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Ever walked by a roped-off area of the casino with massive tables and dealers in tuxes? You probably know that this is a baccarat pit, and baccarat is fast becoming a very popular casino game in America and around the world due to it's relatively low house edge (amongst the lowest found in the casino) and it's sheer simplicity. In addition, baccarat and, to a lesser extent, mini-baccarat, have a lot of glamour-appeal to many people; the sharply-turned out dealers and serious pit-bosses help to ensure this image.
Baccarat is a simple but often passed-over game of chance that comes to us, like roulette, from the glamorous gaming salons of Europe. In Las Vegas and even more so in Atlantic City, you'll find many Americans are intimidated by the apparent complexities (although it's a very simple game) as well, perhaps, as the glamorous attire many baccarat players are dressed in (some pits even require formal attire). For whatever reason, many players are missing the opportunity to enjoy a game with a very low house edge and, importantly, one that moves quite slow, allowing you to play at a leisurely and enjoyable pace.
Mini baccarat is the most commonly played version, and also the one that is generally found at online casinos, so we'll focus on those for the most part. Little differences, however, will still be pointed out.
Card (Any Suit) Card Value (Points) Ace One 2 Two 3 Three 4 Four 5 Five 6 Six 7 Seven 8 Eight 9 Nine 10, jack, queen, king Zero
As you can see, face cards (i.e. "picture" cards: kings, queens etc.) and 10s have no value (i.e. zero points count towards the hand total) and all other cards - twos through nines - are given the same point value as their face denotes.
To determine the value of a hand, you add up the points assigned. If the total is greater than ten (i.e. if two eights are dealt) then you drop the first digit (i.e. our pair of eights total 16, and the first digit is dropped giving us a total of six). A three card hand of an 8, 3, and 6 would total 18, giving you a hand value of eight.
When a nine is dealt in two cards, it is called le grande natural; and no further cards are drawn for either hand. In the case of a two card eight, it is called le petit natural (naturally), and again no further cards are dealt. Of course, le grande natural is the strongest hand and wins against all other hands, except in the case of a tie.
The step immediately following the initial deal of two cards to each hand is the step that most people get confused at. The irony here is that the player does not even need to know who wins or loses or the rules for the cards as once play has commenced, there are no decisions to be made by the player, and the croupier always plays both hands according to the rules.
First, the croupier checks to see if either the player or the banker hands total eight or nine; if this is the case, the natural hand wins and the game is over. If both hands total eight or nine, the nine obviously wins.
If neither hand has a natural, both hands are played out as follows: The player hand is always the first to be played, regardless of what's in the banker hand. It is played according to the rules.
When the banker hand totals eight or nine, the player does not draw a card. If the banker hand totals less than eight, the player with a low total draws one card, as follows:
If the player's first two cards total: The player's hand must: Zero through five Draw another card Six or seven Stand Eight or nine Natural - No cards drawn
The banker hand is always played last, depending on how the player hand was played. If the player hand did not draw a third card, the banker hand reacts as follows:
When the banker's first two cards total: The banker will: Five or less Draw Six or more Stand
When the player hand totals eight or nine and the player did not draw a third card, the banker does not draw a card.
When the player hand draws a third card, the banker hand is always played as follows:
When the banker's first two cards total: The banker draws only when the player's third card is: The banker stands only when the player's third card is: Two or less 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 Three 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-9 8 Four 2-3-6-4-5-6-7 1-8-9-10 Five 4-5-6-7 1-2-3-8-9-10 Six 6-7 1-2-3-4-5-8-9-10 Seven 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10
Three cards are the maximum amount that can be dealt, and when all is said and done the hand closest to nine still wins. The dealer pays those who bet on the winning hand. In the event of a tie, all bets are pushes except tie bets which usually pay 8-1 (The odds of hitting a tie, however, are about 10 to 1, and because the house only pays 8 to 1 that brings the payback for tie bets to a not very appealing 81.5% - in short betting on "tie" is not a good bet). Banker and player bests are paid even money (1 to 1) except that a 5% commission is normally taken off of all banker wins which drops the payback to around 19 to 20.
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