Player Guide: How to Play Baccarat Like a Pro

For Australian players learning how to play Baccarat like a pro, the first step will involve spending some time reviewing a player guide just like this one! In our easy-to-read Baccarat online gambling player guide, we share everything needed to become a master of the baccarat table.

Baccarat Rules

Baccarat is such a simple casino game to learn how to play, with no overly complicated strategies or tactics needed to come out on top except smart player bets.

The game is straightforward, with just three possible choices and outcomes each round. As a player, your job is to pick the winning hand, from either the player hand, the banker hand, or a tie.

What determines a winning hand is their closeness to a value of nine.

So, the aim of the game is to get a hand with a value of nine. However, any hand that totals eight or nine is called a natural and is an instant win.

If a hand totals over ten, the ten units or digits are removed. For example, if a player hand consists of two sixes (a total of 12), the hand value removes ten and the new value is worth just two (12 minus 2).

This is a casino game where lady luck is all you need, which is why so many players enjoy playing Baccarat at the best online casinos in Australia.

What Are The Baccarat Card Drawing Rules

So, you know the objective of the game is to pick the correct winning hand with your bets. The next thing to uncover is the particular parameters which apply to the drawing of cards.

The game of Baccarat plays out with the player being dealt two cards, followed by two cards being dealt to the banker. Each of these cards is drawn one-by-one, and then both hands are totaled to determine a winner.

When Does a Third Card Get Drawn?

There are a couple of situations in play where a third card is drawn to either the banker or the player’s hand; these situations are:

If the player’s hand total is five or less, the player will be dealt a third card
If the player’s hand total is six or seven, the player hand will stand and not draw a card

If a player’s hand has drawn a third card, the banker’s hand may draw a third card based on a particular set of game rules. The banker will draw a third card:

If the banker’s hand total is two or less (including zero)
If the banker’s hand total is three, and the player hand value is anything but an eight
If the banker’s hand total is four, and the player hand value is between two and seven
If the banker’s hand total is five, and the player hand value is between four and seven
if the banker’s hand total is six, and the player hand value is either six or seven

How Much Does a Baccarat Win Payout?

Baccarat has a solid payout table to go with its easy betting options:

Bets on banker hands payout at 1:1
Bets on player hands payout at 1:1
Bets on a tie hand payout at 9:1
A player or banker side bets payout at 12:1

Baccarat Strategy

In a general sense, for most online Baccarat and brick and mortar games like you would see in the crown there is a slightly higher chance of the banker winning, but the inclusion of the 5% commission on these bets reduces the odds to just under the player.

The probability of winning still lays with the banker, but the player bet return is higher. Some games do offer a reduced commission on banker bets so make sure to shop around.

The Best Baccarat Strategy

The optimal Baccarat strategy is straightforward to implement using these three points:

First of all, never make a tie bet, because the probability of the banker and player hands equaling a tie is just ridiculously low
Secondly, stop trying to make things too hard and take notes of each hand outcome to find a secret ratio or probability –no such thing exists
And last, just bet on the banker bet and absorb the 5% commission (if applicable) in your winnings. There is a reason this commission exists, and it is because the banker bet has the best probability of winning

How to Play Baccarat Online in Australia?

Playing Baccarat at online casinos is just the same as playing in brick and mortar casinos, and the strategy above can be used to score plenty of wins. While picking a casino can be hard, check out some of the latest recommended online casinos for Aussies, plus avoid a rogue-casino with the tips we talked about in our article about avoiding fake casinos.