Baccarat Casino Game in Detail for Australian Players
Baccarat is believed to have once been played only by the elite aristocratic houses of Europe, first in Italy and then in France by the 1400s. From here it spread to the rest of the world and the rest of society, and today it is an important part in offline and online casinos in Australia and across the rest of the world.
Game Basics
Three versions of the game are played today, and of these Punto Banco is most common. It’s the perfect way to start learning the game, before exploring the others and developing your own playing style more.
Two hands of two cards are dealt to begin with, one called the Punto (Player) and one called the Banco (Banker). The number cards from two to nine all carry their face value, the Ace card carries a value of one and all other cards (the Face cards and the ten cards) carry a zero value. The two cards are added together, and the ten values are dropped, to calculate the total of the hand. For example, a nine and a four card would give a hand value of three rather than thirteen.
A hand total of eight or nine is called a Natural and is the round’s automatic winner. A player hand of six or seven stands, and another card must be drawn if it is below five. The rules for determining if a Banker hand gets a third card are a little more involved and depend on the original Banker hand total, whether a third card was dealt to the Player hand and what the value of the third card dealt to the Player hand was. It is luckily always the responsibility of the Dealer to remember and apply these rules, and all you have to do is focus on your wagers.
You need to bet on the outcome of the hands before any cards are dealt. You can always choose between three options: whether the Player hand or Banker hand will win, or whether there will be a tie. A winning Player hand pays out 1:1, and a winning Banker hand pays out the same minus a commission deduction of 5%. A winning tie bet has a huge 14.1% house edge, but the whopping return of 8:1 makes it irresistible to many players.
Game Strategy
The cards you are dealt in Baccarat are completely random and beyond your control, so the tactics and strategy of the game are mostly centred in how you place your bets. You should always base your wagers on calculated odds, which are fully explained at most reputable online Australian casinos offering this entertainment and at the many websites that are dedicated to the game and its strategy. As you spend more time on these sites you will be able to define and then refine your own style, but as a very general rule of thumb it’s recommended that you never bet on a tie unless you are feeling very lucky and are comfortable with the idea of losing all you bet, because the odds against a win are so high. You should also never bet against a string of wins. After three in a row, you should wait until the winning run stops or should start betting with it.
Your Enjoyment will Grow
The more you play this game and start to learn its ins and outs, the more involved you will become and the more you will want to play. Every game will be more rewarding than the one before.