Play Baccarat online

Baccarat is best known for its simple yet complex ways with great chances at winning. The game travelled from Italy to the world and is rather simple. There are several variants and specific rules you need to master of this game, let's take a look at what you should be attention to when playing a game of baccarat!

Where did Baccarat originate from?

The game originates from Rome, Italy. In the 15th century they called it "Baccara", which is Italian for "zero", because of the face cards and tens having a value of zero points. The game was later popularised in France, where they gave it the world-known name "Baccarat". The English added their own twist to it as well and so the “Punto Banco” came alive, which is still known today for its simple game rules.

How does it work?

The goal is very simple and similar to Blackjack: get as close to 9 as possible. But unlike Blackjack, there is no option for extra bets after the game has started, nor can you request an extra card in the standard variant. So you can sit back and relax while all decisions are made by the banker according to the predetermined rules.

The infamous game is available at lost casinos in Belgium such as the Casino de Spa or Casino Knokke. If you would rather just stay home and play through your screen, we’ve got you covered. Play at your own convenience online at PepperMill Casino. This way you can learn the game slowly but surely at your own pace.

Master the rules of Baccarat

The most popular card games played in many casinos around the world has several variants. Each variant comes with its own unique and exciting rules that make the game even more diverse. Below, we discuss some of these variants of Baccarat and their respective game rules.

How does Punto Banco work?

The variant is also known as the North American Baccarat and is best known to be played worldwide. The rules are simple and we have broken it down for you here below.

Game Rules:

In Punto Banco there’s 6 to 8 card decks used to play. The key objective here is to guess which hand is going to win and achieve a total value of 9 or as close to 9 as possible.

The three standard betting options are:

Some cards have different values, which is where you might think it gets tricky. All cards with a value of 10 are reduced to 0. This includes the 10, Jack, King and Queen cards. The aces are worth 1 point as the deuces 2 and so on the numeral values.

Also going over a total of 10 subtracts the total with 10. Which means, if your first and second cards are 9 and 8, your total is 17 but because you went over 10, you will lose 10 and your final score is 7. It’s as easy as that.

Check out some of the variations of the popular casino game and how they work.

How does Baccarat Chemin de Fer work?

Chemin de Fer is a European version of Baccarat. It is a more interactive version where players play Baccarat against each other. Let’s see how it differs from other variants.

Game rules:

Players take turns playing as the bank, facing the other participants. The goal still remains to get as close as possible to a total of 9 points with your cards. First, the banker bets and players respond to this bet by betting the same amount or to bet a lower amount. In this variant, there is the option to draw a third card at your own will, if you qualify for it, this differs from Punto Banco where this decision is strictly prescribed.

If you have a total value of 0-4 points, you automatically draw a third card. At 5 points, you can choose if you want to draw a card. The bank then sees if it can also draw a card but it must stop at 7.

How does Baccarat Banque work?

This game is mostly played in European casinos and usually played with 3 decks of cards where two tables are combined. This allows 10 to 16 players to play simultaneously. It’s also known as Baccarat à Deux Tableaux or Baccarat Two Tables. The gameplay of Baccarat Banque is very similar to Chemin de Fer with some small differences.

Game rules:

In Chemin de Fer the role of the banker is passed around whenever the Banker loses. To start off, the person with the largest bet remains as banker until the whole shoe is played out or until their bankroll has run out. The players can bet on each other but not on the banker, the same goes for the banker as he can’t place bets on the players but just himself. Players can draw an additional card if there’s no natural winners. The banker role is switched when they lose.

How does Mini Baccarat work?

Mini Baccarat uses the same method of play as the Punto Banco version. The biggest differences of the game are: the smaller gaming table and the speed of play.

Game rules:

The "Mini" partly refers to the smaller table used for the game. Similar to the Punto Banco variation, you have the option to bet on the player, the banker or a tie game. The betting limits are lower, which makes the game more accessible and the speed of the game also makes it popular in casinos.