Baccarat Rules
There are several variants of Baccarat, but the one known as "Punto Banco is usually played at casinos. The most important characteristic is that the casino always plays the bank. The casino dealer always deals the cards. This is done according to pre-established rules that cannot be deviated from. As in Blackjack, players cannot determine what they do. In casinos, baccarat is played with 6 or 8 decks of cards.
The value of the cards is as follows:
- The cards two to nine have the value on the card. For example, a 9 is worth 9 points;
- Ten, Jack, Queen, and King are worth 0 points;
- the ace is worth one point;
- jokers do not participate in baccarat.
If you score ten points or more, then the correct score is the last number. For example, if you have a 5 and a 7, then you have two points instead of twelve.
The purpose is to score 9 points or at least to approximate the score to 9 as close as possible.
Baccarat Betting Options
At Baccarat you can bet in three ways: on profit for the player, on profit for the bank or a tie. Betting on punto and banco will give you your bet once. An exception is if Banco wins with a point total of 5. Then you win twice your bet. A bet on a draw (egalité) yields the most, namely 8 or 9 times your stake.
The best bet is a bet on Banco. This bet has a payout percentage of 98.94 percent. A bet on Punto has a payout percentage of 98.76 percent. Betting on egalité is especially beneficial for the casino. In the case of 9 times your stake, the payout percentage is 95.15 percent. With 8 times your stake, the payout percentage drops to a whopping 85.6 percent. So if you want to bet on egalité, it is best to choose a gaming table where you will be paid 9 times your bet if it ends in a draw.
Pass or Play after the First two Cards
You make your bet before the dealer starts handing out the cards. After the stakes have been placed, the cards are dealt. The cards are placed face-up on the table, both for Punto and Banco.
If Punto or Banco (or both) has 8 or 9 points, the game is over. This situation is called "natural." Whoever is closer to 9 wins. In the case of an equal number of points, it is a draw. If neither the Punto nor the Banco has 8 or 9 points, the game continues:
The player (Punto) receives a third card in the case of 0 to 5 points. The player must pass in the case of 6 or 7 points. If the player has to pass, the bank plays according to the same rule as the player. That means that the bank (Banco) receives an extra card with a point total of 0 to 5. In the case of 6 or 7 points, the bank passes.
Third Card
If the player receives a third card, different rules apply to the bank. What the bank does depends on the player's third cards:
- 2 or 3 for the player: then the bank receives an extra card at 0 to 4, and the bank stops in case of 5, 6 or 7 points;
- 4 or 5 points for the player: the bank receives a card if the bank has 0 to 5 points. In the case of 6 or 7 points, the bank stops.
- 6 or 7 points for the player: the bank receives an extra card in case of 0 to 6 points. At 7 points, the bank passes.
- 8 points for the player: the bank passes if the points total is 3 to 7. In the case of 0, 1, or 2 points, the bank receives an extra card.
- 9, 10 or a picture for the player: the bank gets the third card if the bank has a point total of 0, 1, 2 or 3 points. The bank stops at a point total of 4 to 7.
Then it is checked who is closer to the 9. Do the punto and the banco have the same score? Then it is a draw.
Baccarat strategy
The strategy at Baccarat is to make the bet that produces the highest payout percentage. That is a bet on Banco. With a Banco bet, the house advantage of the casino is only 1.04 percent. This makes this one of the most beneficial bets you can make in an online casino. A bet onPunto means a house advantage of 1.24 percent for the casino. The bet on égalité has a large house edge for the casino and therefore an unfavorable payout percentage.
Do you want to bet on égalité? Then choose at least for an online casino where you get paid the stake 9 times at égalité. The Baccarat games from NetEnt pay 9 times the stake at égalité.
Some players apply roulette strategies such as Martingale or Fibonacci at Baccarat.
