Baccarat Betting: How to Play Baccarat

Baccarat has always had a reputation as a good game for both seasonal gamblers and beginner players. This game is relatively simple to play and has a low casino advantage. So, it has been popular in online baccarat betting.

Still, beginner bettors need to know the rules, bet types, betting systems, and some strategies before playing baccarat in an online casino in Malaysia. Additionally, learning the basics and strategy of baccarat can help them have the best baccarat betting experience.

Baccarat Objective and Game Rules

Some casinos offer variations of baccarat, such as Punto Banco (or the classic version of baccarat), Baccarat Banque, Chemin de Fer, and Mini Baccarat. Still, the objectives, rules, and gameplay are pretty much the same.

Objectives: Players have to guess who among them and the banker has the better hand, and which hand counts close to 9.

Gameplay: After the dealer shuffles the cards, they ask a player to cut them using the cut-card. Then, the cards will be placed in the show. After which, the dealer draws and shows the first card, which value will be the basis of how many cards will be removed and burned (discarded).

Then, the baccarat game begins after the players make their bets, and a two-card hand is dealt between the banker and players. Generally, for each baccarat variation, the number of hands dealt varies. Two-card hands are dealt with each player and the banker for most variations. But, in mini-baccarat, all the hands are dealt out by the dealer, and the players never touch the cards.

After the cards are dealt, the player/s will be the first to take their turn – either they stand or draw a card. Then, the banker will take its turn after the player’s hand is finished.

Rules: There are general rules that everyone playing baccarat has to follow and specific rules the players and bankers must abide by.

General Rules

Each type of card will have a specific value:
Face cards and 10’s are counted as zero.
All other numerical cards (2 to 9) are counted at face value.
Aces are counted as one.
When adding the cards together, no total can be higher than 9. So, if players and the banker have a total of 10 or higher, they have to subtract ten or drop the first digit to determine the actual value of the cards. For instance, a hand of 8, 6 totals 14; the gambler will have to subtract ten or drop the digit “1” from the total, and then the hand’s value is 4.
If the banker and the player have the same total, it is a tie, and neither hand wins or loses.
A hand that totals 8 or 9 is called a “natural,” and that hand wins.
If the player or banker’s first two cards total a “natural,” neither the player nor banker can draw another card.

Player Hand Rules

If a player’s hand total 6 or 8, they must stand.
Players must draw a card if their first two cards total 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5.

Banker Hand Rules

The banker stands if the total of its first two cards is 7.
If the banker’s first two cards have a total of 0, 1, or 2, it must draw a card.
But if the banker’s first two cards total 3,4, 5, or 6, the decision as to whether or not it draws a third card depends on the value of the player’s third card. The banker must act accordingly to the following rules associated with the score:
3: Banker draws when the player’s third card is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, or 10, but stands when the third card is an 8.
4: Banker draws when the third card of the player is a 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7, but stands when the card is 1, 8, 9, 10.
5: The banker draws a third card when the player draws a third card with a value of 4, 5, 6, or 7 and stands if the card is 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, or 10.
6: Banker draws when the third card of the player is 6 or 7 but stands if the third card is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10.

Baccarat Bet Types

Apart from the rules, objectives, and gameplay of baccarat, gamblers also need to understand the types of bets they can make in the game.

Player Bets – This type of bet is the one players can place if they think the hand of the player is closer to 9. Player bets have a 1.24% casino advantage, making it a pretty easy-to-win bet. Accordingly, the payout for a player bet is 1:1, which means they will earn $1 for every $1 they bet.

Banker Bets – The banker bet is the one that gamblers place if they think the banker’s hand is better than the player’s hand. This bet type is considered the best baccarat bet as it has the lowest house edge, generally at 1.06%, and has a 1:1 payout ratio, enabling gamblers to profit from it. However, gamblers have to pay a 5% house commission in banker bets if their bet wins.

For instance, a gambler won $15 on their banker bet; they owe 75 cents commission to the house. The 5% commission is only required if the bet wins and not if it loses. Subsequently, the dealer will keep track of the amount the gambler owes by putting an equal amount in a small area on the table that corresponds to the gambler’s seat number at the table.

Tie Bets – Gamblers can make this type of bet if they think that both the player’s and the banker’s hands will have an equal total. The casino advantage is 14.36% in tie bet, and the payout is at 8:1.

Side Bets – These are bets that offer players a chance to add thrill and excitement to their baccarat betting activities. Side bets usually offer big payouts but include low odds or high house edge. Hence, it is critical for players to check each type of side bet’s payouts, odds, and house edge and if their gambling budget can take the risk.

The most common side bets are Banker Pair, Player Pair, Perfect Pair, 4-5-6 bet, All Red, All Black, Panda 8, Dragon Bonus, Dragon 7, and Super Six. Still, it is worth noting that not all baccarat tables provide the same side bets.

Baccarat Betting Strategies

Pick Games with Fewer Decks

The number of decks used for playing baccarat affects the odds and return of the game. The fewer the decks are, the higher chances of winning a bet. Consequently, the higher the number of decks, the lower the cards’ variability and probabilities of winning a bet.

For instance, a game that uses a one-deck shoe provides a 45.96% probability of winning a bet on the banker and a 44.68% chance of winning a player bet. A six-deck shoe can lower the odds of winning a bet on the banker by 0.11% and a player bet by 0.05%. Moreover, in a baccarat game that uses eight decks, the odds of winning a banker bet or player bet are lessened by 0.01%.

Avoid Tie Bets

While it might be tempting to make a tie bet because of the high payout (8:1), gamblers are better off betting on the banker or player when playing baccarat. A tie bet is terrible as the casino advantage in this bet type is 14.36%. This means a gambler will lose 14.36 units for every 100 units they wager, a regrettable amount if lost in one game.

Ensure Proper Bankroll Management

As with other gambling activities, money management is paramount to achieving success in baccarat. Gamblers must set a budget and stick with it to ensure they get the best experience when playing the game.

Having a gambling budget and implementing money management strategies will help gamblers play baccarat with discipline – this will help them maximise their gambling money and know when to step back and take a break from gambling.

Where to play baccarat?

88ProAsia is the best online casino in Malaysia and Singapore. We give our customers the best odds, bonuses, and payouts to provide them with the best online gambling experience. Start playing baccarat and other online casino games today by visiting www.88proasia.com.