Baccarat is one table game that is rather hard to miss, whenever you decide to walk across the casino floor or log into your online account. Players are constantly gathering and filling up the places of others as bets are made and outcomes are paid out. Due to all the commotion surrounding the tables, some players are more reluctant than others when it comes to trying out baccarat as a new game.
Baccarat Game Play
Before we get into the matter of types of bets you can place at the baccarat table, you should also know which outcomes to play for. Considering that it’s a card game, it is necessarily related to the card value, only in this case, they are a little different than usual.
Namely, the cards 10, J, Q, K and A normally have the highest denomination and are valued as 10s. In bacarrat, the A has a value of 1, while the remaining four are considered as 0s. In such a case, the 9 is thought to have the highest value, and is the most desirable during the card draws. This is so due to the fact that the player with the highest valued hand wins the game.
Types of Baccarat Bets
Another thing you might notice about the crowd at the baccarat tables is that they definitely come to the table prepared. Highroller Baccarat players are a common occurrence, and while some land-based casinos require them to stick to the chips, others allow them to play with actual cash bills. The reason for such interest around this game is that there are only three basic bet types with clear-cut payouts and house edge, allowing for a fast-paced game play.
The first type of bet is the ‘dealer’ bet – players betting against the dealer in order to get a higher hand value. In this case, the payout is 1-1, but you shouldn’t forget that, at the end of your play, there is a 5% commission for the dealer.
The second type is the ‘player’ bet – just like the dealer, only now you’re playing against another player in order to get higher hand value. The payout is also 1-1, but there’s no need to pay commission to your opponent in the end.
The ‘tie’ bet is much more rewarding, with a payout of 8-1, but it requires you and the dealer to have the same hand value from the cards you’re holding. The house edge on this bet is nearly 15%, which makes it highly unlikely for players to hit a win, and has thus gained the reputation of being a ‘sucker bet’. Nonetheless, should you hit the tie, it’s bound to be worth the risk.
Side Bets & Betting Strategies in Baccarat
Despite the few bet types, baccarat players can also employ a few side bets based on the casino operator they’ve chosen. These include Lucky Pair, Dragon Bonus, Dragon 7/Panda 8 and several more, all of which are more widely available on the latest online casino platforms.
As for betting strategies, there will always be someone ready to test their next big betting plan on the baccarat tables, but past experiences have shown that counting cards could end up being the best option.
