Baccarat guide

Baccarat is one of the most popular games in casinos. It also gets more and more fans in online casinos. Baccarat online is a game that is loved by everyone who are ready to make high bets.

The History of Baccarat
This old card game has its own history. «Baccarat» in French means “zero”. There are several theories about the origins of this game. According to the most famous of them baccarat game was invented in the Middle Ages by Felix Falguere. And at the end of the 15th century it already was the favorite game of French aristocrats.

Baccarat card counting
Table for Baccarat is large enough, so the game takes place in a special part of the casino. At one table three dealers and 14 players can play at the same time. Baccarat is played with 8 or 6 decks. Each deck has 52 cards. The purpose of the game is to score 9 points. This game is played between player and dealer.
The most advantageous combination of two cards is 9 points. This combination is called “natural”. Cards from “2″ to “9″ keep their values. Cards as “King”, “Queen,” “Jack” and “10″ are equivalent to 0 points. And “Ace” is 1point.
If a player has the combination of more than 9 points, he or she is taken away 10 points to have not more than 9 points. For example, a player has a combination of 7 and 9, which gives 16 points. 10 points are taken away and it is 6 points.
In baccarat players make three types of bets.
• Punto – a bet on the player, with 1:1 payment.
• Banco – a bet on the dealer with payoffs 19:20.
• Tie – a bet on a tie, with 8:1 or 9:1 payment (depending on the casino).

The optimal baccarat strategy
To minimize the house edge, it is best to bet on the dealer, because statistically it is much more winning bet. But a bet on a tie should be avoided because the casino edge here can reach 14%.

Baccarat free
You can play baccarat not only for money but also for free. This is especially necessary for beginners. Playing free baccarat, you have the opportunity to learn the rules and train yourself.