Baccarat Rules and Odds

When you play baccarat, learning the rules and odds associated with certain bets is relatively simple. Execution is key, however, and these rules and odds will help players better understand the game when it comes time to play.

Baccarat Rules

The rules of baccarat are relatively simple and leave little room for guessing. The dealer hands two cards to each player and the banker, and the objective is to acquire a hand that has a total point value of nine or as close to nine as possible. The player who scores an eight or nine on the first deal--considered a 'natural'--wins the hand. If the player has a six or seven, they must stand; if they have five or less, they are obligated by game rules to take another card. For total scores of 10 and above, the first digit is dropped and the score is the remaining digit.

The Bets and Odds

There are only three bets for a baccarat player to choose from: the banker bet, the player bet and the tie bet. The banker and player bets have the best odds but pay out an even amount to the player with no commission. The odds of winning a tie bet, however, are very low but the payout can be eight or nine to one depending on the venue. In most cases, it is best to bet on the banker in order to get the highest odds possible.

Baccarat is a fun game that has simple rules; in fact, most of the rules are laid out by the dealer and there is very little for the player to remember. Even so, by playing the game safely and smartly, players can enjoy their bankrolls for a longer amount of time and quite possibly walk away winners.