Baccarat Basics: How To Get Started Playing Baccarat

by Bodog Casino | Jan 12 2009

You know, sometimes we feel like Baccarat is the Jennifer Anniston of online casino games: even though it’s fun, classy, and has tons of money to give away, players give it the Brad Pitt treatment.

Well, to quote Ms. Anniston, that is “really uncool”. ‘Cause if you treat Baccarat right, it’ll do your wallet right.

In case you’re completely oblivious as to how to play and win at this game, we’ll dish out some basics.

How It Works

The game itself is simple: Two cards are dealt to two hands, named Player and Banker. You can bet on the Player, Banker, Tie or any combination of the three. The object of the game is to correctly pick which hand will have the higher score, with the highest score in Baccarat being 9 and the lowest being 0. 10 through King have no value while Aces only count as one.

What is a little more complicated is when the dealer is supposed to draw for the Player and Banker. We suggest checking out Bodog’s Baccarat Casino School for the full details.

Be a Player Hater

That’s right, go against the cardinal rule in Rap music. In Baccarat, the Banker holds the edge over the Player by one percent (the probability of Player winning is about 45 percent, the chances of the Banker winning are at about 46; the odds of the Tie winning are just under 10 percent). We’re not suggesting you stick with the Banker all night, but keep in mind, in the end, he will win more consistently.

Don’t Be One of Those “Chart” Guys

If you’ve been to any casino you’ve seen this person: the Baccarat chart guy. He’s the guy who thinks jotting down the result of every Baccarat hand will lead to easy money. Some live casinos even accommodate this guy by having pens and charts at each table. You know why they do this? Because the strategy doesn’t work! Might as well accommodate you while you invest in a strategy that will likely make them money. There are some systems that do work in Baccarat, keeping a chart to find a winning pattern isn’t one of them.

Avoid Ties

What’s so great about Ties in Baccarat? The payout odds are 9-1. The downside? As we mentioned earlier it hits about 10 percent of the time. Do the math: A game that pays 9-1 hits once every 10 hands? Yeah, not cool.

We’re sure there are going to be times when you’re itching for that Tie money. But resist temptation. Forget Ties like you were Donovan McNabb.

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