Similarities and Differences Between Baccarat and Other Casino Card Games

Baccarat is the most popular game at land-based and online casinos. This game is easy to play with the dealer doing most of the work whilst the player relies on chance whilst enjoying the ambience around the table in live dealer games online or at a brick-and-mortar casino. Baccarat is a good game for those new to casino gaming and the first step to choosing other casino card games where skills already learned can be developed further.

Baccarat

In Baccarat the three possible outcomes are either a win for the player, a win for the banker or a tie. The game can be played online at sites like Casino Red Kings which offers the standard game as well as live dealer games. The banker is also known as the dealer. In the game an ace is worth one, the other cards up to nine hold their face value and the 10 and all face cards are worth zero.

The dealer deals two cards face for the player's and banker's hand. The hand with the total closest to nine wins. A bet on a winning player's hand wins double the original bet. A winning bet on the banker's hand pays 95 per cent of the original bet. If the value of the two cards is more than nine, drop the first digit and the remaining digit is the value. This means that if the hand includes an eight and a six which equals 14, the value in the game is four. The dealer will take full responsibility for the game so players can sit back and just rely on luck.

Baccarat and Blackjack

Blackjack and Baccarat are similar because the aim of the game is to beat the dealer using the value of the cards that have been dealt. In Blackjack, all numbered cards between two and nine are worth their face value as in Baccarat, but the 10 and the face cards are worth 10 points with the ace worth one point or 11 points.

In Blackjack, the aim is to gain close to 21 points to beat the dealer's hand without going bust. The player chooses the number of additional cards whilst in Baccarat there are third card rules and no personal choice.

In Blackjack, a player bets on themselves to win. A win in Blackjack requires skill and strategy, whilst Baccarat is random chance. The house edge with Blackjack is lower at around 0.5 per cent, whereas the house edge for Baccarat is between 1.06 per cent on the banker bet and 1.24 per cent on the player bet. With no commission on winnings and with better odds, players can win more on Blackjack than on Baccarat.

Baccarat and Poker

Like Baccarat, the object of the game is to bet on which hand is going to win. In poker, there are more than three potential outcomes and the best hand in poker is determined by the rules of the game as well as the ranking of the cards. There are also a variety of poker games on the market with their own rules.

Baccarat is easy for beginners and offers players a foundation in the key principles of card games which makes learning blackjack and poker much faster. Players who launched straight into the more advanced games learn techniques on the go which are then perfected.

With Baccarat, even a completely new player can win quite well with the bets, thanks to the low house edge and easy rules whilst poker requires strategy. To guarantee payouts on a win, always play at a licensed casino overseen by a regulatory authority such as the UK Gambling Commission. A license ensures your personal information is safe and that all wins will be swiftly accredited to your account for you to use for more games or to withdraw when you wish.