The Basics of How to Play Baccarat

Baccarat is a casino card game that can be enjoyed by players at online and land-based casinos. The game has numerous variations, but there are 3 primary versions that are widely enjoyed: North American Baccarat, also known as Punto Banco, Chemin de Fer & Baccarat Banquet, which is also known as à deux tableaux Baccarat.

Punto Banco, which translates to Player Banker, is a pure game of chance and luck. This game does not involve any decisions or skills. The outcome of the game purely depends on the cards that the player and the banker get. On the flip side, the other two versions, Baccarat Banquet & Chemin de Fer involve skill and players make decisions that will affect the game play. บาคาร่า

How to play online baccarat 

Also known as Punto Banco, Baccarat is a fairly easy game to comprehend and to play. The main aim of the game is to bet on the hand that will result in the highest point value closest to 9.

There are a couple of idiosyncrasies that take some time to get used to including the banker hand and the player hand. The game is played using a six-deck or eight-deck of cards, which are reshuffled after each hand. You can bet on either the Player, the Banker, a Tie or else, a combination of all three.

Regardless of how many baccarat players are playing, only two hands can be dealt at the time. One is the banker hand and the other is the player hand. As a player, you have the opportunity to bet on either the banker’s or the player’s hand.

One issue that needs to be highlighted is the fact that one must not think of the banker hand as belonging to the casino and similarly, one must not confuse the player hand as pertaining to the bettor.

How is online baccarat played?

The game kicks off when the bettor holding the shoe slides a card out and passes it on face down to the dealer, who in turn proceeds to pass it to the player (player bet). The next card is then also passed on to the banker hand which is placed next to the shoe.

The same process takes place again with the second cards.

Each hand has a minimum of 2 cards, except for a third card which is only dealt in special conditions. If a hand has a total of 8 or 9, it is called a ‘natural’.

A ‘natural’ always wins since 9 is the highest and best possible hand value. However, if a hand has a value of 5 or less, the player can hit or otherwise stand, resulting in the banker either requesting an extra card or revealing his hand.