Understand Baccarat Hand Values

Understand baccarat hand values by following a few simple guidelines. Baccarat hand values are easy to determine once you know how.

Baccarat Card Values

Before moving on to understanding the baccarat hand values, it is useful to know the baccarat card values, as listed below. 

The Ace is worth 1.
The 2 is worth 2 - the actual value shown, as are all the numbered cards through the number 9.
The 10 is worth zero.
The Jack is worth zero.
The Queen is worth zero.
The Kind is worth zero.

In baccarat, the suit of the card has no significance at all.  The same numbers can come up numerous times as the game is often played with a shoe of six to eight packs.

Goal of Baccarat

In baccarat, it is unimportant whether the players bet on the dealer or the player hand.  The player places a bet on which hand they think will be the winning hand.  The winning hand in baccarat is the one that is the closest number to 9.  In American baccarat, only two hands are dealt.  It does not matter how many players are playing in the game.  One of these hands is the "player hand' and the other is the "banker hand".

Baccarat Hand Values

While the manner in which baccarat hand values is worked out is somewhat unusual, it is, however, quite easy to understand baccarat hand values after a brief explanation.  After the following explanation, a few examples will follow, to ensure that the method of adding up baccarat hand values is fully understood.  Even though the caller will ensure that the game is played correctly, it is important for all players to understand how the baccarat hand values are calculated.  In many games, the shoe is passed from player to player, who each take turns at dealing the cards.  For this reason alone, it is important to learn about baccarat hand values.  If not, the player will have to skip their turn and pass the shoe to the next player.

The values of the cards are added together (using the values listed under Baccarat Card Values above).  If the total number is equal to more than nine, for example 14, then ten is subtracted, or more simply, remove the first number (the tens digit), and the number remaining is the total, which in this example would leave 4.

Examples of How to Add Up a Baccarat Hand

The following examples show the total amount counted for various combinations of baccarat hands that are dealt.

Even though these numbers are different, they add up to the same in baccarat:
Ace + 2 = 3
5 + 8 = 13, (drop the "ten") which equals 3

2 + 3 = 5
9 + 6 = 15, (drop the "ten") which equals 5

3 + 5 = 8
9 + 9 = 18, (drop the "ten") which equals 8

Jack + Ace = 1 (because the 10, Jack and other picture cards equal zero)
7 + 4 = 11, (drop the "ten") which equals 1

The following are examples of hands that are equal to 9.  This is called a natural and  would be the winning hand:
6 + 3 = 9
5 + 4 = 9
9 + Jack = 9

These basic examples, adding only two cards together, show you how to add up the baccarat hand values.  At times, more than two cards will be dealt to a hand.  When this occurs, follow exactly the same pattern as shown above.