How to play Baccarat – 5 Simple Rules

Anyone that has seen James Bond movies is aware of the game of Baccarat. It is a card game that the English spy was very good at. It is also one of the most popular table games at the casinos around the world and online. Baccarat is popular because it is a very simple game. There are no real decisions that have to be made when playing the game other than how much to bet. It is the simplicity of the game and the need for the right strategy to win that makes this game so challenging. There in the end are 5 basic rules that players need to follow if they want to succeed at playing baccarat.

1. Learn the rules – The rules of baccarat are fairly simple. Two hands are dealt. One is to the player and one is to the banker. The hands consist of two cards initially. Face cards are given a value of 0, aces a value of 1 and the rest of the cards have the value of the number they are. The two cards are added together. If the total is greater than 10, only the last digit is used. The goal of the game is to have the hand that totals as close to 9 as possible. A third card is drawn under specific rules. There is no choice about whether a third card is dealt. It is decided by the rules. The decision for the player is who to bet on. The player can bet on themselves to win the hand or they can bet on the banker to win the hand. If they make the right choice, they win.
2. Understand the Odds – When placing a bet, the biggest thing to understand is the odds of winning. When betting on the player, a win will pay out at even money. If the bet is on the bank and the bank wins, the payout is even money, but the bank collects a 5% commission on the bet. This is the advantage that the house has. Many people thinks this means they cannot win betting on the bank, but that is not true. It just means that the wins will be a little less than betting on the player.
3. Have a strategy – When playing baccarat, the strategy that is used will have nothing to do with how to play the cards. It will be about how to bet. Strategies about how much to bet and what to bet on can work in baccarat. The key to a strategy is to stick with it and not to take chances on a hunch.
4. Don’t drink – A dry vodka martini may work for James Bond, but alcohol can lead to mistakes and that is not something that will help a player be successful.
5. Walk Away – It is important to remember that to be successful, you have to walk away from the table at some point. Begin playing with a set amount of money. Put any money that is won back in your pocket and keep it there. If you run out of the money that you started with, leave and come back another day. It is that control that will lead to success.