Rules and Objectives of Baccarat
Baccarat is a very simple game and is more dependent on luck than on skill. The reason why the game has gained a huge following all over the world is because of its simplicity. The rules of winning are simple. You have to get cards whose total is as close to 9 as possible. Over the centuries, baccarat has evolved from being a game played by the royalty to being everybody's game Baccarat site.
Card values
Unlike the other card games, in which a lot of prominence is given to an ace, the king, queen or jack, in baccarat, these cards have zero value. The lowest card is an ace, which carries one point. From two to nine, the cards carry the points as much as their numbers. All that matters in baccarat is the numeric value of the card. It has got nothing to do with the suits – heart, spade, clubs and diamonds are all same. A 5 of any symbol will carry a value of 5 only and all the cards follow similarly.
Players involved
The two players involved and the banker, who is called Banco and the player, who is called Punto. So, the game is between the Banco and Punto. There is an additional card dealer involved in casinos. But while playing off the casinos, the game can be played without a card dealer. The players can take turns distributing the cards among themselves. In some cases, there is another player called a standoff. This is also an optional player and the game can be played without him.The objective of the game is simple – get a total of nine or a total closest to nine. Whoever gets the total closest to nine wins. The game begins with two cards. If the total is nine or eight, then it is called a "natural" and the goes in favor of the player who gets the nine or eight. If neither player gets a natural, then the dealer gives out one card more to both the players. The player, who gets the score closest to the natural with the new card, wins. The game is played with six to eight decks of cards. To begin with, the cards are placed face down. When the bets are placed, the cards are opened and the scores are calculated. When played in casinos, taxes are levied on the prize pools of both the Banco and Punto.
Score calculation
The total of the cards is calculated by simply adding the face values of both the cards. If a player get a 6 and an 8, then the total is 14. The mod of the game is 10, which means that the total score cannot be more than 10. So in case of a double digit score, the left most digit is cancelled. So, a player who gets a total of 14, get a score of 4. If one more card is drawn, and says it's a 5, then the total score of the player will be 4 + 5=9, which is a natural and he wins. If the total exceeds, 10, then again, the left most digit is cancelled Baccarat game.
Mini-Baccarat
Chemin de Fer
The player gets to decide how to play the hand.
Lower stakes players often play mini-baccarat, which is just a smaller scale version of the same game. The biggest difference is in terms of stakes. The minimum bets are lower at a mini-baccarate game. The table is smaller and accommodates fewer players, too.
The rules are the same, too, and there’s no real difference in terms of the math behind the game and who has an edge or how much of an edge.
Chemin de fer is an older variation of baccarat which is mean to be faster than the original game. The name is French for “railway,” which used to be the fastest way to travel.
Chemin de fer uses only 6 decks, and a player takes the role of banker and deals. The other players are the punters. The banker position rotates counterclockwise around the table.
During a round of Chemin de fer, the banker decides how much she wants to risk. Then the players get to match that wager or bet something smaller. If the total wagers from the punters amount to more than the banker was willing to bank, the banker has the opportunity to increase that amount.
Since multiple players are betting on the player hand, the player with the highest wager gets to make the decision about whether to take the 3rd card. Peer pressures usually prevents a player from making a mathematically unsound decision here, too.
The banker also gets to make her decisions
The traditional way to play is simple enough, too. If you have a total of between 0 and 4, you always take a 3rd card. If you have a 6 or 7, you always stand.
If the banker wins, she gets to remain banker. Otherwise, the banker position rotates. In the case of a tie, all the wagers stay in action and a new hand is played.
Any time a banker wants to drop out, she can. A new player willing to match the bank gets to take over Evolution Baccarat.