Baccarat is a fairly easy game to get to grips with, and despite having a number of variants, including mini baccarat, punto banco, speed baccarat and baccarat squeeze you'll be able to get started. The name’s Baccarat: Mini Baccarat Made famous by the James Bond films and an absolute staple at WinStar World Casino and Resort, Mini Baccarat is a high-stakes, chance-based card game in which you’ll be pitted against the dealer, known as the banker. The Baccarat game works the same way. This means the baccarat prediction software used behind the algorithm is the same everywhere. That's the advantage we have with our B.E.S.T PREDICTION SOFTWARE for international players. For more info on BEST Baccarat Prediction Software.

1. Free Online Mini Baccarat Game
2. Baccarat Card Game

Mini baccarat is played by the exact same rules of standard baccarat, with the exception that players do not take turns being the banker. The table is about the same size as a standard blackjack gaming table, and is staffed by only one dealer who is responsible for handling the cards. The layout, however, conforms to the regular baccarat table and each of the seven seat positions correspond to a number and betting box with spots for banker, player, and tie. The limits in mini baccarat are lower and usually range from a $2 to $5 minimum, up to $500 maximum. Lacking the formality and large group of players, mini baccarat is played fast and is a good place to learn how to play.

In mini baccarat, an advantage to players is that the 'high roller' expectations are discarded. People can dress as casual as they like, and the table minimums are nowhere near what they find behind the velvet ropes.

Nowadays, if people don't play online, traditional baccarat can be hard to find in the casinos of Las Vegas and Atlantic City. In Vegas, only the largest casinos offer baccarat. In the downtown area, there are only very few casinos that offer regular baccarat, and even then it's only offered on weekends in the evenings. The evening dealing still seems to thrive, but no casino has a full-blown baccarat room running during the day. Fewer people play baccarat than almost any other table game because of the 'intimidating atmosphere' associated with the game. In baccarat, the dealers are all in tuxedos, the high-rollers and celebrities who tend to play the game are all well-appointed, and the posh baccarat room is always used and is separated from those used in the other casino games.

But nowadays, mini baccarat has become more predominant in Vegas. While regular baccarat is known for its huge bets, people don't have to wager huge amounts to play, although the usual minimum for mini baccarat, $20 to $25, is steeper than other table games. What most people who pass up baccarat don't realize is that the game is simple to play and has the best odds overall of any casino game. There are no skills or special knowledge required.

Mini Baccarat Game Play

It is played with either six or eight complete decks of cards. All cards, ace through nine, are valued according to their count. Tens and face cards count as zero. When any two cards total over a 10 count, 10 must be subtracted and the remaining total is the card count. The cards are shuffled by the dealer and then reshuffled and placed in a covered box called the shoe.

The fixed rules of baccarat apply in all American casinos:

The highest total any baccarat hand can have is nine. A two-card total of nine is called a natural and cannot lose. An eight is the second best hand and is also called a natural. If both player and bank are dealt identical hands, it is a tie and neither bank nor player wins.

If neither hand has a natural, the player's hand is always the first to be played, followed by the dealer. If the first two cards total five or less, another card is drawn. If they total six or seven, no further cards can be drawn.

No more than a total of three cards can be drawn for either hand, and when both hands have been played out, the hand closest to nine wins.

Players bet by placing their chips in either the player, bank, or tie spot in the numbered box opposite their seat. Winning bets made on the player or bank are paid off at even money. The only other bet that can be made is a tie bet, which is paid off at 8:1. In most games, bets range from a $20 minimum to $2,000 maximum. The type of wager and the amount are the only decisions a player must make, after which point the dealer's actions take over. After the winner is announced, the two other dealers at the table pay off the winning bets and collect from the losers. If the bank was the winner, players who won must pay a 5% commission on their winnings. A record of the commission owed by each player is kept with plastic lammers in a numbered box. Players can pay this vigorish at any time, but it must be paid when the shoe is completed. Each time the shoe is depleted of cards, all decks are thoroughly shuffled and replaced in the shoe.

The house edge in baccarat is the lowest of any casino game. With only a 5% commission on winning bank bets and nothing taken from winning player bets, the player's disadvantage is only 1.37%. The payoff for ties is 8:1, but it is a bad bet as the house edge is increased to 14.1%.

Free Online Mini Baccarat Game

Mini-baccarat is a smaller, lower-stakes version of punto bancobaccarat. Mini-baccarat is different in that it is generally lower limits, the player does not get to pick up the cards, and that the table is smaller in size. Mini-baccarat is popular in many casinos, especially among Asian gamblers.^[1][2][3]

Mini-baccarat is a comparing card game played between two hands, the 'player' and the 'banker'. Each baccarat coup has three possible outcomes: 'player' (player has the higher score), 'banker' (banker has the high score), and 'tie'. It is strictly a game of chance, with no skill or strategy involved; each player's moves are forced by the cards the player is dealt.

Valuation of hands[edit]

In mini-baccarat, cards have a point value: cards two through nine are worth face value (in points); tens, jacks, queens and kings have no point value (i.e. are worth zero); aces are worth 1 point; jokers are not used. Hands are valued according to the rightmost digit of the sum of their constituent cards. If the total of the cards is a two-digit number, the tens place is ignored.^[4] For example, a hand consisting of 2 and 3 is worth 5, but a hand consisting of 6 and 7 is worth 3 (i.e., the 3 being the rightmost digit in the combined points total of 13).^[5] The highest possible hand value in baccarat is therefore nine.

Baccarat Card Game

Tableau of drawing rules[edit]

The player and banker hands are each dealt two cards. If either the player or banker hand, or both, achieve a total of 8 or 9 with the first two cards (known as a 'natural'), the coup is finished and the result is announced: player wins, banker wins, or tie. Natural 9 beats natural 8. If neither the player nor banker hand is dealt a total of 8 or 9 in the first two cards, the tableau is consulted, first for the player rules, then the banker rules.

• Player's rules

If the player hand has an initial total of 0–5, a third card is dealt. If the player hand has an initial total of 6 or 7, it stands.

• Banker's rule

If the player stood pat (i.e., has only two cards), the banker acts according to the same rules as the player. That means the banker draws a third card with hands 0–5 and stands with 6 or 7.

If the player hand drew a third card, the banker acts according to the following more complex rules:

• If the banker total is 2 or less, then the banker draws a card, regardless of what the player's third card is.
• If the banker total is 3, then the bank draws a third card unless the player's third card was an 8.
• If the banker total is 4, then the bank draws a third card if the player's third card was 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.
• If the banker total is 5, then the bank draws a third card if the player's third card was 4, 5, 6, or 7.
• If the banker total is 6, then the bank draws a third card if the player's third card was a 6 or 7.
• If the banker total is 7, then the banker stands.^[6][7]

If a bettor bets on tie and the hands tie, the bettor wins 8:1 or 9:1 depending on the house rules.

References[edit]

1. ^'Mini-Baccarat'. Hollywood Casino Aurora. Retrieved 2016-03-12.
2. ^The Analyst (2016-03-01). 'Baccarat or Baccawreck?'. gaming Today. Retrieved 2016-03-12.
3. ^Henry Tamburin. 'The Joys of Mini-Baccarat'. Casino Center. Retrieved 2016-03-12.
4. ^'Card Values in Mini Baccarat'. Baccarat.net.
5. ^Mathematically, the value of a hand is the sum of its constituent cards modulo ten (with all numbers greater than ten, subtract 10 and return only the difference).
6. ^John May (1998). Baccarat for the Clueless. Carol Publishing Group. pp. 40–. ISBN978-0-8184-0604-1.
7. ^Walter Thomason (January 1997). The Experts' Guide to Casino Games: Expert Gamblers Offer Their Winning Formulas. Carol Publishing Group. pp. 117–. ISBN978-0-8184-0590-7.