Baccarat

Advantages of Playing Baccarat Online Opposed to Land Based Casinos

If you’re new to the game and nervous about playing baccarat with real money, online baccarat’s free-play mode is exceptionally welcoming. It will allow you to learn the rules and practice strategies. There is no such option at land-based casinos, and jumping in at the deep end and learning to play baccarat with real money can be as expensive as it sounds. 

Online casinos can offer a wider variety of games, as floor space is not an issue. You can set the pace when playing online baccarat, as there is no dealer putting pressure on players – unless you play the live dealer games. You will also find the online casinos much more generous when it comes to comps, promotional material, and bonuses.

How to Play Baccarat? 

Over the years, the rules of baccarat evolved to be less of a high-roller, specialist game with scarily high stakes. It is now more simplified and accessible to players with more down to earth budgets as well. 

Rules

A baccarat table provides for fourteen players. Players make their bets on marked spaces on the table. A player can bet in one of three boxes: one for the player, one for the banker, and one for a bet on a tie. The player places a bet on any one of these. The dealer then deals the cards in the banker and player blocks at the center of the baccarat table. 

The game is played with 6, 8, or 9 decks of cards. The object is to get to 9 points in total, or as close as possible. You are not in control of that aspect, though, as your role is to simply bet on either the player, the bank, or the tie. Once the bets are in, the dealer proceeds with the draw and the players wait for the result. 

Two hands of two cards aech are dealt for the player and the banker blocks. Scores of 10 or over are reduced by 10. Face cards don’t count. If 9 points are not achieved, 8 points will win. If that is not achieved, a third card may need to be drawn. The decision whether that will happen is up to the rules of the game. Each venue should have a copy of the rules displayed. 

Terms

Some terms unique to baccarat, or with novel interpretations, are necessary to know to allow you to keep track of what is happening. 

Baccarat – This comes from “zero”. It also refers to the least favorable hand a player can hold. 

Baccarat en Banque – A version in which the casino always holds the bank.

Banco – Used when a player bets all of their money. It can also refer to the bank. 

Carte – The terms to use when requesting a card from the dealer. 

Coup – A round of baccarat that consists of the players’ and banker’s hands. 

Dragon Bonus – This is a side bet option that pays when your hand is a natural winner, or when it wins by a large margin.

Face Card – Any King, Queen, or Jack. 

Le Grande – This is the best possible hand. This hand has a total value of 9. 

Mini Baccarat – A version of the game that accommodates up to eight players. 

Natural – This is when the first two cards dealt to the hand total 8 or 9. 

Petite – This is a hand with a total count of 8. 

Punto Banco – Player / Bank – you bet on one or the other. The most popular game of baccarat. 

Railroad – Another term for Chemin-de-fer.

Run – When the casino allows a player to bet on a series of hands. 

Shooter – Another name for the bank. 

Standoff – This is a tie between player and banker.

Odds

Baccarat has a relatively small advantage for the casino and it is a straightforward game to play. Betting on the Player hand pays out even money or a dollar for every dollar you bet. The casino advantage on this bet is 1.24. Winning a bet on the Banker hand also earns you even money when you win, but there is a cost to this win.

You have to pay a 5% commission on the amount you win on the Banker bet. After adjusting for that commission, the house edge on Banker bets is 1.06%. If you bet on a tie, you are paid out at 8 to 1 for a win. This may sound attractive, but keep in mind that the house advantage is 14.36% on this bet. 

Variations of the game  

The standard rules for real money baccarat we’ve discussed so far relate to Punto Banco, the most popular form of baccarat. There are a few more we need to examine to get a complete view of the world of baccarat. 

EZ Baccarat

In this version, the banker’s payout is improved. The house edge is slightly smaller, at 1.018%. It also features two side bet options, namely Dragon 7 and Panda 8. These relate to the winning margin of either the banker or player hand. Dragon 7 has a house edge of 7.61%, while Panda is at 10.17%. 

Punto2000/Super6

Wins on banker bets don’t carry any commission in this version. If, however, the banker wins with 6, half your bet is forfeited. This version has a house edge of 1.48% on the banker bet. The rule of 6 also ends up paying a higher commission to the house at 5.87% as opposed to the regular 5%.

Live baccarat in live casino online

Live baccarat is offered by most of the popular online casinos out there. Companies such as Evolution Gaming provide software that allows for an immersive gaming experience that delivers an incredibly realistic, real money baccarat feel. It turns your home into Baccarat Central, with all the benefits of online gaming added to interaction with a live dealer. 

Live online baccarat provides the player with high levels of privacy, convenience, great bonuses, high limits, and plenty of payment options. Playing online baccarat live is the apex experience of the game and, in our opinion, renders any land-based alternatives obsolete and outdated. It is simply the best way to go to play this great game.