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Online Baccarat Rules of Play

Audrey | April 1, 2022 | Updated on: April 1st, 2022

Recently updated on April 1st, 2022

If you are looking for information about the different baccarat rules then you’ve come to the right place. Baccarat is an exciting game of chance and is one of the most popular games at online casinos today. Luck may play a big part in whether you win or lose. But, if you want to give yourself a fair shot at winning then you must learn the rules of the game first. Fortunately, we’ve summarised all the baccarat rules and must-know information for you below. We cover:

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The Objective of the Game

Before we get into the rules of the game, it’s best to first familiarise ourselves with the main objective of the game. As you may already know, baccarat is a card game that’s classified as a game of chance. The game is available to play at most online and land-based casinos worldwide.

In baccarat, you wagering on the outcome of one out of two hands. You will choose to bet on either the banker, the player or a tie. The desired outcome for the hand you’ve chosen is a total of 9 or closest to it. If the hand you wagered on goes over 9, you lose. If your hand is the furthest away from a 9-point total, you lose too.  But, if your hand has a value of 9, or if it’s the hand closest to 9, you win. Baccarat is a one on one kind of game so you are competing against the house and not necessarily the other players.

Baccarat Rules Card Value

Baccarat rules regarding the value of every card in the pack and how points are tallied up differs from other casino games. We’ve already mentioned the most important card rule in the game – a total of 9 is the highest score. But, here are a few other rules to note.

Baccarat Rules

In this game, face cards e.g. kings, queens and jacks are worth 0 points. Tens are also worth zero points. Aces on the other hand are worth one point. The numbered cards e.g. 2 through to 9 are worth the value is shown. This means that a number 2 card is worth 2 points and a number 5 card is worth 5 points and so on.

How you determine the value of your hand is what makes this particular system so unique. Single totals that may include 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9 all stay like that. But, when the total of your two-card hand equals a double-digit e.g. 10,11,12 the value of your hand will equal whatever the last digit is. So, if your total is 14, the new value of your hand will be 4 instead of 14.

Baccarat Gameplay Rules

Let’s move on to discussing how one round in the game works. Once all bets are in, the game will proceed as follows:

The banker will shuffle the cards and place four on the baccarat table. The cards will then be equally divided between the player bet and the banker bet, meaning each hand will have 2 cards. If the displayed totals for either banker or player bet are equal to 8 or 9, it’s deemed a natural baccarat win and the respective hand will receive the equivalent payout.

However, if neither the banker nor the player hand has an 8 or 9 total then it’s time to decide whether a third card must be drawn.

Third Card Rules in Baccarat

The baccarat rules for when a third card is appropriate is very clear. Have a look at the rules for when a player or banker bet should receive a third card.

Online Baccarat Rules

Third Card Player Rules State That:

  • If a third card needs to be drawn, the player goes first.
  • If the player’s hand has a total of 8 or 9, it wins.
  • If the players total is 6 or 7, the player must stand.
  • Totals between 0 and 5 warrant a third card, provided that the banker doesn’t have a winning total of 8 or 9.

Third Card Banker Rules State That:

Totals between 0 and 2 warrant a third card, provided that the player doesn’t have a winning 8 or 9 total.

  • For a total of 3, the banker may draw if the player’s 3rd card is any of these: 9, 7,6,5,4,3,2,1 and 0.
  • The banker should stand if the player’s 3rd card is an 8.
  • On a total of 4, the banker may draw another card if the player’s 3rd card is one of these: 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 or 7.
  • The banker should always stand if the player’s 3rd card is: 0 – 1 – 8 or 9.
  • For a total of 5, the banker may draw provided the player’s 3rd card is 4 – 5 – 6 or 7.
  • The banker should always stand if the player’s 3rd card is: 9,8,3,2,1, or 0.
  • On a total of 6, the banker may draw if the player’s 3rd card is a 6 or 7.
  • The banker should always stand if the player’s 3rd card is: 9,8,5,4,3,2,1 or 0.
  • Banker always stands on a total of 7.

Play Baccarat for Real Money

When you are confident that you know the rules of baccarat, you are more than welcome to visit any of the online casinos that we list in our table above & play baccarat for real money. Some casinos even offer free baccarat. New players will receive a generous welcome bonus while existing players may benefit from a wide range of other bonuses and promotions. Use your mobile or desktop device to play regular or live dealer baccarat games today.

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