Baccarat is famous for being one of James Bond’s favourite casino games, and he made a good choice – the most popular baccarat bets give the house a surprisingly small edge. For example, the player bet gives the house an edge of just 1.24%, and the banker bet gives the house an edge of 1.06%.

The game of baccarat involves dealing two hands. One is referred to as the Player’s hand and the other is referred to as the Banker’s hand, though it should be noted that the term “banker” is merely a label and does not refer to the dealer. A player can bet that the Player’s hand will win, that the Banker’s hand will win, or that both hands will be tied. The winning hand is the one with the total closest to 9, and card values are designated as follows:

• Ace = 1
• Picture cards = 10
• Other cards = Face value

Two cards are dealt to the Player and two to the Banker. Should a hand total more than 9 then the first digit is ignored. So, if the two cards are 7-5, which totals 12, the hand would be counted as 2 because the first digit (1) is ignored.

• If either the Player’s hand or the Banker’s hand total 8 or 9 then both hands must stand as they are, and the hand closest to 9 wins.

• If the Player’s hand and the Banker’s hand are tied at this stage, a tie is declared.

In any other situation, play proceeds as follows:

• If the Player’s hand totals 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 then a third card is dealt to the Player’s hand.

• If the Player’s hand totals 6 or 7 then the Player’s two card hand stands as it is.

• If the Player’s hand totals 8 or 9 then both the Player’s and Banker’s hands must stand as they are.

At this stage the Banker’s hand may or may not be dealt a third card, and this depends on what third card the Player’s hand received, if any:

If the Player’s hand did not receive a third card, then:

• If the Banker’s hand totals 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 then a third card is dealt to the Banker’s hand.

• If the Banker’s hand totals 6 or 7 then the Banker’s hand stands as it is.

If the Player’s third card was a 2 or 3 then:

• If the Banker’s hand totals 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4 then a third card is dealt to the Banker’s hand.

• If the Banker’s hand totals 5, 6 or 7 then the Banker’s hand stands as it is.

If the Player’s third card was a 4 or 5 then:

• If the Banker’s hand totals 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 then a third card is dealt to the Banker’s hand.

• If the Banker’s hand totals 6 or 7 then the Banker’s hand stands as it is.

If the Player’s third card was a 6 or 7 then:

• If the Banker’s hand totals 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 then a third card is dealt to the Banker’s hand.

• If the Banker’s hand totals 7 then the Banker’s hand stands as it is.

If the Player’s third card was an 8 then:

• If the Banker’s hand totals 0, 1 or 2 then a third card is dealt to the Banker’s hand.

• If the Banker’s hand totals 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 then the Banker’s hand stands as it is.

If the Player’s third card was any other card then:

• If the Banker’s hand totals 0, 1, 2 or 3 then a third card is dealt to the Banker’s hand.

• If the Banker’s hand totals 4, 5, 6 or 7 then the Banker’s hand stands as it is.

Although these rules look quite complicated, the game is actually very simple, and you will soon get used to these rules after playing the game a few times.

Baccarat Betting

As we said earlier, you can bet on the Player’s hand, on the Banker’s hand, or on the tie. Both the Player’s hand and the Banker’s hand pay odds of even money, though it should be noted that a 5% commission is due on the Banker’s hand. The tie bet pays around 8/1, but the house edge on this bet is colossal (at least 14%) so in our opinion it should be avoided at all costs.

Strategically, the best approach we have seen is to always bet on either the Banker’s hand or the Player’s hand, as you prefer. We would go with the former, as it has a slightly lower house edge. Some players like to use a progressive staking strategy to ride out losing hands (for example, betting £2 after losing £1 on the previous hand), and if you are careful to avoid getting carried away then these can be useful. However, always remember that long losing runs can and do occur no matter which side of the fence you ultimately decide to bet on.