Baccarat Casino Card Game
At land based and online casinos, players can choose to play any number of casino card games. As opposed to slot games, casino card games usually require a small amount of skill and a great deal of concentration in order to come out ahead. Baccarat is one of the most popular casino games in the world and can be found in almost every land based casino around the globe. With the arrival of online casinos, the game has increased in popularity with players able to logon and play for free or for real money at any time. The most popular version of the game is called Punto banco. In this game players play directly against the dealer similar to blackjack.
How the Game Works
Baccarat is played at a table and uses 6 decks of shuffled cards. On the table there is a space for the dealer’s cards and a space reserved for the player’s cards. In the online version of the game, the player chips are located at the bottom right hand side of the screen. The game begins with the player placing his or her bet on the table. This is where the game differs from blackjack. In Punto Banco, there are actually three betting options. Players can either bet on themselves, or they can bet on the banker winning or they can bet on a tie. Players simply place their chips on the selection they want to bet.
Placing your Bet
Once the player has placed their bet, the dealer will deal the player two cards facing down and two cards for himself facing down. The aim of baccarat is to use your card points to try and get a higher score than the dealer. In Punto banco, all of the low cards 2 through to 10 are worth their face value, the face cards are all worth 10 points and the ace is worth a single point. In this game, totalling your points can be a bit confusing. To get the total point count, players must add up to total of the two cards and drop the first digit. For example, if the first card is a 7 and the second card is a 9, the total is 16. When the first digit is dropped, the total is 6. In the online version, the computer will do this for you.
Winning a Hand
In baccarat there is a term called a natural hand. A natural hand is any two card hand that totals 8 or 9. Once the first two cards are dealt, if either the banker or the player has a natural hand, the round is over and the player or the banker wins the bet. If neither the banker nor the player has a natural hand, the player then has the option of taking a third card. When the player has drawn a third card, the dealer also has the option of taking a third card. In baccarat, there is a specific third card rule for both the player and the dealer. In the online version, the computer will automatically apply the rule.
