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Edited by Shri333 at 27-12-2023 11:24 AM
Baccarat remains one of the most popular casino games, both in online and land-based casinos. In fact, baccarat tables in Macau and across Asia are among the most frequented. In this article, we will delve further into the game itself and its basic knowledge.
The online version of baccarat is similar to its real-life casino counterpart, with 6 or 8 decks of cards shuffled together. So far, Punto Banco is the most common version, but there are many variations, including side bets with 30:1 odds and the EZ Baccarat variant, where certain banker hands typically considered winners block the house edge. The game starts with a bet on who will get closer to a value of 9, the banker or the player, or if it will be a tie, with odds at 8:1. In the case of a tie, bets on both the player and banker will be returned.
This is a game played on a blackjack table. Land-based casinos can have up to 14 betting positions, while online baccarat casinos usually have three main bets. These include bets on the banker, player, and a tie. Hands consisting of six to eight decks of cards are dealt to the banker and player. In some land-based casinos, this shoe is passed from one player to another. In addition to virtual dealers, some online casinos offer live dealers.
In certain cases, the value of the third card is determined by the banker's or player's hand. Player's hand: If the initial hand is 6 or more, the player will not be able to draw a third card. If the initial value is smaller, the player will draw another card. Banker's hand: The banker's hand stands and has no additional cards if the initial value is 7 or more. However, if the hand's value is 0, 1, or 2, another card will be drawn. Drawing the third card depends on the value of the player's hand between 3 and 6. If both hands have a value of 8 or 9 with their initial two cards, it is called a natural, and no more cards are drawn.
The objective of the game is to bet on which hand, the banker or the player, has the highest value or if they will tie. However, the tie bet is the worst bet on the table, even at 8:1 odds, with a whopping 14.4% house edge. The maximum total value of a hand is nine with face cards (king, queen, jack) and tens having a value of zero. When the value of a hand exceeds 10, the value resets to zero, for example, (5 + 7 = 12, final value = 2). Bets cannot be raised or canceled once the hand begins. Players receive a 1:1 payout on their bets and an 8:1 split on winning tie bets. However, it is essential to remember that the casino charges a commission on winning banker bets, which typically changes the banker bet odds to 1:0.95 (19 to 20), usually around 5%.
Some special rules make the banker win more than the player, which is the usual advantage and statistically superior, even with lower returns on each win, with up to 4 to 5 times the deck shoe, depending on the game. The actual percentage of the commission may vary from one casino to another. When you bet on the banker or player and the result is a tie, your bet will be returned without any loss. |
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