The rules of the game Baccarat
One of the oldest card games with fairly simple rules. There are three types of bets: lose-lose or draw. The contestant has to predict who will get the most points – the player or the banker – and bet accordingly.
How to play baccarat
Gambling houses offer a simplified version of the game – mini-baccarat. This requires six decks of 52 cards each. To compete players use a special marked table.
The process is led by a representative of the casino – the dealer. The player’s job is to guess and bet. The dealer is not a bystander, but a fully fledged participant, who also gets to place bets.
Main rules
Baccarat can be played by more than one person at a time. There are usually seven people around the table. A new participant can take any empty seat in the playing area. To place your bets, you need to buy chips. Bets are placed before each new game. Baccarat has a fixed minimum and maximum value. Within these limits you can place your bets by placing chips in the appropriate betting area.
There are three betting options:
- Banker – to win the pot.
- Player – to win the player.
- Tie – a draw.
A number of casinos offer additional bets, for example on the amount of points dropped, the pairing of one of the players and so on.
Once the bets are placed, the dealer deals cards to the playing sectors one by one – the first and third go to the player’s field, the second and fourth go to the bank. Everyone ends up with two each. A third card can be dealt, but this requires special conditions.
How the points are counted
In baccarat, different cards earn different numbers of points. The number of points is equal to the face value of the cards when it comes to 2-9. One point is counted as an ace, while kings, queens, jacks and tens are not counted as baccarat. Once all the cards have been dealt, this is counted as the sum of the cards in the player’s hand and the dealer’s hand.
Each player will try to reach a total of nine points or as close to this figure as possible. If the total is higher, the number counts after discarding the tens. For example if a player has 11 points then 11-10 gives one point and so on.
What to do if there is a tie
It is not uncommon for a player and dealer to receive the same number of points, in which case a tie is declared as a push. The corresponding bet wins. The player and the pot do not lose anything, they keep their chips. In such cases a third card is dealt. The order of the deal depends on the amount of points the players had. If it was eight or nine, the winner is declared immediately after the new sum of points is calculated.
If the sum of points after the first round is greater than nine, the tens are reset and then the result is determined. All calculations are done by the croupier and the player simply enjoys the game and its results.
Prize payout
A participant of the game receives his winnings instantly, after the results of baccarat are summed up. The amount of the prize is calculated according to a certain principle. A wager on a player gives a one-to-one winnings, a pot gives a one-to-one winnings minus five percent and a draw gives a one-to-eight winnings. All losing bets are forfeited.