What is Baccarat?
Mention the game Baccarat and images of grandeur, wealth and aristocracy are evoked. Don’t let that put you off; it’s all a question of experience and of becoming acquainted with the rules. Although it’s worth knowing the rules to appreciate the essence of the game, it’s really disputed whether you have to know them as the truth of the matter is that Baccarat is actually a game of chance. Whatever way you look at it, you’ll soon see that Baccarat is one of the simplest casino gambling games in existence.

Rules and Fundamentals for Playing Baccarat
The rules are easy and you don’t have to be particularly proficient at the game. Although Baccarat is known for playing at high wagers, the online game allows you to gamble for low bets. To play online Baccarat you need eight packs of cards. You place your bet with the other players or with the bank. The dealer shuffles the cards several times and places them in a box known as the shoe. One player, the banker, takes charge of the shoe. Each player is permitted to take a turn at dealing or you can simply skip dealing by passing on the shoe to the next in turn.

The game begins by the player making a bet on whose hand will have total value nearest to nine: the player’s or the banker’s. Each is dealt a maximum of three cards and a minimum of two. However there is an order to the dealing: the player receives the first and third cards from the shoe while the banker gets dealt the second and fourth card.

The values of the cards are as follows: a ten is equal to 0, an ace is equal to 1, face cards are equal to 10; all the remaining cards have the values as given on the cards. Add the cards’ values to calculate the hand total. Note the following rules in calculation:
The first digit is disregarded when a total exceeds 10. Thus if you have a 5 and a 9, it adds up to 14, but we ignore the 1 and the total is 4. Similarly if the sum amounts to 10 the total remains 0. If you total 8 or 9 (sometimes called a Natural) with your first two cards then you stop drawing more cards.

Your wins are paid out on a 1 to 1 basis. And as previously stated the hand totaling the closest highest score to 9 points claims victory. If the banker wins he pays out a 5% commission. For example if he wins $20 he pays out a commission of 5% and is left with $19. Identical scores means that nobody receives or pays any money.

Analysis of the Player’s and Banker’s Hands
No matter what total his hand is the player is permitted to accept only one additional card if he decides to continue drawing after receiving the first two cards. The banker’s hand, in contrast, is dependent on the player’s third card. Assuming that the player did not take a third card because his second card led to a total of 6 or higher then the banker draws a card only if he totals less than five on his first two cards. However, if the player did take a third card then the banker decides to play according to a number of given rules.

Where to play Baccarat online?
Almost all online casinos have Baccarat or Mini-Baccarat within their games. If you are looking for high limit Baccarat please take a look at our High Limits Casinos