Baccarat Bite-Marks

Play Baccarat Like A Pro

Baccarat is an easy game to play and can be understood easily by anyone with an experience in card games. Baccarat has several rules to be followed which make this game fun and enjoyable.

Baccarat or Punto Banco is played by 12-14 players and 3 casino dealers. Most casinos have a separate section for baccarat players as well as separate tables for the game. Take note that the card dealer is also a player and does not take part in the paying off the winning bets.

Players in baccarat can bet on either the Banco (banker), the Punto (player) or the Standoff. In some casinos, the casino dealer is the one who deals the cards. Other casinos allow the players to take turns in dealing the cards. Each players can opt to place their bets either on the Banco or the Punto. The dealer customarily places his bets on Banco.

Each hand consists of two to three cards. Dealing starts with the dealer placing two cards under the shoe and then gives the other two cards to the player who made the largest bet on Punto. Take note that in dealing, the cards are always placed face down.

Each player has the option not to deal, and when he chooses not to deal, the shoe is passed on to the next player. If the Banco continues to win, the shoe stays with the player until the time comes when the Punto wins, in which case the shoe moves on to the next player.

The objective of baccarat is to bet on the hand which you think will win or will tie. The payoff is 1:1. In the Standoff, the payoff rate is 8:1 or 9:1. However, if you win on the Banco, the casino will charge you a 5% commission since it was noted that the Banco wins 3-4 extra hands than the Punto over eight decks.

The player who made a bet on the Punto then looks at his hand and returns them to the dealer. The dealer then flips over the cards of the two hands and then the casino dealer proclaims the winner.

If either the Punto or the Banco has a total of 8 or 9 on the first two cards, a "natural" is called. No more cards will be drawn this time. The casino dealer will tell the card dealer to deal a third card if the cards are not called a natural but this is dependent on the casino's third-card rule.

The winner of the game is the player who has the highest hand after the conclusion of the dealing. The casino dealers then proceeds to pay out the winning players, taking the bets from the losers.