Baccarat is one of the oldest gambling games still being played today, and it remains an incredibly popular choice. This dynamic and exciting game has simple rules and good chances of winning, which attracts players from all around the world.
According to the somewhat disputed history of the game, baccarat was popularised in France after it was introduced to the country by Italian soldiers at the end of the 15th century. It became so popular among the French nobility that even a ban on casinos in 1837 couldn’t stop people from playing it. Half a century later, baccarat was introduced to the US, although for a long time historians believed it only arrived in the New World several decades later.
Fun fact: baccarat experienced surges in popularity after the release of Ian Fleming’s book ‘Casino Royale’ and after the similarly titled movie featured James Bond playing the game against a Soviet spy.
Baccarat: game rules
The goal of the game is to correctly guess the winning outcome (banker, player, or tie).
A dealer uses six or eight decks of 52 cards, dealt from a dealing shoe. When dealing the cards from the shoe, the dealer alternates between the player and banker. Whoever gets the highest score from their two or three cards wins the coup (round of play). The maximum value of a hand is nine. If both the player and the banker get the same score, the winning outcome is the tie.
A ‘shoe’ is a device used in baccarat and other card games for holding multiple decks of playing cards.
Card values
Aces are worth only one point.
Cards 2 through 9 are worth their numeric value (in points).
The face cards (jack, queen and king) and 10s are worth 0 points.
In baccarat, only the points value of the card is important, the suit does not matter; the only exceptions to this rule are for side bets (for example, the ‘Perfect Pair’).
For each coup, two cards are dealt face up for each participant, starting with the player and alternating between the participants. The value of a hand can be calculated by adding up the points value of the cards. If the total number of points is greater than 9, 10 is subtracted from that total.
Example: If a player is dealt a 7 and a 9, their total value would be 16. However, as 16 is greater than 9, 10 is taken off, and the final points total is 6 (16 – 10 = 6).
If either the player, the banker or both have a points total of 8 or 9 after two cards, the coup is finished and the third card is not dealt. This is called a ‘natural’.
The third card rule
This rule is considered when there’s no ‘natural’, and either the player or the banker has a total of 7 or less points. In such cases, a third card may be dealt, starting with the player.
A ‘hand’ is a word used in card games to describe the set of cards dealt to a participant.
The player’s hand
If the player has a total of 6 or 7, a third card is not dealt.
If the player has a total of 5 or less, they draw a third card.
The banker’s hand
If the banker has a total of 2 or less, they draw a third card.
If the banker has a total of 3, they draw a third card unless the player’s third card is an 8.
If the banker has a total of 4, they draw a third card if the player’s third card is 2 through 7.
If the banker has a total of 5, they draw a third card if the player’s third card is a 4, 5, 6, or 7.
If the banker has a total of 6, they draw a third card if the player’s third card is a 6 or 7.
If the banker has a total of 7, they stand.
Bets
Classical baccarat offers three types of bets: Player, Banker, or Tie.
However, in some games, side bets are available.
Pair
This is a side bet that either the player or banker will get a pair (for example, two 6s) as their first two cards.
Perfect pair
This is a side bet that either the player or banker will get a suited pair (for example, two 5 of spades) as their first two cards.
Results
The results are displayed in a special chart, which shows the wins for the player (blue) and the banker (red). Ties are shown in green. There are several variants of these tables, but the most popular are the Big Road and the Bead Road charts. When the shoe is replaced with a new one, the chart is cleared and the recording of results begins anew.
Unique variants of baccarat in the Marathonbet Live Casino
Lightning Baccarat
This game offers a fresh take on classic baccarat, with new elements of risk and surprise. The game mechanics are the same as traditional baccarat; however, after the betting period has ended a Lightning Round begins. Lightning will strike between one and five random Lightning Cards. Each of these cards is instantly given a random multiplier.
If your winning bet involves a card with a multiplier, your winning payout will be increased by the multiplier indicated. You can win even more if the winning hand has more than one Lightning Card, as all the multipliers are multiplied by each other!
The studio is decked out in a black and gold finish, and the lightning strikes inject some serious excitement into each round. The game stream is in high definition, and you can configure your settings to find a display mode that’s suitable for you.
Do you like the chance of big winnings, friendly dealers, exhilarating experiences and amazing atmospheres? — All this and more is waiting for you with Lightning Baccarat!
Dragon Tiger
This simple and fast-paced game is especially popular in Asia. Each round runs for only 25 seconds, but that’s more than enough time to place bets and win big prizes! The exquisitely decorated oriental studio immerses you in a historical Asian environment, and exciting lighting effects add some real electricity to the game.
Dragon Tiger is similar to classical baccarat but more simple, more exciting and faster! All you have to do is predict the winner—the Dragon or the Tiger. The dealer deals one card to each participant, and whoever gets the highest card wins.
The card rankings are as follows: А-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-J-Q-K (king is the highest card). Especially daring gamblers can also place bets on riskier outcomes, such as ‘Tie’ and ‘Suited Tie’, with payouts of 11:1 and 50:1 respectively.
Baccarat is one of the simplest gambling games that has ever existed. So, ditch the lengthy rules and complicated strategies of other games, and start gambling and winning with baccarat. All you have to do is sign up with the Marathonbet website and make a deposit via one of the many reliable and secure payment methods available.
