Can someone explain the rules of Baccarat for a complete beginner?

Hey Baccarat virgin! Relax, this is one of the simplest casino games ever. You bet that the player hand (or the banker’s) will be closer to 9. You can also bet on a tie. Tens, jacks, queens, kings are zero; aces are one; 2-9 are face value. Totals over 9 are “mod 10” – so an 11 would be 1, and an 18 would be 8.

The player doesn’t deal; the dealer takes over, and you place your bets. The players’ hand is dealt two cards, with a third card drawn if it totals less than six. The dealer’s hand is subject to more complicated drawing rules based on the value of the players’ third card. That’s why the banker bet has the lower house edge, and pays even money but with a 5% commission for bets won. The players’ bet has no commission, but worse odds. A tie is bad, as it only happens 9% of the time, but offers huge payouts – typically 8 to 1.

So sit back, make a bet, and let the dealer handle everything else! Stick with the banker or player bets – only wager on the tie if you’re feeling brave. It’s simple, laidback, and relaxing. Piece of cake!

In baccarat you bet on which hand, player or banker, of the two will score the closer to nine points with their two-card hands. Any ten or face card counts zero, an ace one; just add the value of the two cards, and remove the tens value.

bet on either Player or Banker. You can also bet on whether the game ends in a tie. Banker pays 0.95:1 (with some casinos taking a commission), so it is generally best to bet on the Banker except for certain draws. Don’t worry about memorizing the draw rules – the dealer knows what’s up. Just place your bets and watch the cards fly.

The object of the game is to wager on the hand you think will be closest to 9 – either the Player or Banker hands. Card values are as follows: 2-10=their face value; J, Q, K = 0; A = 1. When any total is more than 9, ignore the leading digit (e. g. , 15 = 5). You may wager that the Player hand is higher, or that the Banker hand is higher, or that their hands are tied. The Banker is slightly favored, but will have to pay you a 5% commission when you win. A tie is worth about 8 times your original wager, but happens very infrequently. An interesting side wager is a bet that the Banker or Player hand will contain two cards of the same rank. Of course, you should make your bet before the cards are dealt.