Baccarat is an online card game formerly known as “baccarat roulette” or simply baccarat. The player alternates placing his bets with the banker in a 3-game game loop, in hopes of winning money from “birdies”. As such, baccarat can be considered an online version of the classic baccarat, also known as the game of luck. The term “บาคาร่า” is derived from the Spanish word for “luck”.
The game of baccarat is not a game of chance. Unlike most casino games, the strategy involved in baccarat requires the player to estimate the odds of winning, which are actually slightly worse than those of blackjack. Essentially, baccarat is a comparing card game; played between two individuals, the ‘player’ and the ‘banker’. Each baccarat bet has three possible outcomes: ‘win’, ‘tie’, and ‘lose’. If you bet on a win, you will collect your winnings (if any) and if you bet on a tie, you lose that particular bet and must pay out the remainder of the funds raised by the bet to the banker. Baccarat also involves betting against someone else; if you win, you subtract your original bet from the current bet amount, and if you lose, you add it back to the current bet amount.
In a typical baccarat game, there is always at least one dealer, although most casinos opt to employ two independent dealers instead. Prior to the first deal, the dealer will declare a ‘bait’ which is essentially a prearranged pre-determined point total prior to the start of each deal. This is done so that the player can memorize his original point total prior to the start of each game session in order to ensure that he is raising and cutting accordingly as required.
In a traditional baccarat game, there is no such ‘bait’ and the player is allowed to do what he wants before the dealer calls the bet. If he bets the agreed amount before the third card is dealt, the dealer will then announce a ‘bait’ and then again start dealing three cards, followed by three more. This is done until one participant has reached or surpassed his third card – at which point the ‘bait’ is called, and the players are immediately dealt another round of cards.
In higher score baccarat, or simply ‘baccarat roulette’, the dealer controls the pace of play by announcing progressively increasing number of baccarat cards to be dealt. A typical bettor who enters the game with the goal of winning, i.e., to reach a pre-determined bankroll, would be best served going first, since he would have an easier time deciding how many cards to bet, at which point to stop and wait until he reaches a pre-determined number before announcing the baccarat. If the pre-determined number is reached before the player exits the baccarat game, he loses the money spent on that particular hand, and possibly is out of money if his opponent has not yet been declared bankrupt. This form of baccarat is often referred to as the ‘easy way’ of playing the game, since the main objective is not to hit it off with a dealer, but rather to get as many cards as possible before the dealer declares hands. The more experienced players may opt to go second even if this produces them a higher loss.
While the game mechanics remain largely the same regardless of baccarat variations, the various variants allow players to play the game at a level they deem appropriate for themselves. Since there are literally thousands of casino hotels worldwide, a player’s choice of baccarat house can also vary according to the prospect of winning. Some casinos have minimum win amounts set as conditions for players who want to register; while other casinos offer baccarat for players with deposits who want to play the game. There are also casinos that specifically cater to no deposit baccarat games, so players who do not want to risk losing any money need not worry about being short on money.
