Casino Bellini is all about chic European style, and no other casino game embodies the exclusive nature of that characteristic like baccarat. In live casinos, baccarat is the game that attracts true ladies and gentlemen, and online baccarat echoes that sentiment but with a slightly hipper, younger crowd. If you want to be a part of that scene, then we've got the baccarat rules you need to know to get started.
No one wants to be the odd man out at a casino table, so if you want to play baccarat like a pro the first time you sit at the table, then you're going to need to know some basic baccarat rules. First and foremost it's a card game, but a card game unlike its casino cousins blackjack and poker. For one, an Ace or other face card won't get you very far. Also, you'll hear common terms like Player and Banker, but they mean something totally different in baccarat.
To begin understanding baccarat rules, you must first understand the objective of the game. As with other card games the basic objective is to build the highest hand, and in baccarat that hand is a nine. Face cards are literally worth nothing and the Ace is worth one while all numbered cards are worth their face value. If the sum total of a hand's value is more than 9, then the first digit of the total is dropped. For example, a hand of 6 and 7 equals 13 but will be worth 3 because the first digit is dropped.
The Banker and Player hands compete but are bound by strict baccarat rules. In baccarat the Banker and the Player do not refer to the casino's croupier and the players at the table but rather are designations for each of the two hands involved in the game. At this point it is important to note that there are three different types of baccarat games: Punto Banco, Baccarat Chemin de Fer, and Baccarat Banque. Each of these variations makes their own alterations to the basic baccarat rules. The type of game you play will determine how many decks of cards are used and also who represents the Banker and Player hands.
Regardless of which type of baccarat game you play, you will have only two possible wagers. You can bet on either the Banker or the Player. For clarity's sake, sitting baccarat players are referred to as "punters." While a table may seat as many as ten punters at once, a maximum of two will be playing at any given point with the positions of Banker and Player rotating according to that game's specific hand rules. While the baccarat rules may seem complicated at first glance, they are actually quite logical and are far easier to grasp once you have seen them in play.
