Playing Baccarat Gives You the Best Odds in a Casino

If you’re looking for a simple game with high odds of winning, Baccarat is the game for you! Next to slots, baccarat is the easiest to play. You just have to choose a side for your bet and the dealer does the rest. You can bet on the player, on the dealer or on a tie. Unlike blackjack or several types of casino poker, the casino isn’t really the banker and the player isn’t you.

Just two hands are dealt to areas marked dealer and player, with the banker’s hand having a slight edge in winning. In fact, the house withholds a 5% commission because of that.  The house edge is still only 1.06%, compared to 1.24% even with the commission subtracted. If you’re playing $10 on the banker and win, you’d win $9.50. For those betting $10 on the player when the player wins, the return would be even money, $10. Betting on a tie has the worst odds, with the house edge at 14.4%. Most casinos offer a higher payout for those betting on a tie and winning, normally around 8-1. For a $10 bet, you’d get $90 back when there was a tie.

The goal of the game is for the cards in the hand you bet on to total 9 when added together. The score could be 9, 19 or 29, it doesn’t matter, since the second number, the 9, in this case, is the only one that counts.  Face cards count as 0, aces count as 1 and cards from 2-9 have face value. If the player gets a king and 6, the player’s total is six. If the banker gets a 5 and an ace, the total is 6 also. While some hands only have two cards each, there are rules for a third card being dealt. Again, you won’t have to worry, since these rules are already established and you don’t have to make any decisions. It’s much like the dealer’s hand in blackjack, where the dealer must take a hit if the cards total less than 17; nobody makes the decision there either, not even the dealer, but it comes from a prearranged set of rules.

If either the dealer or player has an eight or nine in the first two cards, it’s a natural, which is a winning hand and that round ends. In the case where one has an 8 and the other has a 9, the 9 wins. If both hands have either an eight or nine, then it’s a tie. Both the dealer bet and the player bet get their money returned, but the person who bet on a tie gets $8 or $9 back for every dollar he or she bet.

If you’re betting on the banker, you may be surprised when the dealer hits the banker’s hand, even though the hand is winning. That’s because the rule says it must be done. After the first two cards are dealt, the value of the last digit of the player’s cards is tallied. If the score is 8 or 9, it’s a natural and they win automatically if the banker’s hand is lower. If the dealer has an 8, it’s a tie, but if it’s a 9 the banker wins.

If the total of the first two cards is 0 through 5, the player must draw a third card.  For example, if the player has a 9 and 6, the total is 15 and only the last digit is used, so the player has 5 and must draw. If the player draws a 6 or 7, they don’t take a third card, regardless of what the banker has.

Next, the rules turn to the banker. The banker draws automatically if the hand tallies to 0-2, even if the player only has 1 and the banker has 2. The banker draws on three if the player draws a third card, unless it’s 8. The banker draws on four if the player draws a third card that’s between 2-7. The banker draws on 5 if the player drew a third card from 4-7. If the player drew a third card from 6-7 and the banker has 6, the banker draws. The banker stands pat when the hand shows from 7-9. It can be frustrating, particularly if the banker is winning and drawing causes the hand to lose, but the draw is all predetermined by the existing rules.

In live casinos and some virtual ones, baccarat games have side bets. Some of these include Dragon bonus, small/big, pairs and progressive baccarat.