The history of Baccarat goes far back in time. Around the year 1400 the first form of the Baccarat game was played in Italy. The name baccarat is therefore derived from the Italian word “baccara”. This simply means zero, nothing or zero. But why does it really have zero? Because the value of most playing cards added together is zero and it also refers to a hand played that has a total value of 0 points. For many gamblers, Baccarat can resemble a complicated and mysterious game that is rather strange in nature. The reason for this is that the game seems to be just a staple in the many large casinos, both online and offline, and the game is relatively unknown to many players. It is a fairly standard card game that originated in the European game “Chemin de fer”, which is determined by the strict rules of the dealer and the player. What makes this game so simple is that players do not actually have to master the rules to play the game. In fact, the only decision a player has to make is for what he bets and for how many.


The history of Baccarat goes far back in time. Around the year 1400 the first form of the Baccarat game was played in Italy. The name baccarat is therefore derived from the Italian word “baccara”. This simply means zero, nothing or zero. But why does it really have zero? Because the value of most playing cards added together is zero and it also refers to a hand played that has a total value of 0 points. For many gamblers, Baccarat can resemble a complicated and mysterious game that is rather strange in nature. The reason for this is that the game seems to be just a staple in the many large casinos, both online and offline, and the game is relatively unknown to many players. It is a fairly standard card game that originated in the European game “Chemin de fer”, which is determined by the strict rules of the dealer and the player. What makes this game so simple is that players do not actually have to master the rules to play the game. In fact, the only decision a player has to make is for what he bets and for how many.

Difference with Black Jack

The game is very different from Blackjack in the sense that players have to make a decision even before the cards are dealt. The player must then decide to bet on his own cards, on that of the dealer or on a draw. After this has happened, the only thing the player has to do is; sit back and watch all the action right in front of his eyes.

Goal of the game

Baccarat is played with one goal: having two or three cards that together have the value of 9, or at least as close to 9 as possible. If a player is dealt two cards with a total value of 9, the hand is considered a “natural” and is considered unbeatable. Even though the bank also gets a 9. The second strongest hand in Baccarat is a hand with two cards, which together have a value of 8. This is also called a natural hand. If a draw occurs, neither the player nor dealer wins.

The value of the cards

All pictures have a value of 0 in Baccarat, as well as the tens. Aces have a value of 1 and all other cards have their own value. When your hand reaches a total of 10, the 10 is left out of consideration. For example, when you have a hand with a 5 and a 9 (so a total of 14), the value of your hand is counted as 4 and not as 14. All hands are scored from 0 to 9, with no exceptions.

In a casino Baccarat game six to eight packs of cards are used. The cards are all shuffled and then put in a covered box known as “shoe”. One of the formalities in Baccarat is that every player has an equal chance against the shoe. Do not worry, if you are new to the game and are not sure what to do, the dealer will always help you. A player who is handling the shoe at the time is playing with the bank and not against the bank. If a player refuses to handle the shoe, he or she is of course free to do so.

The course of the game

A Baccarat game starts with two cards that are dealt to each player and two cards to the dealer. Depending on the initial value of the hand, the player and banker can choose to have one additional card shared to strengthen the hand. Only one additional card may be dealt, unlike Blackjack, where players may draw as many cards as they wish until they fit or are broken. The winning hand in Baccarat is the hand that has a value of 9, or comes closest to the value of 9.

If the player or the banker initially gets a hand with the value of 9, on the first two cards, this is seen as a natural hand and must remain. If neither of them gets a natural hand, extra cards may be caught. Only another card is shared if the value of the hand is 5 or lower. The hand must fit if the first two cards have a value of 6 or more. The banker applies rules that differ slightly from the normal rules. If the banker receives an initial hand of 0.1 or 2, an extra card must be taken. If his initial hand has a value of 3 to 6, then pulling a new card depends on whether the other players have drawn a card or not. In addition, it is also important what the value of this drawn card is.