Baccarat is one of the oldest casino games that’s been played by casino lovers, gambling addicts, and professional gamblers all over the world. The game of baccarat has three main variations. You can choose to play mini baccarat, midi baccarat or big baccarat. Today you can play mini baccarat in online and land-based casinos. You can even play and win real money online casino for free by taking advantage of first-time bonuses when you become a member of some online casinos.

Rules are what governs any game without them we’d be playing games mindlessly without any idea of who won and who lost. That’s wouldn’t be any fun right? Mini baccarat just like every other game has its set of rules that govern the gameplay which players are meant to obey and follow. Are you unfamiliar with mini baccarat rules? Then you are in the right place because, in today’s guide, I’ll be teaching you the rules that govern the game of mini baccarat.

Mini baccarat basics

Before we dive into the rules that govern the mini baccarat game, you should familiarize yourself with some of the basics.

Hand values: In mini baccarat, all the cards retain their face value. The 10s, Kings, Queens, and Jack all have the value 0 while the aces have the value of 1.

Player’s hand: The player’s hand is simply the hand dealt by the player.

Banker’s hand: The banker’s hand is simply the hand dealt by the banker.

Tie: This is a betting option where you bet on the player’s and the banker’s hands having the same value after their cards have been counted.

Table: The table in mini baccarat may differ depending on the casino but they usually have seats for a maximum of about 8 players. In mini baccarat, all the cards are dealt face up and the players never get to touch the cards.

Game objective: When playing the game of the baccarat, the objective of the game is to get the number 9 or have a value that’s closest to the number 9.

Mini baccarat rules

When the game begins, the cards are taken or removed from a shoe by someone known as the dealer. The dealer gives two cards to the player known as the player’s hand and the same is done for the banker which is then known as the banker’s hand.

In the game, there are three ways to bet, you can bet on the player’s hand, banker’s hand, or tie. Depending on your bet and the outcome of the game, you can either win or lose money.

The dealer now counts the cards and announces the points. If the cards on the player’s or banker’s hand total 8 or 9, it’s called a natural and additional cards cannot be drawn. If no hand come up as natural then a third card is drawn face up for the banker’s and player’s hand based on the hit/stand rules. The hand that ends up with a point count closest to 9 is declared the winner. If both hands total the same value, it is called a tie. If a tie occurs and no bet was placed on the tie then the bets on the bankers and players are returned.

Draw and stand rules

  • The players always draw when they have cards totalling 0 – 5 unless the banker has a natural. The player always stands when the cards total 6 – 9. If the player ends up with an 8 or 9, the game is over.
  • The banker always draws when the cards totals 0 – 2 except the player has a natural. The banker always stands when the card totals 7 – 9. When the banker has a natural, the game is over.

In mini baccarat, both the player and the banker are meant to follow and observe the draw and stand rules.