How to play Baccarat

In baccarat, the object is for players to bet on the winning hand. No matter how many players are at the table, there are only two hands dealt—the dealer hand and the player hand. Players will place bets at one of three spots on the table based on which hand they believe will win. There is a spot for the dealer, the player and a tie.

The dealer will place the two hands next to each other face up on the table. All cards count their value. Aces count as 1, and all 10s and face cards count as 0. Simply add up the card values to get the hand’s total. Whichever of the two hands totals 9 or comes closest to 9 wins. If a hand total is higher than 10, you will drop the tens digit (e.g. 18 becomes 8).

The dealer will start by dealing two cards to each hand face up. If either hand equals 8 or 9 after the initial two cards, it is called a natural. A natural automatically wins a hand. If both hands are naturals, the game ends in a tie. If naturals do not come into play, a third card will be dealt. If the player’s two-card total equals 5 or less, the player must draw another card. If the total is 6 or 7, he or she may stand. The dealer must also draw another card when his or her total is 5 or less. Once both hands have been played out, the hand closer to 9 will win. The dealer will then pay those who bet on the winning hand. In the case of a tie, those who chose the player or dealer hand will not lose their wagers.

A wager on the player hand winning is paid off at 1 to 1. A wager on the dealer hand is paid off at 1 to 1 minus a 5% commission. A wager on a tie is paid off at either 9 to 1 or 8 to 1, depending on the casino.

There is also a mini-baccarat game. The same rules apply for mini-baccarat as far as game play. Minimum wagers are usually much lower in mini-baccarat. Mini-baccarat is also less interactive, as players will only get to help deal the cards if playing regular baccarat.

For free tips on baccarat and other casino games, visit the Southern Gaming website.