Baccarat for beginners

Baccarat is sometimes known as the cousin of blackjack.  The reason for the comparison is due to the basic game rules. In blackjack, you need to achieve a hand closer to 21 than the dealers.  In baccarat, the hand closer to 9 is the winner.  Baccarat is also known as the king of casino games and is one of the oldest card games still played at casinos today. 

Unlike blackjack, in baccarat, a player can bet on whether his/her hand or the dealers will win.  The three betting options in baccarat are player, banker, or tie.  Betting on the player will play even money.  Wagering on the banker is the most popular bet but it is important to know that casinos charge a 5 percent commission when the player bets for the house.  Players shouldn’t let this discourage them, though, the reason the house charges this fee is due to the fact that the banker wins, statistically, more times than the player.  

The least common of the wagers is the tie, which pays eight to one.  This is one of the least-profitable wagers a person can place at a casino, the house edge is extremely high.      

The card values are easy to remember, face cards and tens are worth zero, ace cards are worth one and number cards are face value.  A player receives two cards and can only receive one more hand during the gameplay.  

Similar to blackjack, baccarat is a game where a single player faces off against the dealer.  Baccarat, even with its glamorous image, is primarily a game of chance.  Also unlike blackjack, a solid strategy still does not make this a ‘beatable’ game.    

Baccarat is considered one of the most glamorous of the casino games.  Due, in part, to the fact that for centuries this was a game played by the French royalty and to the fact that it was featured prominently in many of the 007 films as James Bond’s game of choice.  

Even though the game is fairly simple to learn and master, it is one of the more popular choices for high-rolling, VIP players.  Online casinos offer an array of baccarat betting limits but many land-based casinos only offer baccarat in high-minimum limits and, oftentimes, in a separated area from the main casino to offer the VIP players privacy.