Exploring The Rules And Variations Of Casino Baccarat

Despite its reputation as an intimidating, elite game played only in private VIP salons, Baccarat is actually incredibly simple.


In fact, Baccarat is arguably the easiest table game in the entire casino, functioning almost exactly like a simple coin flip.

The Core Rules: Banker vs. Player

In Baccarat, there are only two hands dealt on the table: the 'Banker' hand and the 'Player' hand.


Cards 2 through 9 are worth their face value, Aces are worth 1, and 10s and Face cards (Jacks, Queens, Kings) are worth absolutely zero.

The dealer distributes two cards to the Player hand and two cards to the Banker handDepending on the exact totals, a complex set of casino rules determines if a third card is drawn for either sideYou do not need to memorize the third-card drawing rules; the dealer executes them automatically
Exploring Different Types of Baccarat

While the core math remains the same, casinos offer several variations to speed up the game or cater to different budgets.


Another popular variation is 'EZ Baccarat,' which completely eliminates the annoying 5% commission on the Banker bet.

Game TermDefinitionActionNaturalDealt an 8 or 9 on the first two cardsHand ends immediately, winner declaredChemin de FerA French version where players bet against each otherExtremely rare outside of Europe

It is the perfect game for players who prefer to rely entirely on luck without worrying about making strategic mistakes.