Baccarat, the royal game, was originally played only by the European aristocracy from the 15th century onwards.
Still today, there is an air of exclusivity about it and today more and more people are discovering at as online gaming becomes more popular.
The players often wear black tie dress, the playing area is set apart from the rest of the casino, and the playing limits are usually higher than all the other games.
Baccarat is truly the royal game as the rules, the manner of play, and the rewards all remind one of the elegant and romantic past.
Baccarat is basically a very simple game, and there are few and limited strategies to win. We shall examine them below. The odds are easy enough to calculate, and the play is rather structured as you shall see.
The rules
The rules to play baccarat are set, and really, when the bets are in, the cards will be dealt and the results are evident at once.
Here is how it works; the ‘dealer’ (and can be any player or a croupier) will deal two cards to every player, plus the banker (note: in Baccarat, the banker does not have to be the dealer). The sole object of Baccarat is to get as close to 9 as possible.
So, If your two cards equal a 9, or an 8 (both are called “naturals”) you are a winner. Should the dealer have a natural, it will be a tie game.
The rules are clear, should any player have a 7 or a 6, he must stand. If any player has 5 or less, he is obliged to take a 3rd card. That is the game.
Card values dictate that any 10 or face cards have no value.
The second digit of the number determines the value in Baccarat, so a 10 = 0. Likewise, a 10 and a 6 = 6. Suppose you receive a third card, the actual total (called the score) will be the right digit of the total of the cards. Therefore, the score of three cards equaling 16 will have a score of 6.
The Dealer’s Role.
In Baccarat, the dealer makes no choices whatsoever; His actions are completely pre-determined by the rules. Here they are. Should a player stand, the dealer takes a 3rd card if his score is 5 or less. In case the player took a 3rd card, the dealer must act as below:
If the dealer has a score of 0, 1, 2: he must draw a third card.
If the dealer has a score of 3: he must draw if a player’s 3rd Card is 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-9-0 (but not an 
If the dealer has a score of 4: he must draw if a player’s 3rd Card is 2-3-4-5-6-7
If the dealer has a score of 5: he must draw if a player’s 3rd Card is 4-5-6-7
If the dealer has a score of 6: he must draw if a player’s 3rd Card is a 6 or a 7
If a dealer has a score of 7: he must stand.
Betting in Baccarat
Baccarat has only three bets.
The first is on the player, the second the banker, and the third if you think there will be a tie game. The payout on the player bet is even money or 1 to 1, with no commission.
The banker bet is also paid out at even money, but there is a commission, from 4 % to 5% depending on the table.
A tie bet is paid out at 8 to 1 or 9 to 1 (depending on the table) and no commission.
Tips to Win at Baccarat
• Bet with the banker. The bank will win more than the player (that is why the payout has a commission!).
• Don’t card count or track the game (like you see everyone else doing). Card counting in Baccarat does not work! If it did, the casino would not supply you paper and pencil to track the game. Card counters in Blackjack are quickly evicted from the casino, because it works, but Baccarat counters are permitted.
• Also play at the table that uses the fewest decks in the shoe.
Baccarat is truly the royal game, and playing it reminds you of the gallant past and you somehow feel its elegance, even now.
Enjoy yourself, bet with the banker, and don’t overstay. Allocate your bankroll play have a win and loss target and leave when either have been hit and keep in mind your chances of winning for a game of chance are very good so good luck!
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12 Sep
6:22 am on October 8th, 2009
You can play baccarat for fun or real money at all of the online casinos listed at http://www.ranked-online-casinos.com/baccarat-online-casinos.html
They have many other casino games as well, and best of all you can play them for fun first and play for real money later if you decide to do so.
6:22 am on October 8th, 2009
Baccarat is a table game that is offered at both online casinos and land based casinos. You will find most online casinos will allow you to play their free games version and you will often find Baccarat is free to play in guest play mode.
Check out the different microgaming online casinos at the following website and try their Instant Flash software and try playing Baccarat.
http://www.best-online-casinos-and-gambling-bonuses.com
6:22 am on October 8th, 2009
The Ranked Online Casinos site at http://www.ranked-online-casinos.com has information about roulette and baccarat in the section about casino games. In fact, there is info about nearly every conceivable variation on blackjack, including Spanish 21, Face Up 21, Super Fun 21, Pontoon, and others. There are rules on the different games, as well as tips too!
6:22 am on October 8th, 2009
In Baccarat the only decision you make is on Player, Banker, or Tie. Due to the drawing rules, Banker is the slightly better bet, but the House takes 5% on all Banker wins.
I don't think that there are any ways to increase your chances of winning like in Blackjack.
6:22 am on October 8th, 2009
I suggest you to play poker, its better than baccarat because its more skill, in baccarat the odds are always against you while in poker its more skill.
Read http://bettingwise.hit.bg/Pokertips.html
6:22 am on October 8th, 2009
There is one system in baccarat that is 100% guaranteed to win. Unfortunately you will probably have to stand in the casino for 5-6 years before you get the right conditions and then you have to feel confident that you did not screw up while watching the table. The payout is high since tie pays 8 to 1 so if you pick a table with a high limit the payout can be $300-400k. The problem is that is less than you'd have made if you just got a job rather then babysitting a table 16 hours a day for 5 years. Not to mention if you screw up and make a mistake there goes your large wager.
Card counting for baccarat is a waste of time. While baccarat does share the same characteristics as blackjack the effect of is so small that it is not statistically significant.
As such the game is reduced to just guessing. There is no system to predict the outcome of the next hand based on previous hands or patterns.
I rarely play house games but if there is no poker going I might sit down at a baccarat table just to kill time. In those situations I play follow the leader. I simply bet what the previous outcome was. No reason other than the alternative is to try to guess which will just be annoying and frustrating. This way at least it is out of my hands.
If you are intent on playing baccarat I suggest playing a variant called Chemin de Fer. It is next to impossible to find in North America (I've only seen it at private games in Vegas and Detroit but never at a casino) but you can find it in Europe esp in Monte Carlo. This version of baccarat can be beat and is actually quite profitable. I wish we had it in NA as I rarely get to play.
In the long run no one wins at baccarat. The reason it seems everyone has a lot of money is because the game (especially full baccarat not so much mini-baccarat) is played by people who have money and egos. They have a lot of chips because they brought a lot of chips. What you'll often miss is that as they lose chips they replenish them with markers. The house edge is small and people do wager large amounts so when they win it looks like a lot of money but over the long run anyone who has played baccarat seriously has been an overall loser.
6:22 am on October 8th, 2009
Rules for the game of baccarat can be found at http://www.takevegashome.com/baccarat_rules.shtml There are also places listed there where you can play baccarat online or for real money.
6:22 am on October 8th, 2009
play streaks and bet with the people betting big money
6:22 am on October 8th, 2009
The bank hand is favored in Baccarat. The advantage is diminished by the 5% vig you pay on a winning bet.