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Baccarat is widely considered the most glamorous of casino games, and uses regular playing cards in order to let players use a combination of skill and the luck of the draw to win. The objective in Baccarat is to obtain a 2 or 3 card hand that is worth closer to 9 than the banker’s hand. Each player always starts with 2 initial cards, and similar to Blackjack, there is not much more to Baccarat than deciding what kind of bet to make.
There are 3 aspects to playing Baccarat that a player must learn; the card values and their calculation, the course of the game and how to bet:
Card Values: Baccarat applies the following values to the playing cards:
- Ace is worth 1
- Cards 1-9 are worth their face value.
- King, Queen, Jack and 10 are worth zero
The total value of a hand in Baccarat is calculated according to the sum of the card values minus the tens digit. For example, 6 + 9 = 15, and 15 – 10 = 5, so the sum total of this hand is 5. This means that there is no way that a player can bust. The worst possible hand in Baccarat is worth 0, and the best is obviously 9.
Course of a Baccarat Game:
- The player is always dealt his/her 2 cards before the dealer.
- If the hand does not total more than 5, another card must be drawn.
- If more than 5 is obtained, then the player stands and the baker continues game play. The banker, however, can only draw another card if his/her hand does not exceed a value of 3, and he/she must also stand when reaching 7-9.
- The player with the hand value closest to 9 wins.
Betting:
Each player must bet on the hand that they think will be the closes to 9. The options are as follows:
- The Banker (or “Bunco”)
- The Player (or “Punto”)
- A Tie between the Banker and Player
- Any combination of the above 3 options.
The persons that bet on the highest hand in the game win.
Baccarat - Terminology
The following are some common Baccarat terms:
- "Baccarat" – the worst possible hand a player can have in baccarat – a hand value of zero.
- "Banker/player bet" – betting on either the banker or the player.
- "Banco!" – players say this when they decide to bet all of their money.
- "Carte" – to request a card from the dealer.
- "Coup" – a game of Baccarat.
- "Croupier" – the dealer.
- "Le Grande" – the best hand possible in Baccarat – a hand value of 9.
- "Natural" – when 2 cards are worth 8 or 9 together.
- "Petite" – when the total value of cards equals 9.
- "Standoff" – a tie between the banker and player.
- "Tie bet" – a bet made on a tie between the player and dealer.
Baccarat - Variants of the Game
Sometimes called Punto Banco (literally meaning ‘Player Banker’), Baccarat is also available in some unique variations such as Baccarat En Banque, Chermin de Fer, European Baccarat, Mini Baccarat, and many more. You’ll find a variety of your favorite Baccarat games here at EuroGrand online casino, where they can be played in both downloadable real-money version and instant flash practice mode. Baccarat may seem hard to pick up, but it’s really just a matter of having a go and getting a feel for it, so don’t let your beginner’s nerves get the better of you – go and play your first game of Baccarat now!
