Baccarat

The most popular of all casino card games is, without a doubt Baccarat. Every casino has at least one Baccarat table but in places like Macau you can expect to see hundreds, as this is the most common card game played in Asia. It appeals to both high rollers and low rollers alike and thanks to its easy to understand rules the game is very fast playing and you soon know your fate. Despite its fast pace the game isn't as boisterous as say craps or roulette and players tend to sit in complete comfort around specially designated areas of the casino. It is worth noting that the game of Baccarat can be quite volatile in terms of both winning and losing streaks so it isn't a game for the faint hearted and often attracts the most robust players looking to take on the house.

Playing Baccarat Online

If you are looking to play baccarat online be aware that you will be able to play a great many more hands per hour than you could at a land-based venue, and as such you will experience much more visible streaks. This is perfectly normal due to the nature of the game. Let's just hope you manage to get onto a winning streak sooner than later! Another important fact to mention is one concerning casino bonuses, if you have accepted a bonus from an online casino you must carefully check that they allow these additional funds to be used on Baccarat, as some sites don't allow you to play this game with a bonus. Some sites will allow you to play with a bonus but with require you to play through your bonus and/or deposit a certain amount of times before you are free to cash-out any winnings. So make sure you know where you stand at all times when playing with an online baccarat bonus. 

Baccarat Rules

The rules to playing Baccarat are simple to understand and the game is played around a large table that can hold around 12 people, each table has three Dealers. The basics of the game is to bet on whether you think the Dealers hand or the Players hand will win you can also bet on a tie. It is a game of chance but one that retains an element of skill between a player and the Banker. The game of Baccarat can use any number of standard decks of playing cards with no jokers. There are just three betting options and the aim of the game is to simply predict whose hand, either the Banker's or the Player's, will be closest to a value of nine. You can also bet that the game will end in a tie. The deal rotates around the table but you as a player are under no obligation to deal and may should you wish simply pass the deal onto the next person should you decide. The person who is dealing will continue to do so as long as the Banker bet continues to win. The Dealer begins by placing two cards both of which are face down onto the table and will then deal two cards to whichever player has the most chips in their wager. These card are then reviewed and given back to the Dealer who then shows their hand, one of the casino dealers will then announce the result of both the hands card totals. Subject to what the totals are another card may be dealt. The casino dealer will then announce the winner and pay all successful bets and remove losing ones. The deal will rotate around the table, much like the dice rotate around the craps table. If a player does not want to deal they may pass the shoe to the next player. The same person will keep dealing as long as the banker keeps winning. The person dealing will once again put two cards, face down, tucked under the shoe, and give the player with the greatest bet on the player the other two cards, face down.

Baccarat Payouts

You will win should you correctly predict the result of the game choosing that either the Bankers, Players or Tie bet wins. In the standard game of Baccarat should you choose correctly you will receive the following payouts: If the Banker's hand wins (and you bet on it) you will get even money, less a 5% commission which is kept by the house. If the Player's hand wins (and you bet on it) you will get paid out at even money. Should the Tie bet win and you bet on it you will get paid at 7 -1 (this can be greater depending on which casino you are playing at). To confirm, should the hand that you wagered on wins, you are going to get paid out at even money, unless of course you have bet on a tie. If you have wagered on the tie bet then the payout is eight times (7-1) the amount you bet. Should you have placed a wager on the Banker's hand, and win, you will get even money less a 5% commission. If you have not bet on a Tie bet but the result of the game is indeed a tie then you will get your stakes returned to you.

Baccarat Hands

As we mentioned earlier the winning hand is the one that is closest to nine in total and as such you will need to know the exact card value of each card and these are as follows: A King of any suit is worth 0 A Queen of any suit is worth 0 A Jack of any suit is worth 0 A 10 of any suit is worth 0 A 9 of any suit is worth 9 An 8 of any suit is worth 8 A 7 of any suit is worth 7 A 6 of any suit is worth 6 A 5 of any suit is worth 5 A 4 of any suit is worth 4 A 3 of any suit is worth 3 A 2 of any suit is worth 2 An Ace of any suit is worth 1 When the total number of your hand exceeds nine in total the then new value of the hand becomes the unit portion of the total. To help you understand what is meant by that read our two examples below. If you have in your hand for example a Six of Spades and a Nine of Diamonds. The point values are therefore 6 and 9, and the total of this hand is 6 + 9 = 15. In this example the ten part of the number is ignored so the value of your hand is a 5 If you have a hand consisting of a Nine of Diamonds, and a Nine of Hearts then the point values are 9 and 9, so therefore the total of the hand is 8, 9 + 9 = 18 and then ignore the ten value.

Online Baccarat

Baccarat games by software

Real Time Gaming (RTG) Baccarat

To begin with we will take a look at Real Time Gaming's Baccarat, the payouts for their game can and does vary from casino to casino so we will take a look at the best paytable we have found from an RTG software powered casino.

In their version of Baccarat the game will begin once you have placed your wager and cards are dealt to both hands.

RTG Baccarat uses six decks of cards and these are always shuffled after each hand. The usual betting options are available including betting on either the Bankers hand the Dealers hand or the tie

The best tie bet payback we found on Real Time Gaming Baccarat was 8 to 1. So if you are looking around look out for this payout as it does reduce the house edge.

The card values in RTG Baccarat is standard and suits of the playing cards have no meaning and are irrelevant. All of the cards from 2 through 9 count as face value. The tens, Jacks, Queens, and Kings all count as zero and the Aces count as 1.

To work out the value of your hand simply add the cards together and should the number be ten or over simply drop the first digit. ie 7 + 7 = 14 so take off the 1 digit and the total becomes 4

There are several ways to win and these are all fairly standard namely: The hand you have bet on is the highest in total, you will also win if you bet on the Tie bet and both hands once finally dealt are equal.

If you wagered on the Players hand and it wins you will get even money. Betting on Banker will if it is the Bankers hand that wins get even money however you will have to pay a 5% house commission. A winning tie bet means you will win 9 times your wager.

You will lose if:
The hand you have bet on is not the highest hand.
You bet on a Tie but the banker hand and the Players hand are not equal.

Rival Baccarat games

You may have never heard of Rival, they are one of the recent additions to the online gaming world and supply the software needed to power their current range of casinos that number 10 in total.

Their software has proved to be a very stable and reliable piece of kit and thanks to their ability to accept payments from US players they are gaining a great number of new (baccarat) players from other software providers who have banned such players from using any of their casinos.

Rival powered online casinos carry just one Baccarat game in their gaming suite. Their version uses 8 decks, and these are dealt at the end of each game.

The rules follow the basic rules with a winning Banker bet paying even money less a 5% house commission, the expected payout percentage based on their rules is 98.94%

Rival currently just offer a download version of their software, it is quick to download and you can add the games you want and leave those you don't wish to download. This results is players being able to download and play in minutes without have to download a bulky gaming suite before they can play.

Playtech  Baccarat games

Playtech are another software provider that has dozens of venues both casinos and poker sites powered by them. They have been around for several years now and are one of the leading providers by virtue of their solid and reliable gaming products.

It is worth pointing out however that US players are not permitted to play at any casino or poker site powered by them. All other worldwide players however are free to play without any restrictions.

Playtech uses a 6 card deck and this is shuffled after every game, their Baccarat game follows the standard rules and incorporates the "Third Card Rule". This third card rules in Playtech Baccarat is as follows:

If the Point Value of the Players first two cards is either a 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or a 5 then the player draws a card.

If the Point Value of the Players first two cards is either a 6 or a 7 then the player Stands.

If the Point Value of the Players first two cards is either a 8 or a 9 then this is called a "Natural hand", and no further card is dealt.

Bankers Third Card Rule If the Point Value of the first two cards is either a 0, 1, 2 they always draw a card.

If the Point Value of the Players first two cards is a 3 then he will Draw when the third card is a 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 and does not draw when the third card is a 8

If the Point Value of the first two cards is a 4 then he will Draw when the third card is a 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and does not draw when the third card is a 0, 1, 8, 9

If the Point Value of the first two cards is a 5 then he will Draw when the third card is a 4, 5, 6, 7 and does not draw when the third card is a 0, 1, 2, 3, 8, 9

If the Point Value of the first two cards is a 6 then he will Draw when the third card is a 6, 7 and does not draw when the third card is a 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9

If the Point Value of the first two cards is a 7 then he always stands.

If the Point Value of the first two cards is either a 8 or a 9 The Player cannot draw.

The payoffs on Playtechs Baccarat is as follows, winning Banker bet pays 2 for 1 minus 5% house commission, a winning Player bet pays 2 for 1 and a winning Tie Bet pays 9 for 1.
 

Cryptologic Baccarat games

Cryptologic have just a small handful of online casinos powered by them even though they were one of the pioneers of online gambling. Their licensees are therefore a good bunch and they have no outstanding player issues.

They have a time proven product that appeals to many players thanks to its size, stability and life-like game-play.

They have all the usual games on offer including an 8 decks version of baccarat. by using 8 decks the house edge on the banker bet is 1.06%, on the player bet is 1.24%, and on the tie bet it is 14.36%.
 

Microgaming Powered Baccarat

Microgaming are the industry leader when it comes to casino software. They offer the most stable of all gaming platforms that has proved time and time again to be 100% reliable.

Microgaming offer two variations of Baccarat the standard version which uses just one deck. The house edge on the banker bet is 1.012% and on the player bet it is 1.286%.

They also offer a High Limit game of Baccarat, on this game they use 8 decks, and as such the house edge is 1.06% on the banker bet, 1.24% on the player bet, and a massive 14.36% on the tied bet.

Net Entertainment Powered Baccarat

Net Entertainment offer a no download suite of casino games, they have a very large European player base at all their many online casinos and offer a very rigid and user friendly software package.

Their version of Baccarat uses eights decks and that means the house edge of this game is Banker bet is 1.06%, the Player bet is 1.24% and a Tie bet is 14.36%.

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Baccarat Systems - Strategies

By virtue of Baccarat being a random game there is no way you can use skill to predict the outcome, however this hasn't stopped a plethora of websites offering to sell systems which they proudly proclaim will make you rich. As always such schemes should be avoided and you should never pay for any kind of gambling system. The best way you can maximize any potential returns when playing Baccarat is to find the game with the lowest house edge and also the best comps. These additional casino comps can greatly reduce your losses and as Baccarat can be quite volatile you will be amazed at how quickly you can earn and amass large number of comp points. Following a pattern - One popular way to play Baccarat is to follow the way the cards are being dealt and simply place your next wager on the outcome of the previous hand, namely if Banker for example just won then your next wager is on the Banker bet. The logic for this is simple, with there being just three possible outcomes the game throws up, at times some very long streaks of the same winning outcome. Some players will double up their bet after a win and will aim for 3, 4 or even 5 winning wagers in a row. Some players will simply flat bet and some will just throw their chips down on whatever gut feeling they have.

Baccarat Scams and Cheats

Land-based casinos have a much bigger chance of being victim to cheats and fraudsters than online casinos, playing against a computer ensures all parameters are fair and controlled in such a manner that you will receive random cards and your results should fall within the expected returns for that game.

There have been many attempts to rip off bricks and mortar casinos and one such attempt was in Atlantic City, and this resulted in 13 people being arrested and charged with theft by deception and it was the Claridge Casino Hotel that stood to lose around $100,000 via this fairly well thought-out but ultimately unsuccessful scam.

It took a 3 month investigation to conclude the surveillance operation, and the center of attention was a number of people of Vietnamese descent, and a Claridge dealer, who played a key role in enabling the scam to work.

The scam was a complicated one and involved a couple of players who acted as recorders, their role in this scam was to simply begin playing Baccarat at low stakes and via the recording cards they made a note of all the cards dealt.

When the shoe was exhausted these players then left the table.

The Dealer then performed a false shuffle which meant the cards didn't change the order in which they had previously been dealt. Nine new players then joined the table, these players had been given by the previous recorders a full list of the cards that had been previously dealt and this meant that the cards that were about to be dealt would be the same, due to the false shuffle.

These players then bet very large amounts on each hand often as high as $3,000. During this session they won collectively more than $100,000 dollars.

All these players were arrested at the table and the State Police confiscated $90,000 in chips and currency.

There have been hundreds of similar attempts to defraud casinos over the years most get uncovered but some the most successful never get exposed and are still being perpetrated almost daily.

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