Baccarat

Baccarat is an easy game to learn. The first thing that happens is wagering. Before any hands are dealt, you can bet on the banker’s hand, the player’s hand or on a tie, keeping in mind that the objective of the game is to get as close to 9 as possible. Once this is done, each player and the dealer are dealt their hands. The ace’s value is 1, cards 1-9 are face value and 10, J, Q and K are 0. If one of the hands (only one) is an 8 or 9, it is called a natural hand and wins. If both hands are natural, but only one of them are a 9 (le grande natural), that hand wins over the 8 (le petit natural). If both hands are a natural and of equal value, the game is a tie. Otherwise, if the player’s hand equals 6 or more, they must stand, if it is 5 or less, they must draw one additional card. If the player did not draw an additional card, the banker will only draw another card if their hand is 5 or less. If the player did not draw an additional card and the banker’s hand is 5 or more, the banker will stand. If the player drew a third card, the banker’s decision is based on the table below. ( S= stand, H = hit)

The hand that is closest to 9 wins. The payout table is shown below.

Cryptologic Baccarat is played with eight decks of 52 cards and as will all variations of Baccarat, the best bet is on the Banker. The house advantage is listed in the table below.