Baccarat is a card game and is played in most of the casinos. Like Blackjack and poker Baccarat also has its presence in the online casinos and similar to these games the online version of baccarat is almost the same when compared to its counterpart. Baccarat unlike online poker and online blackjack is easy to play and master. Even though it is a simple game it is still considered to be the most polished and sophisticated games among other casino games.

Baccarat amongst other casino games has a very low house edge. The house edge is extremely close to one percent. Hence the chances of winning for any Baccarat player are much more when compared to others. This happens because there are just three bets a baccarat player can place which are ‘Banker’, ‘Player’ or a ‘tie’. The term banker and player do not refer to the baccarat player or the casino but they are just options that a player can place a bet on.

The valuation of the cards is different in baccarat when compared to Blackjack. In Baccarat the cards 2 to 9 are calculated as their face value, while aces are counted as one. The 10s, and the face cards namely the king, the queen and the jack, have the value of zero. The players calculate the sum of all the cards at hand and drop the first digit or the tenth place. For example 7 + 8 = 15, her 1 would be dropped and the total of cards would be taken as ‘5’. The highest total that can be achieved in Baccarat is 9.

There are usually three popular variants of the game which are baccarat banque (or à deux tableaux), baccarat chemin de fer, and punto banco (or North American baccarat). Out of this three Punto Banco is purely based on luck and there are no skill or strategies required to play this game. On the other hand Baccarat banque and baccarat chemin de fer are the variants where the players are allowed to make choices.

Players playing a game of poker around a poker table

Players playing a game of poker around a poker table

Punto Banco is a skill free variation and here the two players are dealt the playing cards. One of the players selects to be a ‘banker’ while the other plays as a ‘player’. The cards are dealt to both the parties in an order when the player is given the first card and then the banker. Both the cards are dealt face down. Once each individual has 2 cards the cards are turned up to see the face value. The score on each card is calculated and announced. More cards can be drawn. The individual with the highest total is declared the winner.

Chemin de Fer was the original version of the game and as the name suggests it originates from France. The players sit along an oval table. One of the players assumes the role of a banker and he is the one who also deals the playing cards. The other players are called as punters in this form. The right to be the banker passes anti-clockwise through the game. Four cards are dealt by the banker in such a way that he has 2 cards and two other players get one card each. The one with a higher card gets an opportunity to play against the banker. Both the banker and the opponent take a look at their cards and announce if the either have a 7 or 8. A third card is drawn if either is not present with the players. Once both the parties refuse to take any more cards the cards are opened and compared. The one with the highest total wins.

The main difference between Baccarat Banque and Chemin de Fer the position of the banker is fixed. In baccarat Banque the player remains the banker till he wants to quit or his funds are over. Here 10 players sit on the table and those who want to participate stand besides the table. They are allowed to bet if the banker’s bet is not met by all the sitting players. The position of the banker is generally taken by the person who can risk the highest amount of money. The banker sits on the middle of the oval table. The other 10 players side on either side of the banker. i.e. five on each side. The other rules are almost the same.

In a brick and mortar casino baccarat tables are placed in separate rooms and decorated elegantly. The minimum bets on these tables are high. This is mainly to make the game exclusive to a select few high rollers. Hence many of the players do not have access to this casino game even though it is easy and simple to master. Online Casinos breaks this barrier and makes this game available to everyone from the comfort of their home. Many of casinos online provide a baccarat table with minimum bets as low as $ 10 or even lower. Some offer them for free or free deposit while some offer bonuses. All this facilities have got this casino game open for everyone.

For those who still want to play as a high roller and want to place higher minimum bets separate rooms are available on the online casinos. Some of the top casinos online make separate rooms for high rollers and these are ‘by invitation only’ rooms. These invitations are given out to only those players who play a lot with real money online.