Three Reasons to Play Baccarat

Baccarat is a popular gambling card game that started in mid 19th century France. The object of the game is to place a bet on the hand you think will be as close or equal to nine. In casinos, Baccarat's played in a sealed-off area called the Baccarat pit. The pit is protected by security guards and even has its own unique table to play on.

Baccarat is one of the most exclusive casino games that attracts plenty of high rollers – even characters like James Bond. In America, Baccarat's nickname is Shimmy. The most widespread version of Baccarat today is the simplified game Punto Banco.

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Easy to Play

Easy to PlayBaccarat is one of the easiest online card gambling games to play, according to our experts. It doesn’t have many rules to remember or moving parts to keep an eye on.

You have three things to bet on when playing Baccarat. You have the banker's hand, the player's hand, and the tie. If you successfully bet on your hand, you will win a 1:1 payout. If you bet on the banker being victorious and you're right, you will receive a 1:1 payout, but the house will take 5 percent. If you place a winning bet on a tie between banker and player, you will earn an 8:1 payout. Once you place your wager, the dealer will proceed with the game.

Counting the cards is simple. The ace’s value is 1, all numbered cards keep their respective number, and all face cards (jack, queen, king) are worth 0. If the total goes over 10, you subtract 10 from it. For example, a hand of 8 and 5 is 3 (13-10). Any number above 9 cx (10,11,12) becomes 0,1,or 2. In some cases, you may draw a third card.

PLAYER

Baccarat for player
Having  
1-2-3-4-5-10 Draws a third card
6-7 Stands
8-9 Natural (banker cannot draw a card)

BANKER

Baccarat for banker
When bankers first two cards equal: Banker draws when players third card is: Banker stands when players third card is:
3 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-9-10 8
4 2-3-4-5-6-7 1-8-9-10
5 4-5-6-7 1-2-3-4-8-9-10
7 Stands Stands
8-9 Natural (player cannot draw) Natural (player cannot draw)

Baccarat is a game that is all luck and no skill. This makes it friendly for a beginner.

Punto Banco

Punto Banco is the simplified version of Baccarat. Punto is popular in Asia and with high-rollers. The main difference between Punto and Baccarat is that with Punto, the cards are automatic. The player and banker do not get to choose to draw a third card. The only moving component is the player gets to decide what hand to put their bet on. Punto still uses the same card values, with Aces having the value of 1. Jacks, queens, and kings carry the weight of 0.

Game Mechanics

Pagat.com states the dealer will shuffle the deck in casinos. After shuffling, the dealer will pick a card and show it to the player. The dealer will then take the number shown on the first card, and discard it. After this, the dealer counts 16 cards up from the bottom of the deck and inserts a cut card. When the cut card shows, this shows that the next round of play will last. But, when playing Baccarat online, the cards get rearranged after each game.

Easy to Win

Easy to WinAnother reason why you should play Baccarat is that it is easy to win. The player's chance of winning is 45 percent, which makes this card game the easiest to win. According to 888 Casino, one of the easiest ways to win is betting on the banker winning. The banker wins 50 percent of the time, and to keep choosing the banker until they lose.

888 Casino warned that even if the banker is on a streak, the player shouldn’t bet large amounts of money if the banker loses. 888 Casino also suggests that after losing, the banker gets to bet on a tie before switching to bet on the player. After the player loses, you can go straight back to betting on the banker.

Potential High Payouts

Potential High PayoutsIn addition to being easy to win and to play, Baccarat can have high payouts. If you play smart, bet on the banker, and don’t bet crazy high amounts, you can rank up your winnings for a high payout. Additionally, some online casinos offer bonuses for deposits, like a CAD200 bonus for putting in your first deposit, enabling you to play longer. Baccarat has a thin house edge, meaning there's a lot of money to win at the casino’s expense.

Side Bets

If you're looking to up the payout potential, you should look at placing side bets. You may be in shock to find out that online casinos only have a minimal range of side bet options. Only two software providers, namely Playtech and Dragonfish, offer any side bets. According to Pagat.com, the side bets offered include:

  • Player Pair – a bet that the first two cards the player gets will be of matching rank
  • Bankers Pair – a bet that the first two cards the banker receives will be of matching rank
  • Either Pair – a merge of player and bankers pair
  • Perfect Pair – a bet that the first two cards that either banker or player receives will be of the same rank and suit
  • Big – a bet that a total of five or six cards will get played over the full round of play
  • Small – a bet that only four cards get used during the game

Enjoyable and Accessible

The final reason why you should play Baccarat is that it's enjoyable and accessible. Baccarat is such an easy card game to play, beginners can instantly learn and enjoy it. Rest assured that Baccarat is available at almost every casino.

Top Casinos to Try Baccarat

Conclusion

In conclusion, Baccarat is a fun, easy game that gives players the ability to win a high payout. It is found in any online or in-person casino. It's a game that you can jump in and play without much thought.

Lucas Goldberg
Lucas, a seasoned site editor at CasinoCanada, boasts a decade-long journey in the gambling industry with a focus on providing players with meticulous reviews and insights of online games and casinos.
Site Editor
University of Toronto
Bachelor of Arts in Communications, Digital Media, and Journalism, PlayTech Analytics career, communication with users through high-quality gambling content.
Expert in:
  • iGaming Content
  • Bonus Incentives Theory
  • Trend Analysis
Reviewed by Head of Content:
Dmitry Rogalchuk
Last updated on: 20.02.2024

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