By and large, playing games in an online casino isn’t something that involves a huge learning curve for most people. A majority of us probably know perfectly well how to play blackjack, and roulette couldn’t be easier to understand. Slots are simultaneously perfectly simple and – thanks to the flashing lights and loud noises – often confusing. But then there is baccarat. It’s available at every online casino you’ll find on sitesnotongamstop.com or anywhere else, and yet the average person in the street couldn’t tell you the first thing about it.
You might know, for example, that it’s James Bond’s favourite casino game; at least, that’s the way Ian Fleming wrote it. In the movies, it’s often changed to poker so viewers can better understand things. But what’s the real deal with baccarat – that little-understood card game that’s often an afterthought for the casual casino crowd? Let’s look at some of the FAQs and get more of a feel for the game.
How do you win at Baccarat?
Baccarat is a game where two hands of cards are dealt: the Banker and the Player. If you’re sitting there thinking “Ah, the Player, that’s me. I need to get a better hand than the Banker. Yes?”, then hold up. No, the Player isn’t you. The Banker isn’t the casino. The hands may as well be called Bob and Steve, or anything else. You win by betting on either of the two hands, or guessing correctly that they will tie, but that is your only involvement in the game.
So wait … I bet, and that’s it?
Yes. It takes some getting used to, but this isn’t a hugely strategic game. You bet without seeing the cards, then the cards are dealt, and you win or you lose. The fun is that anyone who can say or read the words “Banker”, “Player” or “Tie” can play baccarat, and they’ll be just as “good” at it as 007 is.
I heard it was like blackjack. Is that wrong?
Pretty much. Blackjack is a game packed with strategy. Baccarat? Well, let’s go as far as to say that you can “win” more often than not by always backing the Banker. The reason for this is that the dealer deals two hands, and the hand that scores closest to 9 wins. We’ll explain how in a minute. After the initial deal, another card can be given to the Banker if it looks like losing. So the Dealer has two chances to win, the Player only has one. But remember, you aren’t the player so that’s fine.
How do you get nine?
When a baccarat hand is dealt, the values of the cards are added together for an initial score. So if we say that the Player gets a 3 and a King, that’s 13. But the highest possible score is nine, so only the last digit counts. A hand with a total value of 13 scores 3. An Ace and a King – which is blackjack in that other game – only scores 1. Those are just the rules, don’t worry about it. Don’t try to analyse it. Baccarat is a fairly silly game, but when you learn to accept the rules, it’s also pretty good fun.
