Baccarat Comes in All Shapes and Sizes

Baccarat is a very popular card game played all over the world where players bet on who will get the highest hand, the player or banker.

There are several different varieties of Baccarat played in casinos and they make it even more challenging and exciting but the main object is to land the highest hand.

Baccarat’s Basic Rules

A player and dealer each get two cards. Number cards have a numeric value (2-9) and face cards have no value. If the total is over ten, only the right-most digit is used as the total value. If you receive a 5 and a 9, your total is 4, for instance. If you get a 3 and a 2, your total is 5. The highest value is always 9.

Baccarat

Punto Banco

The most common and widely played form of Baccarat is called Punto Banco. It is found in North America, all over Europe, Canada, Macau, and Australia.

In this game, chance determines who wins and who loses. The casino deals two hands, the player and dealer hand. Players simply bet on which hand will be higher. When a player gets below a 6, another card is drawn.

Chemin De Fer

In Baccarat Chemin de Fer, a group of players sits around a table and bets their hands. The highest bettor goes head to head with another player designated as dealer and may draw several cards until they settle and turn the cards face up. The point is to score an 8 or 9 but most players stand on any hand over 5.

The player remains banker until losing, when the designation goes in a counter-clockwise fashion to the next player.

Baccarat Banque

In Baccarat Banque, the dealer remains in his role until he gives up the position, and players “stake bets” on one of two hands dealt to the left and right of the dealer.

In all versions you need a card table and a room full of players to enjoy the game. You can go to a crowded casino, or play a few more interesting varieties of Baccarat online.

The version of Baccarat at Virgingames.com is very similar to Punto Banco Baccarat played at most casinos. You place your bet on the dealer or player hand, selecting win, lose or tie (a tie is simply a draw).

You can select the chip size you want to bet, and bet anywhere from L1 to L1,000 on each hand. The player and dealer stand on a hand of 6 or greater but the dealer must draw a card if his hand is 5 or less.

Each time you win you earn a 1:1 payout. If you bet on a tie and win, you earn an 8:1 payout.

It’s a fast, fun and easy-to-play game. You can try it now at Virgingames.com.