Baccarat is a very simple game to play
with no decisions made after a bet is placed. There are three bets
available: The Player’s hand, the Banker’s hand, or a Tie. The winning
hand is the hand that holds two or three cards totaling closest to nine. A
bet on the Player pays even money. A bet on the Banker pays even money
minus a 5% house commission. A bet on a Tie pays 8 to 1.
All Tens and face cards have a value of 0. Aces count as One and Two
through Nine are counted at face value.
In the classic game of Baccarat the deal
rotates among the players. Even though the player dealing is acting as the
Banker, he is not obligated to bet on the Banker’s hand. In Mini
Baccarat a casino dealer handles the deal. After players make their bets
the dealer deals a two-card hand to the Banker and Player. A Tie at any
point in the game ends the hand and pays Tie bets. If either hand dealt is
a total of 9, it is called a “Natural” and automatically wins. If
neither hand is 9 a hand with a total of 8 is a Natural winner. Natural
hands always immediately win or Tie (although a 9 beats an 8).
If neither hand is an 8 or a 9 and there is no Tie additional cards may be
dealt according to a standard set of rules. The Player’s hand is dealt
to first, and only if the current value is 5 or less [top right].
After the Player’s hand is complete, the Banker’s hand is dealt out
according to the following set of rules: If the Player did not draw a
third card, then the Banker only draws a card to a hand of 4 or less. If
the Player did draw a third card, the Banker follows the rules at right.