand:
Ace + 5 = 6
6 + 9 = 5
Queen + King + 5 = 5

How to play Baccarat: the main variants

There are numerous variations that have been devised over the years. But the one most used by Canadians online 🌟 casinos is Punto banco. Other interesting and entertaining variants are Macao, Two-Table Baccarat and Chemin de fer.

In this post we decided to focus our attentions on how to play Punto banco Baccarat being what you can find on 888Casino and LeoVegas , two of the leading casinos for playing Baccarat.

In this version of Baccarat, after the bets have been made, the dealer, according to the value of the first card turned over (Ace is worth one and the tricks are worth ten), places a certain number of cards. At this point, the player 🧔 , who represents the point, and the croupier, who represents the bank, take two cards, alternating their choice.

If the sum of the cards of only one of the two players is eight or nine, or if the sum of one of the two is nine and the other is eight, the player who has the cards with the higher sum wins the hand. If both players have a hand whose sum is equal to or greater than 7, the round ends in a tie.

In the event that neither player has reached the value that allows you to win the hand you will continue the round. If the value of the cards is less than five the point 💸 is entitled to receive a third card, while if the sum of the cards is six or seven the players will have to stand, i.e. they cannot take a third card.

Rules

In case the player has to stand the bank will follow the same rules to determine whether to take a third card. The situation is different in case the player has received a third card and there are different rules to know:

• If the value of the bank’s cards is equal to or less than two, the player must take one card.
• If the value of the cards of the bank is equal to three, the player must take one card 🂤, unless the player has drawn an October.
• If the value of the cards of the bank is equal to four, the player must take a card only if the third card of the player has a value between two and seven.
• If the value of the cards of the bank is equal to five, the player must take a card only if the third card of the player has a value between four and seven.
• If the value of the cards of the bank is equal to six, the player must take a card only if the third card of the player has a value between six and seven.
• If the value of the bank’s cards is equal to seven, the player must stand.

At this point, the winner of the hand is determined, who is obviously the person with the highest ⭐ sum of cards. If the cards of the player and the bank have the same value, the round ends in a tie.

How to Play Baccarat: Odds

If you have read the first part of this guide carefully and you are an experienced player, you will surely understand that the calculation of the odds in Baccarat plays a lesser role than in other casino games 🎲.

However, if you want to be a successful player it is worth having a basic idea of the odds of holding certain cards. Especially to understand what edge a casino has.

The chances that the player receives two cards whose sum is eight or nine with the two initial cards is 16.25%, while the chances that both the bank and the player get cards that result in a tie with the first two cards is 1.79%. The chances of the bank getting two winning 🏆 cards is 15.35%. And of course the most likely outcome of the first two cards is that neither gets the cards needed to win with the first two cards (65.72%).

How to play Baccarat: betting strategy

The fact that in Baccarat the bets are placed only at the beginning of the hand leaves little room for strategic study. However, knowing the probability of winning a hand and good management of your bets will increase your enjoyment.

The first note to make is that it makes no sense to bet on a draw. The odds of 8 might tempt many players, but the casino’s margin of over 14% allows us to say that it is better to focus on other bets. And indeed, experienced players decide to bet on the banker’s or player’s win.

One thing you absolutely need to know is that the casino’s earnings on this game depend almost exclusively on the 5% commission charged on the dealer’s wagers. For this reason, Steeves250’s advice is to always look for a casino that offers the lowest possible commission percentage 💶. For example, you could sit at a Unibet Grand Baccarat table where there are no commissions on the dealer’s winnings.

The last aspect to consider is the betting method you decide to follow. Due to a rather small margin in favor of the dealer, several betting methods have been devised that tend to reduce the luck factor in Baccarat. The most popular of these is undoubtedly the 1-3-2-6 system to be used when consecutive wins are achieved. This method is ideal for not risking losing too many units in the event of a losing hand. And when combined with the Avant-Dernier method, which involves betting equal to the outcome of the last two hands if the same result has occurred, it can be particularly effective.

After reading our guide on how to play Baccarat you just have to find the best casino for this fantastic table game and start trying your luck ☘. In our post we have recommended three of the best Canadian casinos, read the reviews and find out which one is right for you.

Good game and good luck 🌟!