Baccarat is a card game that heavily involves chance. This game is very popular in casinos all over the world as well as here in Australia, especially with high rollers. The game is played on a large table, and in brick and mortar casinos can attract a lot of attention. The game can be played with up to three dealers and twelve to fourteen players. Originally there are three types of baccarat, but the most popular one is now Punto Banco, or North American Baccarat. Some Canadian casino sites will offer more than one type, but Punto Banco is almost always on offer.
Aim of Baccarat
The aim of baccarat is to bet on which hand will get closer to a score of nine. Each card has its own point value to make up this total. Cards 2 to 9 are at face value, for example, 5 is worth five points and 2 is worth two points. Cards ten through King are valued at 0 and Ace is 1. Baccarat is played with six decks of cards and only two players; you and the banker.
Technically, as you can bet on the Player, Banker or a Tie, the player doesn’t refer to the actual person playing the game, but rather a position at the table. One hand is dealt to each the dealer and player. To win, you must pick the hand that has the highest score closest to 9, either yours or the bankers, or you can wager on the game being a tie.
How to Play Baccarat
The game online baccarat in Canada is played using six decks of cards, which are all reshuffled after each hand. Two hands are dealt, one to you the Punto, and one to the banker the Banco. Now the player simply bets on which hand will win, very like choosing red or black in roulette. Each hand consists of two cards, but a third may be dealt under certain circumstances.
The dealer will put two cards face down on the table, and give the player with the largest bet on punto the other two cards, also face down. The Punto player then looks at the two cards and gives them back to the dealer. The dealer will then turn over the cards of both hands while one of the casino dealers or in the case of online baccarat the computer will announce the winner. If either hand has a total of 8 or 9, then it is called a natural, and no other cards are dealt. This is where the third card may come into play.
Depending on the value of each hand, the casino dealer or computer may instruct an extra card to be dealt. This extra deal will follow a very precise set of rules laid out by all casinos. Once all dealing is complete, the hand with the highest amount of points wins.
Baccarat Tips
Baccarat is a game of chance, but there are a few things that players can do to increase their odds of winning. The first is to always check the odds. Make sure that you know exactly what is going on in your chosen game and your chosen casino. Always bet the banker as this bet has slightly better odds than the player bet. And lastly, quit while you are ahead. This sounds obvious, but with the excitement it is easy to get caught up in the game. Keep a level head and quit while you are ahead!