The history of Baccarat is said to go back to medieval Italy. The origins of the card game are debatable, but most believe that it was created in the 1400's by a man named Felix Falguierein or Felix Falguiere. He named the game "baccarat", which translates to "zero", since all tens and figures were valued at zero (the French spelling "baccarat" would be adopted later).

 First, look for free baccarat online in your casino lobby. Most good casinos will have at least one variant to try. You can usually play baccarat games directly through your browser and on any device you want, including desktop, mobile, and tablet computers.

At the free baccarat table, you will be able to see the betting areas and the minimum / maximum bets. Select the chip values you want, then drag and drop them onto the sections of the table you want to bet on. The computer will not deal the cards until you press the "Deal" button. In a game of baccarat, you have three options: banker, player, or tie. The object of the game is to bet on the hand that is closest to 9. Aces count as 1, while 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 count as their numerical value. Tens and cards with pictures like queens and kings count as 0. If the total value of the hand is a two-digit number, discard the first digit. So if the player was dealt 8 + 4 = 12, the point value would be 2. The 1 is discarded.

Depending on the hand totals, a third card may be dealt. If the player or the banker has 8 or 9, no additional cards are drawn ('Stand'). However, if the player has 5 or less, she receives a third card ("Hit"). The banker now decides what to do depending on his own hand total. For example, if the banker has 2 or less, he draws a third card. If the bank has 3, they draw a third card, but not if the player has 8. You can see a full summary of the Hit or Stand rules for third cards in our box further down this page.

As a baccarat player, you can choose to bet on any hand. The payout for a winning player bet is 1/1. You win 19/20 on a winning banking hand (1/1 minus a 5% rake). You win 8/1 if you bet on both hands that end in a draw. Once the hand is over, your winnings will be paid to you immediately. You have the option of doubling your bet, repeating the previous bet, or clearing your chips and starting over.