Because you can’t influence the outcome of the game in any way, the rules should be pretty easy, right? Wrong. Baccarat can be very confusing. This is another reason to play free baccarat games online to learn. To start off, it’s important to understand that the player is never dealt cards directly to them. So who plays? Here’s how it works.
Start of the game
There are two types of hands dealt:
- Player hand:
the player hand is just the name of the hand. It doesn’t necessarily mean those are your cards
- Banker hand:
the hand that the player’s hand is playing against
Before the cards are dealt, a player will select which hand they want to bet on; the player or the banker. Players can also place a bet on the hand ending in a tie. Before we explain what happens after you place your bet, let’s look at the payouts of each bet.
- Player hand: if you bet on the player’s hand and it wins, you receive a 1:1 payout
- Banker hand: if you bet on the banker’s hand and it wins, you receive a 1:1 payout
- Tie: if you bet on a tie and it wins, you receive an 8:1 or 9:1 payout depending on the rules wherever you’re playing
Points
Once the bets are made, the dealer deals each hand 2 cards face up. The value of the cards is as follows:
- Numbers 2-9 : worth that number. Meaning, that a 7 of hearts is worth “7 points”
- Number 10 and face cards (Jack, Queen, and King): worth 0 points
- Aces: worth 1 point
Card suits don’t mean anything in spinarium.baccarat. You can ignore them.
This is where it gets a bit tricky. The total points of the hand are determined by adding the card values together and then taking only the last digit of the sum. For example:
- If a hand has a 7 and a 5 (7 + 5 = 12): the hand would have a value of 2 (since only the last digit, 2, is used)
- A hand with an 8 and a 3 (8 + 3 = 11): would have a value of 1
The ultimate goal is to get as close to 9 as possible. If the first two cards of either hand add up to 8 or 9, the game is over and that hand wins. This is called a natural win.
Additional cards
If no hand has a natural win, additional cards are dealt, starting with the player’s hand. Here’s how that works:
- If the Player’s total is 0 to 5 : the player’s hand gets an additional card
- If the Player’s total is 6 or 7: the player’s hand doesn’t get an additional card and is forced to stand on a 6 or 7
This is where it gets even trickier. After the player’s hand is finished, it’s the banker’s turn. If the Player stands (total of 6 or 7), the Banker will:
- If their total is 0 to 5 : draw a third card
- If the total is 6 or 7: stand
If the Player draws a third card, the Banker’s actions depend on both the Banker’s total and the Player’s third card:
- If the Banker’s total is 0-2 : the Banker always draws a third card
- If the Banker’s total is 3: the Banker draws a third card unless the Player’s third card was an 8
- If the Banker’s total is 4: the Banker draws if the Player’s third card was between 2 and 7
- If the Banker’s total is 5: the Banker draws if the Player’s third card was between 4 and 7
- If the Banker’s total is 6: the Banker draws if the Player’s third card was a 6 or 7
- If the Banker’s total is 7: the Banker always stands (no third card drawn)
End of the game
Once all of that is finished, the hand that is closer to 9 is the winner. If there is a tie, both the player hand bet and banker hand bets lose and the person, if anyone, that bet on a tie, wins.
Because whether or not each hand receives an additional card is determined by the rules, there isn’t much you can do to influence the game itself. However, there are still some strategies you can implement to try and win.
Always bet on the banker’s hand. Because of the rules, it has a slight edge in the odds of winning. Never bet on a tie. Though the amount you can win is much higher, it will rarely happen and you’ll likely lose more trying. Using the Martingale system. This means you double your bet each time you lose. This can get very expensive if you hit an unlucky streak.