What Every Card Player Needs to Know About Baccarat

Have you ever played Baccarat? 

As somebody who’s been playing card games, knows about cards, or at least interested in them, you should know that it is one of those card games you should try playing. 

Baccarat is an amazing game that anybody who loves playing cards can definitely learn and enjoy playing this, too. Unlike Blackjack where you play against the dealer, in Baccarat, you can win, the banker wins, or you both win. Anyone who participates in the game can bet on either the banker or the player. 

By now, you may be familiar with the saying that “It’s not about the cards you have been dealt with. It’s how you play your hand.” Contrary to the common belief that playing cards is all about luck, it’s actually more than that. It’s a combination of skills and knowledge on how you should play your hand. 

Playing card games like Baccarat is more of an opportunity to enhance your skills in reading your cards, applying appropriate socialization, and learning simply to have fun together with people you may or may not know. If you associate playing cards with good times, you are far more likely to learn and develop your skills than just play for the sake of playing.

What is Baccarat?

Although you may play Baccarat at home or at a party with friends, it is best played in a casino. 

The origin of this game is unknown but some sources claim that it started somewhere in the 19th century. Some stories also claim that it originated from Italy, which was eventually introduced to France during the 15th century war. Regardless of its origins, this game had been very popular among the French nobles. 

While there are many variants of this popular game, you simply need to understand the basic mechanics of the game. Like Blackjack, the cards in Baccarat have values. Numbers 2 to 9 of each suit are worth their respective face value in points. However, unlike Blackjack where the jack, queen, and king have high values, these cards do not have value in Baccarat, including the number 10. They are zero or worth nothing at all. Ace is 1 point. 

The cards in your hands are valued according to their sum, but considering only the right-most digit. For example, if you have cards 2 and 3, your hand’s value is 5. If you have 5 and 6, your hand’s value is 1 (5 + 6 = 11; where 1 is the right-most number). Here, the number on the left (first digit) is dropped. That is why the highest score you can get is 9, and the lowest is 0, or known as “baccarat”.

Baccarat Game Rules

At the start of the first round, the player and the banker get 2 cards each. Both cards on each hand are shown and added together. The player and the banker may draw another card or they can stand depending on the value of the cards on each hand. 

• Natural

In an initial deal, if the banker or the player has a total of 8 or 9 on each deal, no additional cards will be drawn. This is what you call “natural” or the game is over because there is already a winner.

• When to draw

If the player’s hand value is 0 to 5, the player can draw another card. But, if the player’s initial deal is a sum of 6 or 7, he stands or no additional card is drawn. 

For the banker, the condition to draw a card actually depends on the player’s situation. That is, if the player draws another card, the additional card the player drew, and the current hand value of the banker. 

• Pay

The hands with the highest score wins - can either be the player or the banker. Bets that have lost are collected and goes to the house while the winning bets are paid according to the house rules. The winning player gets 100% of the bets. But, a winning banker is paid 95% and the remaining 5% goes to the house as commission. 

If there’s a tie or both the banker’s and player’s hands are tie, the tie bets are paid 8 to 1 odds. The remaining bets to either the player or the banker will stay for the next game.  

Contrary to what most people think, Baccarat is not a game of card counting just like Blackjack. While there are various strategies you can learn to win the game, card counting is definitely not the most ideal. 

Either way, you can certainly practice playing at home to get the edge or at least understand the game better before trying to play at a casino. Check out these amazing plastic playing cards from Copag USA and learn to play Baccarat even at home.  These plastic playing cards are made from the finest materials and the best-in-the-industry technology manufactured from Brazil so you can enjoy a game of Baccarat better.