Baccarat is the casino game that was made popular in James Bond movies, and despite the complexity and sophistication the Bond movies attribute to Baccarat fear not, the reality is that Baccarat is an easy game to learn, is played at virtually any stakes, and is popular amongst people in sweat pants and t-shirts as well as tuxedos. Not only that, but Baccarat has one of the best payout percentages of any casino game.

When played in its standard form Baccarat is one of the simplest Casino Games to learn, and when you play Baccarat online the game is even simpler, since you cannot put your chips on a bet you are disallowed from placing, or make some other blunder you are unaware of.

The most common form of Baccarat is North American Baccarat (Punto Banco) where the dealer plays out both hands –the Player and Dealer hands– based on a predetermined system. The player can wager on either hand before the cards are dealt, or even wager on a tie, in Punto Banco, which is simply a game of chance, considering there is no decision-making or strategy involved.

Older versions of the game allow the players to choose whether to draw another card or not, and does not follow a predetermined system of plays by the dealer. These games are more uncommon, and have more of that James Bond atmosphere about them –but 99% of the Baccarat games you encounter will be of the Punto Banco variety.

The best possible hand in Baccarat is a 9, with Aces counted as 1 point, Cards 2-9 are worth their face value, and Tens, Jacks, Queens, and Kings valued at 0. An additional wrinkle in Baccarat scoring is that only the final, right-most, digit is scored. For instance a player with a 4 and 3 has a total score of 7, while a player with a 9 and an 8 also has a 7 –the total is 17, but only the right-hand digit is scored!

Baccarat is a popular online game because of its low house edge which gives players not only the chance to book a good win and gamble at the Baccarat tables for quite some time, but it also allows players who are clearing a bonus, or have an exceptional Comp Points Rewards Program the chance to have an edge in the game when this bonus money is calculated in with the low house edge.

All-in-all, Baccarat is pretty good choice for patrons of a casino, and an even bettewr choice for online casino players who are clearing a bonus or playing with a solid Comp Points Program.