From sticky-floor California card rooms to tuxedo-laden casinos of Monte Carlo, baccarat is one of the most famous casino games. Despite its glamorous image, it is actually quite simple. The game consists of betting on either the Player hand, the Banker hand, or a tie, and predicting which hand total will be closest to nine. Then you sit back and let the dealer do the rest. Baccarat is a favorite casino game for high rollers because it offers low house edges on banker and player bets.
Baccarat is a card game that uses six, seven, or eight standard decks of 52 cards each. The object is to correctly predict which hand will win the round — the Player or the Banker. A third card may be drawn on the Banker or Player hands, depending on the rules of the game being played. The value of each hand is calculated by adding the values of each individual card and deducting the tens digit (for example, a 7 and 6 add up to 13, but this is dropped to three). The highest total wins.
The banker puts down an initial stake and players take turns placing bets until the total for their half of the table equals the banker’s stake. Then the banker deals two cards to himself and each of the bettors’ representatives. The winner is determined by whichever hand is closest to nine points (this is called a “natural”). If the hands are tied, the bettors’ side loses that round.
High rollers who have honed their skills in Las Vegas’ high-limit gaming areas often transition to online baccarat. In addition to a lack of distractions, the convenience and accessibility of playing baccarat from a computer or mobile device appeals to many high rollers. Many online baccarat games feature a live dealer, replicating the life-like casino atmosphere.
A baccarat game can be a fun way to pass the time, but it is important to set limits and know how much you want to spend in advance. It is also important to treat the money you are spending on a night out as though it was your own, and not someone else’s.
When you play baccarat, it is important to understand that the game has a fixed house edge of about 1.2 percent on banker and player bets. There is a third bet, the tie, but it pays off only eight to one and has a higher house edge of over 14 percent. As a result, most serious players choose to stick with player and banker.