Guide to Playing Baccarat

The hardest part of playing Baccarat is pronouncing it's name, so let's get that straight from the start: It's r-rah, not back-a-rat. Fair enough, so you will never need to pronounce the game's name when you play online, but it's something you can pull up others on later. To back up this smart-alec posturing, it's important to be pretty good at playing the game of Baccarat itself, so let's take a look at what the game of Baccarat is all about.

It is thought that Baccarat was played in France as far back as the 15th Century, where it is sometimes known as 'Punto Banco' because there are tow hands played - that of the player ( or 'punter' ) and that of the banker. You can bet on either one, and if it wins, you receive an even-money payout. There's also a third bet called a tie bet, which pays out at 8-to-1 should the two hands tie.

MINI BACCARAT

Apart from the tie bet, Baccarat is one of the best bets in the casino - whether playing in your own surroundings online, or at a land based Casino. Be aware that the Baccarat you play online is a little different to that played in a land based casino. The version of Baccarat offered by major online casinos such as 32Red and Cherry Red Casino is called Mini-Baccarat. The premise is the same, but it's faster and more suitable for the low-limit stakes at which you will probably be playing. Although Online Casinos still promote it as Baccarat, you'll know you're playing the mini version if you're sat at a Blackjack style table.

When you first enter an Online Baccarat Game, you'll probably get the option to play a private or multiplayer game. to be honest, it doesn't really matter which you pick: although a mini blackjack table can seat up to seven players, you'll be playing against the house, not other players, so the private or multiplayer choice depends on whether you want to chat to other like minded players as you gamble.

Mini Baccarat is a supremely simple game. You decide on how much to bet, and whether you want to place your money on you winning, the banker winning or a tie. The game then starts with four cards being dealt - two for you and two for the banker. If either side's cards total 8 or 9, they're said to be a 'natural' and no further cards are dealt to either side. Otherwise, each side may or may not have to draw a further card depending on their total. The winning hand is the one with a point total closest to 9. When both hands have equal totals, a 'tie' is declared.

To count a hand, 10s and face cards are worth zero and other cards their face value. But because a Baccarat Hand can only total 0 - 9, only the last digit of the actual total is used. If the player's hand totals 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, he or she draws another card. The dealer's decision is governed by rules that are a bit more complicated.

If you are interested in statistics, all the Online Casinos that we feature on Online Casino Reviewer display a list of previous winners somewhere on the screen. The banker' hand is indicated by the letter 'B', the player's hand is indicated by the letter 'P' and a tie is indicated by a dash. Consecutive wins by either the banker or the player are displayed in the same column. A new column is displayed when the banker or player starts a new winning streak. A tie is considered part of the same winning streak and is always displayed in the same column as the previous winner.