Baccarat

Ever fancied yourself as James Bond? Then the game for you, rather than poker, is Baccarat. The Bond films see the secret agent playing Baccarat on several occasions, including the opening scene of Dr No, as well as Thunderball and Goldeneye.

If you want a game where the rules are simple but the excitement levels high, then fix yourself a vodka Martini and play Baccarat.

How to Play

The aim of the game is to obtain a hand with a point total as closes to nine as you can. In Baccarat, Aces count as one; 2 through 9 as their face value; and 10s and picture cards count as zero. If the combined value of your hand is a two-digit number, then you should use the last digit as your points total, ignoring the first digit. Therefore, you can’t go bust in baccarat.

You do not have to play to win either, you can bet on either yourself to win, the banker to win, or on a tie. Each player and the banker are then dealt two cards, and the totals are added up. Whether or not you receive another card is dependant on your starting total. If your total is 0-5, then you take one more card. If your total is 6 or 7, you stand, and if you have 8 or 9, this is an automatic win.

The banker follows their own rules to decide whether or not they draw another card.

How to Win

If you bet on the player and the player wins, you are paid 2 for 1 winnings on your bet. If you bet on the banker and the banker wins, you are paid 2 for 1, usually minus 5% bank commission.

If both the player’s hand and the banker’s hand have equal totals, the game is tied. If you bet on a tie, your payoff is 9 for 1. Non-tie bets are returned to you if a tie occurs.