MINI-BACCARAT
There are two types of baccarat (pronounced “baw-caw-rah”). First, there’s big-table baccarat, which is sometimes just called bacc (pronounced “bawk”). There’s also the much more common mini-baccarat (or mini-bacc), which is played on a much smaller table. The rules are exactly the same, but the snob factor is different for each.
MINI-BACCARAT
The table in mini-baccarat looks very much like a large blackjack table, and the dealer does all the work. All you have to do is bet heads or tails - er, I mean, player or banker. Those are your two choices. It’s that simple.
You may try your skills at baccarat and many other games in a trusted online casino of our choice.
THE RULES
Baccarat is played from a six-deck or an eight-deck shoe. All face cards and Tens have no value. Cards less than Ten are counted at face value, Aces are worth 1 and suits don’t matter. Since the highest score is a 9, we ignore the left digit of any card total that is 10 or higher. So 15 is counted as 5, and 23 is counted as 3. A King and a Six count as 6, and a Nine and an Eight count as 7 (9 + 8 = 17, and then you lop off the left digit).
To start, the players place a bet on player, banker, or tie. The dealer will dole out two cards for each side, first to the player spot and then to the banker spot. He then turns over the cards to reveal the scores. The object of the game is to bet on the hand that you think will have the highest total value - you have roughly a 50-50 shot.
If the first two cards achieve a count of 8 or 9, it’s called a natural and wins automatically (unless you get two naturals exactly tied; then it’s a push). If neither hand is a natural, an additional third card may be dealt to the player, the banker, or both, depending on a series of relatively complicated rules that we will touch on in a moment. Don’t worry, you don’t need to learn or even know the rules; the casino dealer follows them whether you know them or not.
Another unique aspect of baccarat is if you bet on the banker and the banker wins, you’ll be charged a 5 percent commission on your winnings. However, if you bet on the player and the player wins, there’s no commission. You get paid even money.
This is because the banker is slightly more likely to win. So to even the odds a bit, the banker is charged a commission.
What’s interesting, and what you won’t learn from reading any standard baccarat strategy guide, is that even after the 5 percent house commission, there is still an advantage to betting on the banker. The margin is slim at 0.19 percent, but it does exist.
Ties
Besides player and banker, you can also bet on tie, which promises a payout of 8 to 1 if both hands end up being equal. While the payout might seem enticing, it’s actually a sucker bet with a house edge of more than 14 percent, for the odds of getting a tie are closer to 10 to 1. Naturally, you should bother to play only if you’re a sucker.
