KingGame – Baccarat full series explanation I

 Baccarat, also known as punto banco, is one of the oldest and most popular games in casinos around the world. It is especially popular among high rollers and Asian gamblers. In Macau, baccarat is very dominant. The game, while it looks serious and elegant, is actually as simple as flipping a coin--Kinggame

KingGame There are three types of baccarat tables

Big table baccarat is played in a brash ropes area to differentiate it from other games. The players are usually well-dressed and the table is usually tall at the very least. A typical baccarat table is about the size of a craps table with 3 casino dealers and a maximum of 12 or 14 players. Each player, including the player dealing the cards, can still bet on either the player or the banker, but the banker usually bets on the banker.

Kinggame The deal will revolve around the table just like the dice revolve around the craps table. If a player does not want to deal cards, they can pass the shoe to the next player. As long as the banker keeps winning, the same person will keep trading. The dealer places two cards face down under the soles of their shoes and then presents the other two cards face down to the player with the highest bet. The player then looks at the cards and returns them to the player who is dealing. The players who are dealing will then flop and one of the casino dealers will announce the total. Based on the total, the dealer can then instruct the dealer to deal a third card. Finally, the dealer will pay out winning bets and collect losing bets from the dealer’s tray. Unlike Pai Gow, the player who actually deals the cards does not take any financial responsibility for the bets made by other players, just the flop.

The rules for mini baccarat are the same as for big table baccarat. Unlike games at the big table, however, the dealer turns all the cards over, making the game faster. Assuming the same number of cards, the odds are exactly the same as the big table odds. Mini baccarat is sometimes dealt from six decks of shoes with slightly varying odds. It can usually be found in the main casino areas.

Kinggame Medium Baccarat is the same as Mini Baccarat, except that the table sizes are larger and are usually found in high-end rooms rather than the main casino floor.

KingGame Baccarat Rules

The following are the rules of baccarat. Terminology can be a bit confusing. To minimize this, I will use capital letters when referring to a specific bet or hand. Specifically, Player and Banker refer to wagers and specific combinations of two or three cards each.

Kinggame Usually eight decks of cards are used.
The value of the cards is as follows: Ace = 1, 2-9 = value, 10 and face = 0.
The game begins with all players placing bets on the Player or Banker. A draw also has side bets. At some tables, there are also side bets for player pair and/or banker pair. There are many other newer side bets, which I cover in my baccarat appendix 5.
After all bets are over, the dealer gives the player and dealer two cards each.
The maximum number of points in both Player and Banker hands is 9. The way to arrive at the points per hand is to calculate the total number of points for each card in the hand. If the sum is greater than 9, remove the first digit. For example, if either hand had 9s and 7s, you would remove 1 from the total of 16 to get a 6 hand.
The third card may or may not be dealt to the player or the banker, depending on the following rules.
If the player or banker has an 8 or 9, it is called “natural”. If there is at least one natural, the hands will stand.
Otherwise, if the player’s total point is 5 or less, the player’s hand will draw another card, otherwise, if the player’s hand is 6 or 7, the player’s hand will stand.
If the Player hand has a 6 or 7, the Banker will draw a third card with a total of 5 or less. Otherwise, at 6 or 7, the dealer will stand.
If the player does draw a third card, the dealer will use his positional advantage to decide whether to draw the third card based on his total and the player’s third card, as shown in the table below.

Kinggame

D = draw third card
S = standing on two cards
Compare player and banker hand scores; the winner is the bigger one. In the event of a tie, the player and the banker bet.
Tie bets win if the player and banker cards are tied. All other results are lost.
If the first two cards in the player’s hand are the same, the player’s pair bet wins. All other results are lost.
If the first two cards in the dealer’s hand are the same, the dealer’s pair bet wins. All other results are lost.
Here’s how to pay each bet:

Kinggame Player: The winner loses money.
Banker: 19 to 20 to win, equal to the money minus the 5% commission.
Tie: Almost all casinos pay 8 to 1 for a tie, usually expressed as 9 to 1.
Player Pairs and Banker Pairs: 10 to 10 odds to win.

The reason the banker is paid less than the player is because the banker has a positional advantage and more information is available to decide whether to draw a third card.

Below are some rules regarding trading procedures. Beginners can skip this part.

Kinggame At the start of a new shoe, the dealer will turn over a card. This will determine how many cards the dealer will burn based on the baccarat value, but a 10 or face card will result in a 10 card burn.
Cut cards are placed 16 cards from the bottom of the shoe. When the cut card comes, the dealer will finish that hand, play another hand, and start a new one. If a cut card is drawn instead of the first card, the dealer will complete the hand and start a new card.
To speed up the game, the dealer will use small laminated markers to track the commission owed on winning the house bet. He will collect all commissions owed at the end of the shoe.