Baccarat is a popular casino game with an easy-to-follow strategy that’s fun for players of all ages. It’s also a favorite with high rollers, and is the most profitable table game in Nevada, where it generates an average of $43 million per day.
The game is played with a number of standard 52-card decks that are shuffled and dealt from a shoe. Each card has a numerical value (see the table on the right). Every pip denomination from 2 through 9 is valued, as are Aces and face cards, but 10-pip cards carry no value at all.
Rules
Typically, players sit around two halves of the table, each corresponding to one half of the banker’s hand. Three hands are dealt: the Player’s hand, the Banker’s hand, and a tie. If neither the Player nor the Banker have a total of nine points, then a tie is declared, and the bets are returned.
A player may bet on any of the two hands, but most serious players choose to bet on either the Player or Banker. Where a player chooses to bet on the Banker, a 5% commission is taken on winning bets. This ensures that the house advantage is always a little bit larger than in other casino banked games, and is why so many high rollers are attracted to baccarat.
How to Play a Game of Baccarat
Before you start playing Baccarat at the casino, it is important to have a clear understanding of the game’s rules and how to bet. Fortunately, a majority of casinos have helpful information on the table about how to play the game and what betting options are available.
Once you’ve got a feel for how the game works, it is time to decide how much you are willing to risk on a single bet. This will help you to set a limit for how much money you want to lose, and it will prevent you from getting stuck with too much money if the game turns against you.
When you are ready to make a bet, place your chips on the betting area. The dealer will place a marker on each betting area, so you know where to place your chips.
It is possible to play Baccarat with a deck of cards and a table, but most people prefer to use a casino-quality card table and a full set of Baccarat cards. You can find these in many gambling shops and online.
The dealer will deal each player a hand of cards, which consists of two cards for the Player and one card for the Banker. The Player’s cards are placed on the layout marked PLAYERS, and the Banker’s cards are placed on the layout marked BANKER.
After the players have received their cards, the dealer deals a third card to each player, if the Player’s or Banker’s hand totals 7 or higher. The dealer will then call for additional cards, and the cards are placed on the layout labeled TIES.