Baccarat is a simple game with three types of bets:

• Banker bet
• Player bet
• Tie bet (standoff)

Though the game is simple, baccarat follows strict dealing rules. 

Live Baccarat is played from an eight-deck shoe. All face cards and 10s have no value. Cards less than 10 are counted at face value, Aces are worth 1. The suits of the cards don't play a role in the game. Only single digit values are valid. Any count that reaches a double digit drops the left digit. 15 is counted as 5 and 25 is also counted as 5. Each hand is consisted of no more than three cards, the baccarat rules do not allow a fourth card to be dealt under any circumstances.

To start, the players bet either on Banker, Player or Tie. Both Player and Banker pay even money, but a winning Banker bet commands a 5% commission. A Tie bet pays 8:1. The goal in baccarat is to reach a point total of 9 with your hand.

The live dealer gives two cards to both the Player hand and the Banker hand; first to the Player and then the Banker. A third card may be dealt to either or both the Player and the Bank based on the following three-card-rules. It is not necessary to learn these rules to play, they are compulsory decisions and therefore automatic. 

Player's third-card-rule 

If either the Player or the Bank have a total of 8 or 9 on the first two cards no further cards are drawn. The resulting hand is called a Natural and the hand is over. If the Player's total is less than or equal to 5 the Player's hand draws a third card. 

If the Player does not draw a third card, then the bank's hand stands on 6 or more and takes a third card on a total of 5 or less. If the Player does take a third card then the Bank's third-card-rule below will determine if the bank takes a third card.

Bank's third-card-rule

• If the Bank's total is 2 or less then bank draws a card, regardless of what the player’s third card is. 
• If the Banks total is 3 then the bank draws a third card unless the Players third card was an 8. 
• If the Banks total is 4 then the bank draws a third card unless the Players third card was a 0, 1, 8, or 9.
• If the Banks total is 5 then the bank draws a third card if the Players third card was 4, 5, 6, or 7.
• If the Banks total is 6 then the bank draws a third card if the Players third card was a 6 or 7.
• If the Banks total is 7 then the bank stands.

After the dealer has followed the third card dealing rule, the hand is closest to 9 without going over is announced the winner.

Dragon Bonus Side Bet

The Dragon Bonus is a Baccarat side bet that pays when the hand is a Natural winner, or when the hand wins by a at least 4 points. 

Natural winners pay even-money on the Dragon Bonus bet, and in the event of a Natural that ties, the Dragon Bonus bet pushes. Non-Natural winners that win by at least 4 points pay even-money, and the larger the margin of victory, the larger the payout. For example, a non-Natural hand that wins by 9 points receives a payout of 30:1! To view the entire Dragon Payout table, click the ‘Dragon Payout’ tab on the right side of the game interface.

To participate in the Dragon Bonus players must wager by betting in the marked area labeled ‘Player Dragon’, ‘Banker Dragon’, or both.