How To Play Baccarat
Baccarat Objectives
Let’s learn how to play baccarat. This is a thrilling game and is played at major casinos all over the world. In baccarat, a player wagers on his/her prediction of who will win or if there will be a tie. A player can bet that his/her hand will win, that the banker’s hand will win, or that the game will be a tie. For a deep dive into the game have a look at our complete Baccarat Guide.
Play Baccarat: The Rules
The object of baccarat is to predict whether the banker or the player’s hand will be closer to a point value of 9. All 10-value cards count as 0 and aces count as 1. The hand with the highest point value wins.
No baccarat hand can go over 9 points. A “natural” cannot lose and is a 2-card total of 9. An 8 is the second-best hand and is also called a natural. If the banker and the player are dealt identical hands, the result is a “stand-off” or tie and neither wins.
Players don’t receive any cards or play against others but predict which hand will beat the other.
The player and banker each receive 2 cards. Following standard baccarat rules, a third card is dealt to the player and/or banker.
To explain everything more clearly, don’t hesitate to check out our video explainer of Baccarat Rules.
Play Baccarat: The Hand Values
When you play baccarat hand can go over 9 points. A “natural” cannot lose and is a 2-card total of 9. An 8 is the second-best hand and is also called a natural. If the banker and the player are dealt identical hands, the result is a “stand-off” or tie and neither wins.
Play Baccarat: The Card Values
Aces are worth 1 point and face cards and 10’s are worth 0 points. All other cards are worth their face value. If the cards in a hand total more than 10, a player must subtract 10 points; the amount that remains is the baccarat point value of the hand. Example: 8+8=16. This is 6 in baccarat. A Jack+7=17.
Baccarat Third Card Rules
The following chart governs when a player and/or banker will automatically be dealt (i.e. “draws”) a third card in Baccarat. If the point value of the first 2 cards is an 8 or 9, it’s a natural. If the player/dealer is dealt a natural, the game ends and a third card is not dealt to anyone.
Player
| point Value of First Two Cards | Action Required |
| 0-1-2-3-4-5 | Draws a third card |
| 6-7 | Stands |
| 8-9 | “Natural hand”, no further draw |
Banker
| Point Value of First Two Cards | Draws when the player’s third card is: | Does not draw when the player’s third card is: |
| 0-1-2 | Always draws a card | – |
| 3 | 0-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-9 | 8 |
| 4 | 2-3-4-5-6-7 | 0-1-8-9 |
| 5 | 4-5-6-7 | 0-1-2-3-8-9 |
| 6 | 6-7 | 0-1-2-3-4-5-8-9 |
| 7 | always stands | – |
| 8-9 | Player cannot draw | Player cannot draw |
Payouts
| Winning Wager | Odds Payout |
| Banker (receives 5% commission) | 1-1 |
| Player | 1-1 |
| Tie | 8-1 |
We also have a concise guide to Baccarat Strategies to help you master the game. And once you’re a master, then head over and take a look at our listings of the best casino jackpot reviews. This’ll help you sort out the better casinos to play in.
