Rules on playing online Baccarat

Baccarat attracts a host of players at all casinos and is generally played in a separate enclosure. This also serves as additional security because of the incredibly high stakes involved. The Punto Banco variation is the favoured one in casinos all over the United States, Australia, Canada and Sweden. This is also the version played in Online Baccarat.

As you know by now, all players have the option of betting on the Player, the Banker or the rarely used additional option- the standoff/tie. These don`t necessarily denote any individual player for the "player" or the house for the "banker" option but are just the basic designations for the two hands that will be dealt.

This game is played using standard eight or six deck cards having the same pattern. Once you know the rules of game playing, you will know that in Baccarat the only knowledge that is essential is the odds of winning depending on the option you lay the wager on.

In Casinos, the croupier at the head of the Baccarat table generally deals while some casinos may also allow players to deal. Online Baccarat obviously has cards that are dealt automatically by a virtual dealer. Before the cards are dealt, each player chooses what option they are going to bet on.

The cards are dealt face down, one at a time, first to the player and then to the banker. Two cards a hand are dealt at first. Both cards are then turned over and the croupier will announce the total, based on the point system. Additional cards are then drawn by the Player and Banker in accordance to a set of rules called the "Tableau". At the end of the round, the hand with the highest score wins.

Starting off, if the total of the initial two cards, for either hand, adds up to 8 or 9 (called a natural), the round ends right there and no further cards are drawn. If this fails to happen, then the round proceeds as follows:

• If the Player has an initial total of 0-5, the Player hand is dealt an additional card. If, however, the Player totals sums up to 6-7, he stands.
• The Banker`s course of action depends on a larger number of considerations, these are the Banker`s hand total, on whether the Player drew an additional card and further on the card that that the Player drew.
• If the Player stands and the Banker has a tally of 0-5, the Banker draws. If he has a total of 6-7, he stands.
• If the Player drew an additional card which is a 2 or a 3, the Banker will draw if his hand has an initial total of 0-4, and will stand if the total is 5-7.
• If the Player drew a 4 or 5, the Banker draws if his initial total is 0-5, and will stand if the total is 6-7.
• If the Player draws a 6 or 7, the Banker will draw if his initial total is 0-6, and will stand if the total is 7.
• If the Player`s additional card is an 8, the Banker will draw if his initial total is 0-2, and will stand if his total is 3-7.
• If the Player drew an ace, a nine or a ten, or a face card, the Banker draws if he has a total of 0-3, and will stand if the total was 4-7.

After this procedure is complete, the croupier tallies the two hands and will announce the winning hand- either the Player or the Banker. Losing bets are first collected and then the winning bets are paid according to house rules.

Most casinos give even money on a player bet but charge a 5% commission on all winning banker bets. If both the hands tally to an equal score, that is when the stand off or tie bet wins.

The game appears simple enough, and other than the betting itself, does not require anything to really be done by players. So what do you really need to know from all this?
The issue of utmost importance in Baccarat is to know the house advantage, which is very low in this game. The Player bet has a house advantage of 1.24% and the Banker bet has a house advantage of 1.06%. This basically means that your chances of winning are higher if you bet on the banker than if you bet on the player.

The stand off/tie however has a house advantage of 14.4% with a six deck card game but the pay offs are at the odds of 8 or 9 for one.

In the end however, the odds are in the favour of the house, and if you play long enough, everybody except the house is sure to lose money.

Here`s a clearly etched out strategy for you if you want to do well at the game of Baccarat.

Know that among the three possible bets, the odds are in favour of the Banker bet, which has a 44.61% possibility of winning. So it makes more sense to bet on the Banker more often than betting on the Player. However, keep in mind that you will have to pay a 5% commission on your winnings, if you win on a Banker bet.

The possibility of winning a bet on the tie or standoff is next to nil, so despite the high payoff, avoid betting on the tie option.

Keep a well marked financial strategy for this game. Allot a portion of your money to betting and a part of it on paying off the commission. Also keep your winnings aside from your betting money, and avoid using your profit for betting. Although, Baccarat gives you a chance to win loads of money, you may also lose it all very easily.

Knowing all of this, you are sure to have a great time at the Baccarats table, a game very simple and very thrilling all at the same time. It is a game that can change fortunes overnight. So get set to for a fun-filled round of baccarat and we wish you the very best of luck!