Baccarat is a classic casino game with a long and rich history. The game's history is still contested up to this day, but many believe that this card game has Italian roots. According to many articles, this game was created in the 1400s by Felix Falguiere or Falguierein. It was first called 'baccara', the Italian word for '0', since the 10s and face cards were worth zero.
Soon, this game became popular in France and other parts of Europe, taking the French spelling 'Baccarat'. It was at this time that the nobility played baccarat in private gaming rooms. Numerous variations of the game followed, with Baccarat Banque as the first, then followed by Chemin de Fer, and the Baccarat Punto Banco, now the most popular variant in many US casinos where the bettor bets on whether the Banker or Player's hand wins the round.
In top gambling destinations like Macau and Las Vegas, baccarat tables traditionally dominate the floors, with US casinos collecting up to 45% of all table wins from the classic table game! Today, baccarat remains a players' favorite and it's now playable online, across devices.
Baccarat's main appeal primarily lies in its simple set of rules. You bet on whether you think the Banker or the Player gets a score of '9' or closest it, but not over '9'. Or, you can bet on a Tie, which means that both the Banker's and Player's hands end up with the same count.
The aim may be straightforward, but it does get more complex in understanding the scoring, payouts, rules on the third card, and side bets in some variants which we will briefly touch below.
Scoring the cards in baccarat
In online baccarat, playing cards have a point value, with 9 through 2 get their face values (in points), 10s and royals get zero, and Aces with a point. The hands are valued based on the units digit of the sum of the cards.
For example, a hand consisting of 3 and 4 is worth 7, but a hand consisting of 7 and 8 is worth 5 (the 5 is the units digit in the combined points total of 15). Hence, the highest possible point in baccarat is 9.
4 steps to play baccarat
Online baccarat is playable in different variants and present in most casinos. Evolution Gaming, Playtech, Microgaming, and Netent are just some of the popular software vendors of the game. You can play it in both real money and free demo formats, and there's even an option to play it against a human dealer in real-time, just like what are featured at Pasino.com.
- Pick your preferred online baccarat game and set a game plan. Decide on the budget and stick to it. At Pasino.com, you can only play the game in real money.
- Place your bet. Wagers are placed before the playing cards are dealt. Use the virtual chips with different values to confirm the bet. In baccarat, you can wager on the Player's or Banker's hand or go for a Tie bet.
- Learn how each baccarat round works and how playing cards are dealt. In regular play, two cards are dealt to the Player and Banker. There are rules, too, in the drawing of the third card.
- Check for the wining hand. Once the hands are played out, the dealer then declares the winning hand or the one closest to 9 points.
Baccarat is a classic casino game that doesn't require complex strategies to win. But it doesn't mean that you solely rely on the random dealing of the cards. It pays to know that each betting option in baccarat has a different payout and odds of winning.
Did you know that a winning Banker's hand pays even money or 1-1, minus a 5% commission? So, if you wager $10 and win, the game pays out $10, minus the commission. You can expect the same payout for your winning Player's hand. But if you bet on a Tie and win, it pays 8 to 1. But, Ties only win 9.6% of the time!
Knowing the basics of online baccarat goes a long way in improving your chances of winning. It also helps if you use casino bonuses which can grow your bankroll and play some games risk-free. At Pasino.com, you'll get access to a wide range of baccarat games from Evolution and you can play it using Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies. There are regular crypto promos, too, which can help maximize the gambling experience.
