How to play Baccarat

For a lot of people, card games are their gamble of choice because of the element of control involved - while the randomness keeps things interesting, the opportunity to make a decision helps you to keep some control over what happens and it's possible with certain games to use what cards have already been dealt to inform your decision. The most prominent one of these is blackjack, where basic strategy and card counting can help you keep an edge. If you're in the mood to play a hand or two, have a look here Paddy Power - but if you're after a different kind of game, why not have a look at Baccarat?

Baccarat is a unique game amongst the common card ones played in a casino as, unlike Blackjack and Poker, Baccarat is less about strategy and choice and more reliant on blind luck. But maybe it'd be better to go over some of the basics first.

The version of Baccarat played in casinos is called Punto Banco and is the easiest version of the game to play - while other versions like Chemin du fer exist, the Punto Banco variety is the most wide-spread but the general rules remain the same. In Baccarat there are two hands, the banker and the player. While there are only two hands, multiple people can play as the bets you make will be on whether the banker's hand or the player's hand will win. And that's it! Almost as simple as heads or tails.

The aim of each hand is to get as close to nine as you can - the face cards are worth 0 and only the right most digit is considered when calculating the score. For instance, if a hand totalled 15, then the hand is worth 5. After bets have been placed and the banker and player have been dealt two cards, the cards are flipped over and the tableau is consulted. Rather than allowing a player to choose, there are rules on when a hand is allowed to draw an additional card and when they have to stand. These rules are called the tableau and, while fairly complex, are the responsibility of the dealer and not of the player. So, in simplest terms, you simply pick a hand to back and then see what the results are.

While it may seem simple, Baccarat is unique among casino games as it's one of the only games that, in its purest form, lacks a house edge. The probability of the player winning is slightly less than that of the banker winning and as a result, the odds are not truly 50:50 and betting on the banker's hand would give you a better chance of winning. To offset this, there is a commission called the Vig applied to the winnings from a bet on the banker. This helps to tip the odds slightly in the house's favour while still offering gamblers a good chance to win.

Baccarat is rapidly becoming one of the most popular games in the casino, particularly in Macau, so it'd be well worth your time to have a go and get your head around it. Take a break from strategy and play a game of pure luck!