Baccarat Scoring
Baccarat games are determined by which of two hands has the highest score: the player or the banker. Players can bet on either side or on a tie between the two. Let us look at how cards score in the game.
Baccarat assigns the same score values to the playing cards as other games do. The major difference is that only the first digit is considered, so even if you get a double-digit total like 12, it is only counted as 2.
The scoring values of the cards are:
Ace - 1 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 - face value 10, King, Queen, Jack - 0
In baccarat, only a maximum of three cards per hand is allowed. Furthermore, no hand can bust. The highest possible score is 9; a score of 10 is a 0.
Therefore it is quite possible for the final hand to have a lower score than the starting hand. To illustrate: A player hand may be dealt 1 and 2 for its first two cards. The total would be 3. If the third and final card happens to be a 7, the total would be 10 or 0. So the final hand is lower than the starting one.
The dealer will deal two cards initially to the player and to the house (banker). The player can wager on either side to win. A hand of 8 or 9 wins immediately provided the other side has no equal or better total. All other scores follow a rather complex set of rules for whether or not drawing a third card. The caller or dealer handles all this so the players have nothing to worry about. They just need to know if they win their bet or not.
Baccarat Table Layout
The baccarat table can normally accommodate some 24 players. Once you are seated, you will see three betting circles in front of you marked "Player," "Banker" and "Tie." The tie bet pays 8 to 1 and has the largest payoff. However the odds against this bet winning are high. Bets on either player or banker winning are better.
Banker bets are so good to bet on that the house takes a cut from it. This is usually 5%. Anything less and the casino might close down in the long run. To remind banker bettors that they owe the casino, there is also a circle for commissions on the baccarat table. The appropriate number of chips are placed there so players know how much they owe.
To make it easy for everyone, a caller guides players throughout the game. You do not need to know the procedures of baccarat. The caller will announce when a hand stands, draws, wins or loses.
Baccarat is the table game to play if you want one with a low house edge and is also simple to play. Once you try it, you will know why one of the world's oldest card games is still played today.