Baccarat is one of the most popular and elegant casino games in the world. James Bond even made it one of the most exclusive casino games around, as he inspired others to up the glamor and play high stakes games in some of the world’s finest gambling establishments. Fortunately, in spite of the sizzle and spark that baccarat is able to deliver, it’s one of the easiest casino games there is and with online casinos, you don’t need to be a millionaire to try your hand at it either.

Without any delay, let’s dive right into the famous game of baccarat, starting with some of the basic rules behind it.

Learning the Card Values

In all truth, you don’t actually need to know any of the rules of baccarat to get started – even if it does help. You have three options when you sit at a baccarat table – banker, player, or tie. Take your pick, as it’s really that simple to get started.

Face cards and 10s are worth 0, all other cards are worth their face value, while an ace is worth one. If the cards drawn add up to more than nine, 10 is removed from the value of the total. For example, if a player draws two eights, the value is only six. There is no way to go bust in baccarat, but you only have a maximum of three cards to get as close to nine as possible.

Figuring Out the House Edge

The house edge is the most important thing to figure out when playing any casino game. Interestingly, baccarat has one of the lowest house edges out of all casino games. For an eight-deck game, the casino edge on a banker bet is 1.06%. Placing your bet on the player gives the house a 1.24% edge. However, betting on a tie is the worst option of the three, as the house edge is an eye-watering 14.36%.

Always Bet Banker

Baccarat is a basic game of chance where the player – you – have no interaction with the table other than making a few simple moves. Banker is widely considered to be a safe bet thanks to the lower house edge. As such, it gives you the best chance of taking money from the casino. If in doubt, back the banker if you want to get the best out of baccarat.

The House Takes a Cut

The house takes a cut out of every winning bet placed. For banker bets, the casino will take 5% of the total win, so should you bet €100 – the max bet on many online tables – you will walk away with a €195 – €100 of your original stake plus €95 in winnings from the house.

Player bets pay at 1:1 and a tie pays at a whopping 8:1. If your bet loses, don’t worry, as the house doesn’t take a cut of your next wager. At a land-based casino, the dealer will keep track of the money owed to the casino and collect it from you before you leave the table, rather than deducting it immediately.

You Don’t Actually Need to Learn the Rules

Being as honest as we can, we must say that the rules of baccarat are complicated. However, as you have no interaction with the actual “playing” of the game – only placing bets – you don’t need to learn all of them in order to play. It’s worth noting that most land-based casinos will give you a copy of the rules if you ask for them. Despite this, we’re here to help, so we’re going to run you through the rules just in case you have the desire to learn them.

Player Draw Rules

If the player hand draws a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 10 then another card is drawn – unless the banker hand is “natural”. If the player hand draws a 6 or 7 then the hand stands and another card won’t be drawn. A hand with an 8 or 9 is called a natural and is the ideal hand – no further cards will be drawn by the player or banker. The worst result with a natural hand is a tie.

Banker Draw Rules

This is where things get complicated, but don’t worry, as you don’t actually need to know these rules to enjoy the game. If the banker’s first hand is worth 3 and the player draws a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10, then the banker draws. If the player’s third card is an 8, then the banker stands. If the banker’s original hand is worth 4 and the player draws a 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7, then the banker draws. If the player draws a 1, 8, 9, or 10, then the banker stands on his 4.

If the banker’s first hand is worth 5 and the play’s third card is worth 4, 5, 6, or 7, then the banker draws. If the player draws a 1, 2, 3, 8, 9 or 10 then the banker stands. If the banker’s first hand is a 6 and the player draws a 6 or 7, then the banker draws. The banker will stand if the player draws a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, or 10. The banker will stand on a 7 no matter what the player draws. Finally, if the banker’s first two cards are an 8 or 9 then the player can’t draw another card.

We did warn you that the rules behind baccarat can get a little complicated, but like we mentioned, you don’t actually need to learn them in order to enjoy this famous old game.

Using the Martingale System

Earlier this week we explored the Martingale betting system, whereby players double their wagers in the hope of recovering and winning back their original bet. Due to the limited number of outcomes available in baccarat, it’s an ideal game to try a slightly tweaked version of the Martingale system through.

Picking the Perfect Place to Play

Here at BitStarz Casino, we offer a number of different ways to play baccarat. It’s best to start out playing online, as the minimum bet is substantially lower than in a casino. At a land-based casino, minimum bets at baccarat tables can easily run into the five-figure region, so perfect your techniques online where you can practice with smaller hands and – most importantly – smaller bets.

At BitStarz Casino, we offer a range of live casino games – including baccarat. If you don’t enjoy live games, we also have a regular table game of baccarat that doesn’t involve a live dealer. These are the best arenas for you to hone your skills and learn the tricks of the baccarat tables.

Take Bonuses Into Account

Here at BitStarz we love bonuses. In fact, every time you wager on a table game you will earn points and be placed into a leaderboard, with the chance of winning a slice of €1,000 every week. Look out for awesome bonuses and promotions like this when you are picking the perfect casino to try out your baccarat skills. After all, if these promotions get you two extra hands, that’s two more chances to bank some major winnings.

While the game of baccarat might seem complicated, it’s actually really simple. Simply place your bet, test your luck, and who knows, you could very well be our next big baccarat winner!