Baccarat Rules

Choose which hand you choose to play, the Player痴 hand (pays 1:1), the Banker痴 hand (pays 1:1 less a 5% house commission), or a tie (pays 8:1).The Player and the Banker then receive 2 cards each. The object of the game is to attain a total as close to 9 as possible. Aces are worth 1, face cards and tens are worth 0 the remaining cards are worth their face value. If the total of the hand exceeds nine, the value of the right digit is taken. For example, a 9 and a 6 (15) would equate to 5. The rest of each round is dictated by the following rules: 

If either the Player's or the Banker's hand totals 8 or 9, neither player receives a third card and the hand closest to nine wins.

The Player's hand will always hit on a total of 5 or less and will stand on 6 or higher.

If the Player stands, the Banker will also hit on a total of 5 or less and will stand on a total of 6 or more.

If the Player takes a third card, the Banker proceeds based on the following table. The Banker痴 response is based on the Player's third card.

If the hand ends up tied, the tie bet pays 9:1 and all other bets are pushed back .

Baccarat Strategy

The drawing of cards in baccarat is purely a matter of chance. Any tips that you get for this part of the game will be bogus. In fact the betting side is pure chance as well, a novice has the same chance as an experienced player. The best tips we can give you then are the odds so you can keep themin mind when you're on a roll or starting to bet.

If you want to bet on the player hand just put your money in the area marked "player". A will will get you $1 for every $1 you bet. The casino advantage on the player bet is about 1.36%.

If you want to bet on the banker hand, place your bet in the area marked "banker". If you win, you'll will get even money as well, but you'll have to pay a 5% commission on the amount you win. So, if you won $10 on your bet, you would owe a 50¢ commission to the house. The 5% commission is only required if you win and not if you lose. The dealer will keep track of the amount you owe by putting an equal amount in a small area on the table that corresponds to your seat number at the table. So, if you're sitting at seat #3 and won $10 on the bank hand the dealer would pay you $10 and then put 50¢ in the #3 box. This lets him know how much you owe the casino in commissions and when you get up to leave the table you'll have to pay the dealer whatever amount is in that box. After adjusting for that 5% commission the casino advantage on the banker bet is 1.17%.

Finally, if you place your bet in the area marked "tie" and if you win you'll be paid at 8-to-1, or $8 for every $1 you bet. The big payoff sounds nice but actually this is a terrible bet because the casino advantage is a very high, 14.1% and this bet should never be made unless you feel extraordinarily lucky. Still, sometimes you just have to take the big risks to net the big wins.