Baccarat Casino Game - UK Free Play or Cash Match

Baccarat dates back to the Middle Ages. It has been said the game was first played with a Tarot deck and originating in Italy, it soon made its way to France where it found a home among the upper class aristocracy.

The Baccarat we know today originated in Great Britain and was then passed along to South America and finally to Nevada. The famous Dunes casino introduced baccarat in the late 50's, and since then it has made its final migration onto the WWW.
The basic premise of the game is simple: predict whose hand, the Banker's or the Player's, will be closer to the value of nine. You can also bet on the possibility of a tie. The hand with the highest point value wins.

The player's hand will be dealt two cards and the banker's hand will be dealt two cards. Third cards are dealt according to certain rules. The highest total any Baccarat hand can have is nine. A two-card total of nine is called a "natural" and cannot lose. An eight is the second-best hand and is also called a "natural". If both the player and banker are dealt hands of equal value, it's a push (tie) and neither the banker nor the player hand wins.
Unlike most games, in Baccarat face cards and tens have no value. Ace has a value of 1 and all other cards carry their face value. If the point value of the first two cards is 8 or 9 the game ends and no third card is dealt to anyone.

There are various strategies to use when playing Baccarat, namely when to draw and when the bank draws etc. and though they are quite consistent across sites, just check that you and the site are singing off the same hymn sheet before you lay down any bets.
Baccarat is a great game and though not as popular as some of the other casino games virtually all online casino's have it as a feature. If you're new to the game, then play on a practice table to get yourself up to scratch before playing for real. Just click the 'Play Now' button below to start practicing.