Baccarat, along with Roulette, is the simplest table game in the casino to learn and play. Its simplicity lies in the fact that the player has only three choices, and all three deal with the betting; no other playing skill is required. There are two versions of the game; the American version and the European version. For the purposes of this article we will concentrate on the American version of Baccarat.
An eight deck shoe or a six deck shoe is dealt in the American version of the game. All the numbered cards, 2 through 9, are counted as face value, with the suits having no relative value. The ace is counted as 1. Tens and all face cards are counted as zero, although it will sometimes be referred to as a 10. Any hand that adds up to more than 9 is counted by the second digit only. For example, if your hand totals 14, the hand is counted as 4; likewise, 11 becomes 1. Using this system, the highest possible score is 9.
Baccarat is a very attractive game to play primarily because it has a relatively low house advantage. Additionally, its important for you to know that there is a very strict set of playing rules that have been established and that cannot be changed...