If you love Blackjack but you’re tired of making decisions with every card that hits the felt, there’s another card game worth considering. It’s called Baccarat and it works a lot like Blackjack. Your goal is pretty much the same — to get to a specific number and beat the house. While in Blackjack that number happens to be 21, in Baccarat it’s 8 or 9, with only two or three cards in play.

If this sounds difficult given all the face cards in the deck, don’t worry. In Baccarat, it’s impossible to go over 9. That’s because face cards are worth 0 and being dealt two cards that add up to over 9 takes you back to 0. So a 9 and 3 means you actually have 2, not 12. 

Here’s some information about the basics of Baccarat to help get you started.

PLACE ONE OF THREE BETS

While Baccarat tends to be void of major decision-making, you still have a choice to make off as you place a bet at the beginning of your hand. There are essentially two hands being dealt on the table in Baccarat. Both are communal hands, meaning none of them technically belongs to you. You can choose to:

1. Bet on the Player to win. When you win this bet, you’ll get paid out 1:1.  
2. Bet on the Banker to win. In live Baccarat and several online versions, this pays out 1:1 but the house takes a 5% commission (this isn’t the case in No Commission Baccarat at ResortsCasino.com). 
3. Bet on a tie. Winning a tie bet gets you 8:1 payouts.

SIT BACK AND WAIT FOR THE CARDS TO DROP

After you’ve placed your bet, the dealer will deal out cards to both the Player and the Banker. If either of these hands total 8 or 9 on the initial deal, then no additional cards are dealt to that individual. If this isn’t the case, one more card is dealt, however the rules of when the Player receives a third card and when the Banker receives a third card differs:

Player

• If the Player has 0 to 5, the Player gets a single card. 
• If the Player has 6 or 7, no more cards are dealt

Banker

The Banker’s next depends on whether or not the Player received a third card, what that card was, and what the Banker is holding:

• If the Player didn’t get an additional card, the Banker stands if he has 6 or 7 and takes another card if he has 0 to 5.
• If the Player’s next card is a 2 or 3, the Banker gets another card if he has 0 to 4 and stays if he has 5 to 7.
• If the Player’s next card is 4 or 5, the Banker gets another card if he has 0 to 5 and stays if he has 6 or 7.
• If the Player’s next card is a 6 or 7, the Banker gets another card if he has 0 to 6 and stays if he has 7.
• If the Player’s next card is an 8, the Banker draws if he has 0 to 2 and stays if he has 3 to 7.

STRATEGY FOR WINNING AT BACCARAT

One of the biggest draws in Baccarat is the option to bet on a tie. While this pays out 8:1, many seasoned Baccarat players consider tie bets to be a sucker’s bet, much like the insurance bet in Blackjack.

PLAY BACCARAT AT RESORTSCASINO.COM

At ResortsCasino.com, we offer a version of Baccarat with no commission. The rules are essentially the same, except that winning a Banker’s bet with an 8 pays out 1:2 instead of 1:1. That means that your $10 bet would get you $5, not $10. You can give free Baccarat try right now at ResortsCasino.com. Now you kow how to play baccarat, Just create an account now (with no deposit necessary) to get started.