The Basics of Baccarat
Baccarat is a table game with a reputation for being glamorous and exclusive, but it has more to do with luck than skill. The game has one of the lowest house edges in casino games, with about 1.2 percent on player and banker bets. However, the tie bet has a much higher edge, more than 14 percent. Smart players avoid the tie bet and stick with either player or banker.
The rules of baccarat are fairly simple. Two cards are dealt to each hand, and the winning hand is the one that gets closer to nine in total value than the other. If the player hand and the banker hand have a combined total of eight or nine, it is known as a “natural,” and no third card is drawn. If either of these hands have a six, they must stand; otherwise, the sixth card is drawn.
In addition to the player and banker bets, there are two other betting options: a super six and a pair bet. A super six is an optional bet that wins if the player hand or banker hand totals six. A pair bet is an optional bet that pays out if the player’s first two cards are a pair. Neither of these bets is affected by the number of decks used in the game, but players should note that different casinos use different numbers of cards.
When playing baccarat, players place their bets in the betting circle before the dealer deals two cards to each hand. Once the bets are placed, the dealer will draw a card and reveal it in the Player box, then another for the Banker box. If the player or banker hand has a total of eight or 9, no additional cards will be drawn; this is known as a ‘stand’. If the hand total is 0 to 5, or equals 10, it will be a ‘stand’ as well. If the total is 6 or 7, a third card will be drawn, but this does not affect the outcome of the game.
A baccarat score sheet is available to help players track the results of previous hands. Some players will keep these score sheets, claiming that keeping track of past wins and losses helps them divine patterns, but basic number-crunching shows that this is nothing more than superstition. The odds are always slightly in favor of the banker, and no amount of tracking will change that.
Baccarat is a popular game among high rollers, and bets of $100,000 per hand are not uncommon. The popularity of the game has even resulted in some casinos introducing a new type of progressive jackpot for table games. This new feature, called Bonus Spin Xtreme, links multiple table games within the same casino and offers players the chance to win a large sum of money. This technology is available in several of the leading online casinos. However, players should always be aware that the minimum bet varies from site to site, with some offering as low as $20.