Baccarat is a very simple game to play with no decisions made after a bet is placed. There are three bets available: The Player’s hand, the Banker’s hand, or a Tie. The winning hand is the hand that holds two or three cards totaling closest to nine. A bet on the Player pays even money. A bet on the Banker pays even money minus a 5% house commission. A bet on a Tie pays 8 to 1.

All Tens and face cards have a value of 0. Aces count as One and Two through Nine are counted at face value.

1 FACE VALUE 0

In the classic game of Baccarat the deal rotates among the players. Even though the player dealing is acting as the Banker, he is not obligated to bet on the Banker’s hand. In Mini Baccarat a casino dealer handles the deal. After players make their bets the dealer deals a two-card hand to the Banker and Player. A Tie at any point in the game ends the hand and pays Tie bets. If either hand dealt is a total of 9, it is called a “Natural” and automatically wins. If neither hand is 9 a hand with a total of 8 is a Natural winner. Natural hands always immediately win or Tie (although a 9 beats an 8).

If neither hand is an 8 or a 9 and there is no Tie additional cards may be dealt according to a standard set of rules. The Player’s hand is dealt to first, and only if the current value is 5 or less [top right].

After the Player’s hand is complete, the Banker’s hand is dealt out according to the following set of rules: If the Player did not draw a third card, then the Banker only draws a card to a hand of 4 or less. If the Player did draw a third card, the Banker follows the rules at right.