Online Baccarat
Baccarat has to be one of the easiest casino card games to play, however players are often put off playing as at first glance it may seem a little confusing!
But the game requires you to make just one of three possible decisions, and to help you get a better understanding of how easy the game is to play we have put together the following easy to follow guide on how to play Baccarat, give it a good read through then you will be itching to give it a try!
How To Play Baccarat
The first thing we should let you know is that the game of Baccarat uses one full set of 52 playing cards and before a new game is dealt online then these cards will always be shuffled.
Before you place a wager on to the Baccarat table you first need to decide which of three possible outcomes will occur in the hand that is about to be dealt.
The three possible outcomes are that the Bankers hand will win, or that the Players hand will win or that the game will end is a draw (tie).
For either the Bankers hand or Players hand to win the game they must get a combined total, on all cards dealt to them, as close to a total of nine as possible. There you are that is all there is too it!
To place a wager you simply need to point select your stake and click either the Banker button, the Player button or the Tie button, the minimum wager will be displayed on the Baccarat table but this is usually one unit stake, this can be Pounds, Dollars or Euros, the maximum permitted wager is usually 1000 units (Pounds, Euros or Dollars)
You can fold if you think your hand is not strong enough to win the game, but you will lose your stake by doing so.
Baccarat Game Play Rules
Once you have made your wager then the Player's first card will be dealt out before the Banker's first card, then a second card will be dealt to the players hand and then the Bankers hand.
If either the Bankers or Players hand is worth eight or nine is total then the hands will stand and the one nearest nine is the winner.
However there is a third card rule and this stipulates that the Banker will be dealt a third card, if the Player stands and the Bankers hand has a total of 5 or less.
Should however the Players total be worth 5 or less, then the Player will be dealt a third card.
Should the Player be dealt a third card, the please check the table below to find out if the Banker gets a third card. B = Banker and P/T/C = Players Third Card
| Banker | P/T/C 0 | P/T/C 1 | P/T/C 2 | P/T/C 3 | P/T/C 4 | P/T/C 5 | P/T/C 6 | P/T/C 7 | P/T/C 8 | P/T/C 9 |
| B7 | Stand | Stand | Stand | Stand | Stand | Stand | Stand | Stand | Stand | Stand |
| B6 | Stand | Stand | Stand | Stand | Stand | Stand | Yes | Yes | Stand | Stand |
| B5 | Stand | Stand | Stand | Stand | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Stand | Stand |
| B4 | Stand | Stand | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Stand | Stand |
| B3 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Stand | Yes |
| B2 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| B1 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| B0 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
All of the cards are worth their face values, with the following exceptions; All of the Tens, Jacks, Queens and Kings are worth zero.
There are a few special game play rules when playing Baccarat that you need to be aware of and the first of these is that if the game ends in a draw/tie and youhave not placed a wager on the tie bet then your stake will be given back to you.
Also if you have opted to wager on the Bankers hand and it wins then you are liable to pay a commission of 5%.
Baccarat Game Payouts
If you wager on the Bankers hand and it wins you win a payout of 1;1 (even money) less the 5% commission
A winning Players hand wager is paid out at 1;1 (even money) with no commission to pay.
A winning Tie hand wager gets you a payout of 8;1 (eight to one) again with no commission to pay.
It is worth pointing out that the above payouts are only found at Microgaming powered casinos, other software providers payout rates can and do vary and are often less than the above (namely on the Tie payout)!
Baccarat Comps and Bonuses
As you would expect you will earn yourself comp points when playing Baccarat at any of our featured Microgaming powered online casinos, but due to the nature of the game you may find that you cannot play Baccarat with a casino Bonus.
Please ensure that your read through all of the terms and conditions that are attached to any casino bonus that you are thinking of claiming to ensure that the game of Baccarat is permitted, as by doing so you will not fall foul to any game play restrictions and will be aware of any additional play through requirements that may be in place.
You can of course play Baccarat for free at Microgaming powered online casinos and to do this you simply need to register as a game player then log in via the free play option.
Baccarat Tips for Playing
Due to the fast game play of Baccarat you can soon find yourself on both winning and losing streaks, so one word of advice is that if you do find yourself on a hot winning streak then don't go mad and start upping you wagers immediately!
If you are winning then make sure you remember where the cash out button is, and make sure you use it! If you get yourself on a losing run then also keep the stakes to a minimum until your luck turns around. But most of all enjoy playing Baccarat it can be a great game to play.
