Starting a Game of Real Money Baccarat
A game of real money baccarat begins when each player has made their bets. At that point two cards are dealt to the player with the highest bet. Unless you’re playing a game of multi-player baccarat, online this is going to be you, and two cards are dealt to the banker. In some cases, which we’ll discuss further below, there’s a third card dealt to either the banker or the player, or both.
Making Real Money Bets on Baccarat Online
The player can bet that either the player hand or the banker hand will be closest to nine in value. The other real money bet available is a lot like a bonus bet, because it usually pays out at about 8:1, that’s the tie bet. When you make that bet, you’re betting that both the player hand and the dealer hand will result in a tie.
Best Baccarat Casinos (also with Live Dealers)
| # | Brand | Usa | Eu | Visit Site | Play now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  |
Betonline Casino | |||
| 2. |  |
Ladbrokes Casino |
In the case of a tie, both the banker bet and the player bet are a push, so there’s no win or loss there. If a player did bet $5 on the tie bet, that player would win $40 in a game that pays 8:1 occasionally, players are able to find games that pay 9:1 on the tie bet.
How to Calculate Hand Value in Real Money Baccarat Games
The goal in a game of real money baccarat is to bet on the hand that has a value closest to nine. When adding up the sum of a hand, Aces count as 1. All cards from 2-9 are valued at their face value. 10’s through kings have no value at all. So they’re pretty much just ignored.
Taking the cards with a value, aces through 9’s, the face value of the two cards is added together, so a 2 and a 3 would obviously total 5. However, if the hand value goes over 9, the 1 is dropped. So if the hand value is 15, you drop the 1 and the hand value is now 5. If the player has a 6 and a 4, the total would be 10, so drop the one and the players hand value is 0.
When do you get a third card in real money baccarat games online?
Baccarat is one of the easiest games in the world to play. You have nearly a 50/50 shot at winning, you chose either the dealer or the player, and even if the hand results in a tie, you don’t lose. The only confusing thing about real money baccarat is dealing it.
If you were the dealer, you would have to know when to do deal a 3rd card in baccarat games. So here’s how that works. As a player, it’s also nice to know what lies ahead.
When either of the two hands dealt, the player hand and the dealer hand total 8 or 9, there’s no third card dealt to anyone. That’s called a natural baccarat, and it ends the hand. As long as there’s no tie to create a push, the hand with the natural is the obvious winner, and players that bet on that hand are paid.
When does the player get a 3rd Card in Real Money Baccarat?
The player is always dealt to first, before the initial two cards, and again for the 3rd card. If the designated player hand is valued at less than 6, the player hand will be dealt another card. If the player hand is valued at 6, or more than 6, then that hand is finished, it doesn’t get any more cards and play moves onto the dealer hand.
When is the Banker Hand Dealt a 3rd Card in Real Money Baccarat Games?
- Determining whether or not the banker will be dealt a third card is a lot more involved than the player hand.
- If the sum of the banker hand is 1 or 2, then the banker is dealt a 3rd card.
- If the sum of the bankers hand is 3, the banker will also draw a card, unless the players 3rd card was a Ten, Jack, Queen, King, eight, nine, or ace.
- If the banker’s hand value is 5 then another card will be dealt into it, unless the player hand drew a 4, 5, 6, or 7.
- If the player’s 3rd card is a six or a seven, then the banker will draw a card if the sum of his hand is 6.
- If the banker’s hand totals 7, the banker stands, and no more cards are drawn.
- Finally, at this point, we can evaluate the two hands, and decide which is closer to 9, and whether or not a tie had has been dealt.
How Much Real Money do you Win Betting on Baccarat?
Players betting on either the banker hand or the player hand are paid 1:1, so in theory, if you bet $5 that the player hand will total closer to 9 than the banker hand, you’re paid $5, and you get to keep your initial $5. The same goes the other way around, sort of… If you bet that the bankers hand will be closest to 9, you’re still paid your $5 and you still get to keep the initial $5 bet. Here’s the catch though. The house knows that the odds are in the bankers favor. The house also knows that we’re talking about real money betting here.
They’re not just going to allow a game go on where the player has the edge over the casino, they’d go broke. So, they simply charge a fee on all winning banker bets. You can, and likely should bet the bankers hand, but of your $5 win, after paying the 5% commission (also called the banker tax) you’ll actually receive $4.75.
Real Money Baccarat Strategy
We’ve sort of covered the best baccarat strategy above. The house is very honest with the fact that the edge is on betting the bankers hand. So there’s your strategy, bet the bankers hand to win most often, or at least to lose less often. The fact is that the bankers hand will win about 4 more times per 8 deck shoe when you’re playing real money baccarat online or in a land based casino.
Not all casinos online, or on land use an 8 deck shoe, but that should give you some idea what you’re working with.
Now the real money is obviously made betting the tie here. However, odds of the hand coming up as a tie are right around 9:1. A $50 bet for a tie would pay $450, so if it hits, it’s the biggest payout for sure. But make no mistake; it is gamble, with real money.
