Baccarat
is one of the simplest and easiest casino card
games to learn. It has some similarities to blackjack,
but is much less complicated. Baccarat is becoming
extremely popular, especially online. Here is
an introduction to the game and its rules to help
you learn this fun and exciting game.
One of the best ways to learn baccarat is to play
online. Look for a site where you can play for
free, and practice until you are sure you understand
how the game is played. This way you will not
have to worry about other players getting upset
with you for holding up the game. You also will
not have to put your money at risk in order to
learn. You can take your time to learn the rules
and become comfortable with the game before playing
against other people.
The Baccarat
Table
The baccarat table is a symmetrical table that
has room for up to fifteen players. Each seat
position is numbered, and there are three labeled
spaces on the table for the player to place his
or her bets. To bet on the player’s hand,
chips are placed on the space marked “P.”
Bets for the banker’s hand are placed in
the space marked “B.” To place a tie
bet, put chips in the space with the player’s
seat number marked on it.
There are small boxes in the middle of the table.
These are numbered 1-15, and the commission fees
on bank hand wins are tracked in them. Commission
fees must be paid before the player leaves the
table.
There are three dealers, or callers, working the
baccarat table. The way they work the table is
similar to craps dealers. The dealer at position
1 is the caller. His job is to make the calls
on the hands. He stands at the center of the table
on the opposite side from the position 2 and 3
dealers. The position 2 and 3 dealers each take
care of the betting on their side of the table.
The callers must watch the table carefully because
the players are dealing cards.
The object of the game is to get a hand that has
a point total as close to nine as possible without
going over. In baccarat, tens, jacks, queens and
kings all have a value of zero. Aces are worth
1 point, and the other cards are worth their face
value. If the value of a hand goes over ten, ten
points are subtracted from the score. So a hand
that adds up to 16 is really worth 6 points.
Betting rules are as easy to learn as the rules
for playing. There are only three choices. You
can bet that the player’s hand will win,
you can bet that the banker’s hand will
win, or you can bet that there will be a tie.
If you win on a player’s hand or banker’s
hand bet, the payout is two for one. There is
a commission on a banker’s hand bet. If
you bet that there will be a tie and win, the
payout is nine for one.
After the first two cards for each hand are dealt,
the dealer determines whether a third card is
needed. The rules can vary from one casino to
another, but in most, if either the player or
the banker has a point value of 8 or 9 after the
first two cards, no more cards are dealt and the
higher hand is declared the winner. If no one
has a hand with a value of 8 or 9, then a third
card will be dealt based on a strict set of rules.
The player is dealt another card if the total
of the first two cards is five or less.
The rules for whether the banker draws another
card can be complicated. The banker draws another
card if the initial total of their hand is 2 or
less. For an initial hand of 3, the banker draws
another card only if the player’s third
card is eight. For a hand of 4, the banker draws
if the player’s third card is a 0, 1, 8
or 9. For a hand of 5, the banker draws if the
player’s third card is a 0, 1, 2, 3, 8 or
9. For a hand of 6, the banker draws if the player’s
third card is a 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8 or 9.
Since the dealer makes the decisions concerning
which hands are dealt additional cards, it is
really a lot easier to play than that last paragraph
made it sound. All you really have to do is decide
which hand you are betting on, then wait to see
how the cards are dealt. So find a free baccarat
game online, and get started practicing. Once
you have learned the game, you can head out to
your favorite casino to put your new skills to
the test. |
