Baccarat Hands Explained
In Baccarat, the rules regarding the Player’s hand and Banker’s hand and Hand valuation are simple. In Baccarat you bet on which of the hands will win, or if the hands will end up in a tie. We determine the worth of the Player and Banker hands by taking the card values, adding them up and only counting the last digit (Modulo ten – drop all tens. Thus, 13 becomes a 3; 16 becomes a 6, and so on). This prevents any hand valuation from going over 9.
Let’s get something else straight, too – when we say “players” and “bankers” hands, we’re generally not referring to the players in the game or the house. These are merely the names given to the two hands used in the game. Ok, back to the hand values…
Unlike Blackjack, all face cards and the 10s have no value. Aces have a value of 1. The rest of the deck is equal to their printed value. The best hand in Baccarat is two cards equal to 9 known as a “Natural”. Since the dealer or “Croupier” (an overseer/caller) deals two cards to the Player area and two to the Dealer area you’ll never get a “one card hand” equal to nine. A “Natural” 8 dealt on the first two cards can only be beaten by a 9. So a hand with just two cards gives extra value.
The dealer or croupier deals the first and third cards to the Player’s hand and the second and fourth cards to the Banker’s hand area. It’s possible for the game to be over at this point with instant winners. If the cards tie with either 8 or 9 then anyone betting on a Tie won.
Drawing additional cards for the Player’s or Banker’s hand depends on the respective totals. Nobody can refuse or accept cards for the Dealer or Player’s hand. Hits and stands are handled automatically.
- If the Player’s Hand is equal to 6, 7, 8 or 9 then no additional cards are dealt. A third card will be dealt for the Player’s Hand if the players total is equal to or less than 5. If the Player does not draw a card, the Banker draws on 0-5, and stands on 6-7. This means if the player is dealt a 7 and the banker 8, the game is over (and the banker wins)
- If the player does draw a card, the bank hand’s action is dependent on the bank hand, and also what they player drew. Let’s space these out a bit, because they can get a little confusing:
- If the Player drew a 2 or 3, the Banker draws on 0-4, and stands on 5-7.
- If the Player drew a 4 or 5, the Banker draws on 0-5, and stands on 6-7.
- If the Player drew a 6 or 7, the Banker draws on 0-6, and stands on 7.
- If the Player drew an 8, the Banker draws on 0-2, and stands on 3-7.
- If the Player drew an ace, 9, 10, or face-card, the Banker draws on 0-3, and stands on 4-7.
Get all that? Read it a few times if you must – it’s really not that hard to remember once you understand it.
Baccarat is a game of pure chance, and is more of a guessing game than anything. Yet, the intricate relationships between the two hands draw the highest rollers. Interesting, huh?
