Baccarat Basics
Baccarat is quite a unique card game in that you don’t get dealt a hand and make moves accordingly, the way you would in something like Blackjack or Poker. There are 2 hands dealt in every round, but they aren’t actually given to you or the Dealer. They’re called the Punto, or Player, hand and the Banco, or Banker, hand, but these are just the names they are given. You’re betting on which hand will win, not playing either of the hands yourself.Before the cards are seen, you need to bet on whether the Punto hand will win, the Banco hand will win, or that the hands will tie. The hands each have 2 cards, with the royal cards and A’s being worth 0 and all other cards being worth their face value.
To determine the hand totals the cards are added together and the 10-unit value is dropped. That means, for example, that a 7 and a 4 give you a Baccarat total of 1 and not 11.If the Player total is below 6 another card is dealt to the hand, and if it is above 7 the hand will stand. There are also situations in which the Banker hand gets an extra card, but these are a little more complex. We remember the rules for you at Cabaret Club, so you don’t need to worry about them at all! A total of 9 is the highest that is possible in the game, and automatically wins.
Baccarat Payouts
If you correctly bet on the Punto or Banco hand, you’re paid out 1:1 or 1:1 less 5% commission respectively. Predicting a tie will get you an incredible 8:1 return, but the house edge on this is equally large and sits at 14.1%. If you’re feeling especially lucky, this is the high-risk, high-reward option for you!As you play more and more you’ll refine your betting plans, which is where all of Baccarat’s strategy lies, and know what to choose. Start the process with a few rounds of Baccarat.
