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Welcome to my easy-to-understand post on how to play baccarat for beginners.
I’ve been playing casino games for over 10 years now, and I can tell you that baccarat is one of the simplest to get the hang of, and it’s a lot of fun, too!
Let’s start with the baccarat rules for beginners before diving into baccarat bets and house edge and some strategies for beginners.
Baccarat Rules for Beginners
One of the best things about baccarat is that it’s simple and easy to learn. There aren’t lots of complex rules. In fact, you could technically play it without knowing the rules at all and learn as you go.
In baccarat, all you have to do is bet on the outcome. The dealer will do the rest. Here’s how a typical game goes.
- You place your bet on the outcome: Player, Banker, or Tie.
- The dealer deals the hands: two cards for Player and two for Banker.
- The rule of who wins baccarat is this: the hand closest to nine wins.
- The winnings are double what you bet.
That’s the basic order of gameplay and how to determine who wins. Now, let’s look at some other baccarat rules for beginners you need to remember.
- A 5% commission applies to winning Banker hands.
- When any hand is worth double digits, the first digit is dropped.
- If Player or Banker are dealt 8 or 9, they both stand.
- If the Player gets five or less, she’ll get another card.
- If the player stands, the Banker hits on 5 or less.
Those are the simple rules of baccarat. Remember, you don’t need to memorize everything before you play. The best way to learn is to make a few bets at the top baccarat sites and learn as you go along.
Baccarat Bets Explained and House Edge
In standard games of baccarat, there are three bets you can make.
Player – Bet on the Player to win. The house edge on this bet is 1.24%. It pays 1:1.
Banker – Bet on the Banker. The house edge on this bet is 1.06%. It pays 1:1 minus a 5% commission.
Tie – Bet on a Tie or Push. The house edge on this bet is 14.4%. It pays 8:1 if it comes good.
Some live dealer baccarat games have side bets. For example, Pair bets pay 11:1 if either the Player or Banker get a pair. There are even bets, such as Perfect Pairs, that pay as much as 200:1. These are optional side bets and don’t impact the main game at all.
Most Popular Baccarat Variants
Thanks to the rise of live dealer casinos, there are now various new and interesting baccarat variants that take this classic card game and give it new twists. I recommend trying the following baccarat variants.
Lightning Baccarat – Baccarat payouts are relatively tame compared to some other casino games, but Lightning Baccarat changes all of that. Lightning Cards in the deck provide multipliers of up to 8x. These multipliers can combine for massive payouts.
Speed Baccarat – Want to play a bare-bones game without all of the ceremony and extra entertainment? Speed Baccarat is a live dealer variant that squeezes twice the action into your gaming experience. Whereas a normal game takes 48 seconds, Speed Baccarat rounds take 27 seconds.
Baccarat Salon Prive – If you’re a high-stakes player, Salon Prive Baccarat by Evolution is the game for you. You’ll enter a plush private studio and play with a dealer just for you at a private table.
Baccarat Strategy Tips for Beginners
Ultimately, baccarat is a game of chance, and you can’t change the math of the game. However, there are a few common-sense tips that this baccarat guide for beginners would not be complete without mentioning.
Don’t Make the Tie Bet
While the Tie bet pays the most in baccarat (8:1), it’s known as the ‘sucker’s bet’ by casino employees and insiders. That’s because of its extortionate house edge. Casinos love to see naive players make this bet – they make a fortune on it.
The math of the Tie bet in baccarat is simple; for every $100 you wager, you’ll lose $14.40 on average. Why would you ever want to do that?
Use the Martingale System (Carefully)
The Martingale System is a negative progression betting system that can be used on multiple casino games. It works on baccarat, too, thanks to the fact that the two main bets pay even money.
The idea is simple: if you bet $1 and lose, bet $2. If you lose again, bet $4, and so on. Eventually, you’ll win back all you’ve lost, plus your original stake. The fatal flaw in this system is table limits. If you go on a losing streak, you’ll hit a limit that doesn’t allow you to double down again.
Grab Baccarat Bonuses and Promotions
Third and finally, grab the welcome bonuses and other generous offers at the top online casinos. These can bolster your bankroll before you play baccarat or any other casino game.
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up to $1,600
- Reclaimable welcome bonus
- Significant jackpots
- Long-standing industry brand
100%
up to $300
- Clever alternate reality theme
- Solid live chat customer service
- Low bonus rollover requirements
100%
up to C$500
- Game selection if first-rate
- Bitcoin gambling supported
- Heaven for slots players
These casinos all have generous bonuses, fast, secure payouts, and good reputations. Now that I’ve covered how do you play baccarat for beginners, why don’t you check them out?
