Baccarat (pronounced BA-KA-RAH) offers some of the best odds and despite its appearance, is probably the simplest game to play. Baccarat involves just a few decisions. How much you want to bet and whether to bet on the Bank, the Player or on the Tie Bet.

The object of Baccarat is to be on one of two hands. The winning hand is the one which totals the closest to nine. Nine is the hightest hand.

Playing the Game of Baccarat

Eight decks are shuffled together and those participating in the game place a wager on either the Bank or the Player. All bets must be placed before the dealer calls 'no more bets' and the cards are dealt.

The game starts with four cards dealt alternately from the Shoe. First card to the Player, second to the BANK, third to the Player, and fourth to the BANK. (Forming two hands of two cards each, one called the PLAYER'S hand, the other the BANKER'S hand.)

The rules of Baccarat and Mini Baccarat are similar. However, all cards in Mini Baccarat are dealt by the Dealer. Baccarat House Edge On a regular baccarat table, house odds range from 1.01 to 1.24 percent on the BANKER and PLAYER bets. Feb 27, 2011  How to Play Baccarat. Baccarat is an exciting game, full of suspense and intrigue! Baccarat is both simple to learn and play. A game of baccarat has three possible outcomes: Player win, Banker win, and tie. Note that 'Banker' does not.

The first and the third cards dealt are placed face down for the PLAYER'S hand. The second and fourth cards are placed face down until the PLAYER'S hand is called. At this time, the second and fourth cards shall be placed face up for the BANKER'S hand.

If the point count of either hand is 8 or 9, it is called a 'Natural,' and no additional cards are drawn. If the Bank does not have a Natural, the Player will always draw a third card on totals of 0-1-2-3-4 and 5 and stand with 6-7-8 and 9.

The Hand closest to 9 wins and pays even money. A winning Tie Bet pays 9-to-1 but the Player’s and Banker’s Hand neither wins nor loses.

Face cards and tens have no value. Aces always count as one. If the cards dealt total more than nine on either hand, they acquire the value of the second digit. For example 10=0, 13=3, 20=0, 24=4.

The shoe holds eight decks of cards. It is passed around the table from player to player, counter-clockwise, every time a player hand wins. This is a way of encouraging each player to take an active part in dealing with the game. Before cards are dealt from the shoe, everyone places their bet on the side they think will win (banker or player). The player with the shoe then deals four cards alternately. Two are designated player cards, two are designated banker cards.

The dealer announces the total of each hand and the winning side is then announced. When betting on the Bank, the casino will collect 5% commission on money won.

The object of baccarat is to bet on which hand will have the highest value. The highest hand in baccarat is 9 and the lowest is 0. Tens, Jacks, Queens, and Kings are counted as 0, an Ace counts as 1 and all other cards count their face value.

Rules: Player Card and 3rd Card Rule

These charts describe the fixed rules governing the drawing of additional cards.

Rules: Banker

When the PLAYER hand wins, the shoe passes to the next player.

Tie Bet - With a tie bet, you are betting that both the player and banker hands will tie. If they are tied, you will be paid 9 for 1
Nine is the hightest hand
If a banker or players hand has a total of eight or nine on the first two cards, no further cards are drawn.
Player hand having 0 - 5 must draw one card.
Player hand having 6 or 7 must stand

Difference between Baccarat and Mini Baccarat

The rules of Baccarat and Mini Baccarat are similar. However, all cards in Mini Baccarat are dealt by the Dealer.

Baccarat House Advantage and Expected Lose

Be Warned:

This website encourages you to play responsibly by betting within your limits and by recognizing that over time the house will come out ahead.

Players Club Cards

Related Content

Baccarat – (A Game Worth Playing)

Whether you're a baccarat beginner trying to understand the basics or an experienced master of the game trying to test out your latest strategy

We invite you to play for fun on my baccarat trainer before risking real money in a casino or on your mobile. This is one of our proudest games where at the Wizard of Odds. We strived to make it as realistic as possible.

Here are some of the features we hope you enjoy:

• With the menu bar at the top, the player can choose to play mini baccarat style where all the cards are dealt quickly by the dealer or 'big table' style where the player turns over the cards one at a time. There is also a hybrid where the player only turns over any third cards to be dealt himself. To turn over a card, just click 'deal'.
• View a realistic history board. Have you ever wondered what all those red and blue circles and lines mean on a baccarat scoreboard? We did too before creating this game. Whether you care about the Bead Plate, Big Road, Small Road, Big Eye Boy, or the Cockroach Pig, our scoreboard has it all. For a written explanation of how each work, please see my page on Baccarat Score Boards.
• View out statistics board for a summary of the last shoe. Here you'll find the percentage of Banker, Player, and Tie bets. You'll also get something no casino will give you, the house edge of the same three bets based on the exact composition of the remaining cards. Sometimes the player will have the edge late in the shoe. Finally, for you card counters out there, we make it easy by showing you how many of each rank are left in the shoe.

How To Play Mini Baccarat

Your bankroll is generously started with $10,000. The minimum bet is only $5 and the sky is the limit in terms of a maximum.

We challenge you to get your bankroll to the point where you're betting $25,000 chips. Are you up for it!

We feel our game plays almost like the real thing. However, here you won't have to suffer second-hand smoke or players pounding the table yelling 'monkey!'

Maybe it is better than playing for real money -- decide for yourself.

Play Mini Baccarat For Free

With the introductions out of the way, the only thing left to do is….get down to business play.

Mini Baccarat Rules Of Play

Here at the Wizard of Odds we don't believe in luck so we wish your results to fall on the right side of the bell curve.

Acknowledgments

• JB, our brilliant programmer, for the code behind the game.
• Tic Tabs, for providing the playing card images.
• The Venetian, for their patience in explaining how the scoreboards work.

How Do You Play Baccarat

Online Baccarat Bonuses

A lot of sites tend to overlook baccarat bonuses, but we know there is a strong and dedicated following that love the game, and we set out to form the following table for the best baccarat bonuses. This table is sorted using the bonus amount, wagering requirement, and quality of casino, among other factors.

Best Way To Play Mini Baccarat