Baccarat is one of the many card games that are very popular among casino goers. This game is very much like blackjack, but it is a lot easier to learn and play. This is a game of pure chance, where no strategy can be applied to win it. There is no mathematical formula to work out the next winning hand. Although, mathematics is the basis of all these casino games, odds cannot be predicted.

Baccarat is a popular card game having its roots in Europe. In both French and Italian, the term Baccarat means zero. Some say that Baccarat is Italy’s product while others say it is a French card game. Initially it was played with a deck of tarot cards and slowly high-class French people started playing this game. From France, Baccarat came to England and then to America. Today, people play four types of Baccarat games such as Chemin de Fer, European Baccarat, American Baccarat, and Baccarat Banque. Although, there is slight difference between playing styles, the vocabulary and playing objectives are same.

Baccarat and blackjack has a few common features like in both the games you have to deal two hands and the higher hand wins the bet. There are two hands (one hand is called player and another is called banker) and you can bet on either of these two hands. No matter how many players might play Baccarat, only one player hand can be dealt.

In all the casinos, you can find two types of baccarat tables. One is mini-table and other is traditional baccarat table. The two tables differ in size, markings and labeling, and number of players that can play.

Although no one can predict the winner of a Baccarat game, there are many websites offering foolproof Baccarat winning systems, which range from $30 to $50. These sites claim that their system does not require you to have an experience in Baccarat or a high bankroll in order to win a game of Baccarat. However, all that is absolutely rubbish because had these systems been so accurate, all the casinos would have closed their operations. Moreover, the fact is that the casinos are still running and making huge profits.

Companies selling Baccarat winning system are doing nothing but duping you of your hard-earned money by capitalizing on your wish to win a game of Baccarat. So, be careful and do not buy these so called winning systems instead make some strategies for winning a game of Baccarat. However, these strategies may not work, as you cannot predict the next winning hand, but being human being you can at least plan your moves and play accordingly instead of playing blindly.

Following are a few things that should be kept in mind before playing a game of Baccarat.

1. All the casino games have some rules. When you play any game in the casino, you should know about the rules of the game as you are risking your hard-earned money.

2. The number on the face up card on the table tells you about the number of cards the dealer is going to burn. If the face up card is four of hearts, the dealer will burn four cards.

3. Betting on the banker side has a definite advantage over player side. Therefore, when someone wins while placing his bet on banker side, he has to pay some commission out of his winning amount. All the casinos charge a five percent commission on the winning bets made on banker side. This amount is not to be paid right away. It is collected and you can pay it at end of the game. Sometimes, by seeing the moving chips it becomes very confusing to make out what the commission amount is to be paid. You should keep aside some chips for each winning bet on banker’s side or calculate the commission amount on a piece of paper. The reason for charging commission from the winner is due to 1.06 percent winning advantage the banker side has over player side.

4. In Baccarat first and third cards deal belong to player hand while second and fourth cards belong to banker hand.

5. There is a preset method for counting card value where aces are counted as one, tens and all the faces count as zero, and twos through nines are counted at their face value. Suits are irrelevant here. If the total of both hands is over nine then only the last digit of that total is taken. For example, if the cards are 7 of club and 7 of hearts then the total would be 4. A total of eight or nine is called a "natural" and anyone possessing this total wins. In case of both hands having a natural number, there is a tie.

6. In a game of Baccarat, there can be only three situations such as player winning the game, banker winning the game or a tie. More than one deck of cards is used in a Baccarat game. This makes you in uncertain about the lucky winner. The number of decks used in a Baccarat game also play important role in winning the game. For example, if the game is played with six decks then chances of banker’s hand winning the game are more than player’s hand. In American baccarat, 6 to eight decks are used.

7. Many superstitious people do some superstitious tricks to win Baccarat. Nevertheless, as I have already mentioned no superstition can help you out in winning a Baccarat game and you have to follow the rules and make out some plans for yourself.

8. In a traditional game of Baccarat about 80-120 hands are played in an hour while in mini-baccarat about 150-300 hands are played in an hour. To play for a longer period with a limited amount of money always play slowly. Therefore, you should look out for crowded places to play a game of Baccarat as it will be more fun playing with many people and at the same time, things will turn up slowly.

Some people try to follow the pattern of baccarat table in the hope of getting some winning strategy. However, this is a completely random game and no one can predict the future winning pattern. It is a pure game of chance and luck and if you have time and some money to take risk with you can try baccarat. If the luck is on your side, you can be a winner for the very first time.