With its simplicity and relatively low casino advantage, baccarat has been one of the popular games that both rookie and experienced gamblers in Southeast Asia are eager to play. However, for beginners, it is vital to work hard on familiarizing the rules and bet types before playing baccarat in Singapore. It is also essential to learn the basics and best strategies of baccarat to have the best possible experience.

Read on below and get started with your online casino journey as we give you some essential points in playing baccarat.

The Objective, Gameplay, and Rules of Baccarat

OBJECTIVE

There are three betting options when it comes to playing baccarat, and these are the Banker, Player, and Tie bets. After the player and the bank are dealt with two cards, the player will guess whichever hand is the closest to nine.  The game’s main objective is for the players to guess which of the three possible outcomes will secure the win for the next round.

GAMEPLAY

As the cards are shuffled, the dealer then will ask the player to perform card cutting using the cut-card. Afterward, the card show will begin, and the dealer will perform the draws and show the first card. Before play begins, the dealer must remove the first card from his shoe and place it in the discard bucket. The value of that card will be used to determine how many cards will be placed in the discard bucket before the game begins. Ten, Jack, Queen, and King cards are valued at 10 while Ace is valued at 1.

As the two-card hand is given to the player and the banker, the gamblers can start placing their wagers. Usually, the number of hands dealt differs from each baccarat variation. For most alterations, the player is dealt two-card hands along with the banker. On the other hand, mini-baccarat is different because all hands are dealt by the dealer, and players do not touch the cards.

RULES

It is essential for beginners to know that the general rules for everyone differ from the specific rules for players and bankers.

General Rules

• Each card type will have a unique value
• 10’s, as well as face cards, are counted as zero.
• All other numerical cards (from 2 to 9) are counted as face value and the ace is equal to one.
• The total of all the cards added together cannot exceed 9. To determine the actual value of the cards exceeding 9, players or bankers must eliminate the first digit or subtract the total of their cards to ten—for example, a hand of 7 and 5 cards counts 12. The gambler must subtract 10 or drop the “1” digit from the total to determine the hand’s actual value, which is 2.
• It is considered a tie if neither side wins or loses if the banker or the player has the same amount.
• A hand with a total value of 8 or 9 is labeled as a “natural” and is considered the winner. If either the banker or the player has two cards that total a “natural,” neither can draw another card.

Hand Rules for the Players

• Players are to stand if the cards dealt has a total of 6 or 8.
• If the first two cards of the player/s have a total of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, they will have to draw another card.

Hand Rules for the Banker

• If the total value of the first two cards dealt for the banker is 7, they must stand.
• The banker must draw another card if the first two cards dealt have a value of 0, 1, or 2.
• However, if the value of the banker’s first two cards is at 3,4, 5, or 6, they have the option to draw another card or not, depending on the value of the player’s third card.
• The following rules are the proper action of a banker toward a specified score: