Table of Contents:
- Historical background of baccarat
- Main rules of the game
- Best strategies for baccarat
- Mathematics at gamblers’ service
- Frequently asked questions
- How to Play Baccarat and Where Does it Come From?
The game of baccarat, particularly, its earliest version, Baccarat Banque, originated in 19th century France. However, instructions on how to play baccarat widely used by the French nobility of those times wouldn’t work now, as today’s casinos mostly play Baccarat Punto Banco. This game comes from the gambling houses of Havana, where it rapidly gained popularity during the 1940s.
Baccarat Punto Banco is the most popular version of the game today, so this guide would primarily concentrate on Punto Banco version of baccarat, how to play it, and how to win. Although players in baccarat can bet on either Punto (player) or Banco (house), they don’t compete with the casino as they would do in blackjack. The hands’ names do not refer to the house or the gambler.
How Do You Play Baccarat at Casinos?
After the bets are made, the most important question arises – how do you play baccarat? Each round (or coup) of the game starts with burning the first card face-up, which is needed to determine how many cards should be burnt immediately after. The numerical value of the first card (aces stand for 1 and pictures for 10) is used.
The croupier then deals out 2 cards to each hand face-up, sometimes announcing the total. Anyone wondering how to play baccarat casino game should know the value of each card in points. They are summarized in the table below:
| Numbers from 1 to 9 | Tens and Pictures | Aces | Jokers |
| Equal to numeric value | 0 points | 1 point | Not used |
Baccarat counts only unit digits, so if your hand consists of, say, 9 and 8, the final value of the hand will be 7 points.
What is baccarat like after the cards are dealt? If one of the hands has an 8 or 9, it wins straight away. If not, the Punto can be dealt out the third card, but only when the value of the hand doesn’t exceed 5 points. The Banco is also eligible to receive the third card under certain circumstances. These are checked in the tableau of drawing rules.
How to Play Baccarat and Win? Best Strategies for the Game
“How to play baccarat and win?” – this is, probably, the most frequently asked question. Unfortunately, baccarat is a very luck-dependent game, so it provides only a few ways to use one’s skills in gambling. For instance, card counting is not a widely utilized practice among baccarat players.
This, however, doesn’t mean that no one knows how to win at baccarat. Experienced gamblers often utilize edge sorting, which provides them with a significant advantage. Baccarat offers pleasantly low house edges (around 1.06 – 1.24%), so your chances of winning are quite high.
How to Win at Baccarat? Secure Your Winnings Using Scientific Approach
Considering its low house edge, baccarat could have been a perfect game for beginners, but high luck-dependency and large buy-ins make this game unfavorable among the public. If there was an answer to “how to consistently win at baccarat?”, it would inevitably lie in edge sorting. This technique is the most efficient when it comes to playing baccarat, but it is also quite dangerous to use. Casinos consider edge sorting as an unfair advantage and may refuse to pay out winning if the players are caught utilizing this technique.