Baccarat Card Values and Game Rules

In baccarat, all cards from 2 to 9 are worth their numerical face value. Face cards like Jacks, Queens and Kings have a value of zero. Aces also count as zero. The only cards of any real value are the 10s and all 10s have a value of 1.

Baccarat Table and Betting Options

Baccarat at Royal Reels Casino is played on a large table that seats 12 to 14 players. There are three betting options on the baccarat table – the player, banker and tie.

• Player: Bet on the player hand to win.
• Banker: Bet on the banker hand to win.
• Tie: Bet that the player and banker hand will tie.

The payouts are as follows:

• Player bet: Pays 1 to 1
• Banker bet: Pays 1 to 1 minus a 5% house commission
• Tie bet: Pays 8 to 1

When you learn how to play baccarat, you’ll find betting on banker has slightly better odds due to the house commission. The tie bet may look tempting with its large payout but has a much larger house edge.

Dealing the Initial Baccarat Hands

At the start of a round, two hands of two cards each are dealt by the dealer - one is the player hand and one is the banker hand. Which player gets to deal first is decided randomly and the dealing rotates in a clockwise order around the table.

Bets must be placed before the first card is drawn. Players have the option to bet on the player hand, the banker hand or a tie.

Drawing Rules in Baccarat

After the two initial hands are dealt according to fixed drawing rules, no more choices are required from the players. Whether a third card is drawn or not depends on the value of the initial two-card player and banker hands.

Player hand drawing rules:

• If the player hand equals 5 or less, player hand hits (takes another card).
• If the initial player hand equals 6 or 7, player hand stands.

Banker hand drawing rules:

• If the player stands, and the banker hand equals 5 or less, banker hand hits.
• If the player does hit and receives a card valued 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7, banker hits when his first two cards equal 4 or less.
• If the player does hit and receives a card valued 8, banker hits when his first two cards equal 3 or less.
• If the player does hit and receives a card valued 1, 2, 8 or 9, banker hand stands.

Once all cards have been drawn, the hand with the highest point value wins and bets placed on that hand get paid out.

Winning Baccarat Bets

As the last step in learning baccarat rules, you need to know how winners are determined and bets are settled.

The hand that is closest to a point value of 9 wins. All 10s and face cards have zero value. If either hand has a total point value over 9, the first digit of the total is dropped. For example, a hand totaling 15 would count as a 5.

• If the player bet wins, it is paid 1 to 1.
• If the banker bet wins, it is paid 1 to 1 minus the 5% commission.
• If the banker and player hand tie, the tie bet wins and is paid 8 to 1.

House Edge in Baccarat

The banker bet has the lowest house edge in baccarat at just over 1% due to the 5% commission on winning banker bets. The player bet house edge is just over 1.2%. The tie bet should be avoided due to its much higher house advantage of over 14%.

Conclusion

With just a few rules to learn, baccarat is one of the least complicated casino card games to pick up for beginners. The drawing rules require no skill or decision from the player and winning bets pay even money minus a small commission. Now that you know how to play baccarat, grab a seat at a table and enjoy this classic and elegant game.