Nine! Oh! Nine!
In one of his many movies, you will find James Bond playing this card game spelled as B - A - C - C - A - R - A - T or popularly known by its street name Lucky 9. Being the protagonist himself he always ends up winning. But why exactly? Does he have some tricks up his sleeve? Maybe so. So do we have to go to spy school to win at baccarat?
Well, no we don't, but first, we must know the rationale of the game. To win the game, we should first invest or place bets on either the banker/croupier/dealer (depending on the casino language) or on the player. There is a third option of "tie" but this is a sucker's bet and has a large house advantage which makes this a bad bet.
Like in blackjack, we apply simple arithmetic skills. Our total card value should be equal or close to 9. Numbered suits from one (or an ace) to nine are worth or take their original value. So an ace has only a value of one not 11 as in Blackjack! Now, ten and other face or royalty cards are considered futile because of their null value meaning zero.
To clarify things let us have a simple baccarat demonstration. Suppose you received a 7 of spades and another 7 of spades, which by the way is possible as multiple decks are used. In mathematics, its sum is 14, isn't? However, in a baccarat game, we apply the "modulo-ten rule" or in layman's terms we simply deduct the tens place to the total card value when it is over nine. So in this example, your cards are worth 4. The next question will be is to deal or to not deal another card. This painstaking decision is up to you.
Before you make a move, why not examine the context as most hustlers use in trying to circumvent any difficult predicament. First, examine the facial expressions of the banker and the other players; maybe they are applying the art of bluffing. Second, listen attentively. Some players do speak their mind but forget to tone down their voices or maybe there are loquacious observers who are already talking or commenting about other players' cards.
Now back to the card game! Remember our initial two cards have a value of 4; if you think you need to get another, ask for it. Probably it will be equal or less than five. However, if you get a 7 or higher chances of winning are slim. Finally, the worst case would be receiving a six. This time you can only hope for a tie, which rarely happens.
There is no sure-win formula in winning baccarat. After all, we all know it is a gamble. However, there are generally wide held beliefs that certain card amounts should be held while others should take a hit.
The general advice is if you have a total card value of eight or nine it is advisable to stick with it. If your total card value ranges from zero to five ask for another card. When you have six or a seven, the decision is up to you. It can go either way.