Baccarat

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There are many aspects that make Baccarat so very popular. Basically, it is simple, easy to learn and play and doesn’t require any special skills. Unlike other card games, it is totally luck-based; hence there is no requirement to learn card counting or basic strategies or even worry about your next move. All one has to do is predict who wins – the player or the dealer and make a bet on it. And once the dealer and the player get their cards, the one with the best hand wins.

How does one decide the best hand?

How do players bet? The hand with a value nearest to that of 9 is considered the best hand. Each card has a specific value and the total value of the cards together is considered the value of the hand. The value of every card in the deck is as follows:

The value of all the number cards except that of 10 is taken at their face value
The value of 10 cards are taken as 0
The value of all picture cards except Ace is taken as 0
The value of Ace is taken as 1

How do players bet?

In Baccarat, there are three possible outcomes and hence three possible bets. The first two outcomes are either the player or the dealer winning and the third possible outcome, which is quite rare, is a tie with equal value cards. Hence, players have the option of a player’s bet, a banker bet or a tie bet. Tie bet provides a payout of 9:1 but comes with the highest house edge of up to 14% and hence is best avoided. The safest possible bet is the banker bet with a low house edge as low as 1.06% but players have to pay a 5% commission for every win.

Ways to maximize wins

As in any casino game, the main aim of playing Baccarat is to maximize wins to make as much money as possible. Here are a few tips:

The game of Baccarat is played with 6 decks or 8 decks. Playing with 6 decks not only improves the chances of winning but the commission to be paid on the banker bet also decreases (compared to the 8 decks game)
A great way to maximize wins is to minimize losses. So, quit when you are ahead to avoid losing the money you won