Baccarat is a real classic. It is in every casino on this planet, whether they are real life or virtual ones. The game exploded in popularity after being featured in many James Bond movies, where the famous agent could be seen playing it while trying to catch an evil villain. But the origins of this game are much older than any 007 film. The first records of its existence point to France in the 19th century, and since then it has evolved in a few variants.
How to Play Online Baccarat? Main Rules
After a few minutes of reading the rules and a few games for practicing, everybody will realize how simple and fun this game can be. It works like this: every player receives a hand of two cards, and they need to make sure that the sum of the values of their cards are equal, or as close as possible, to 8 or 9 (depending on the variation of the game being played). If their sum is less than five, they will get a third card.
However, before receiving the cards, customers must make a bet. In this case they have three options, they can bet for themselves, on the banker’s bet, or the stand-off if one is available. If the player guessed correctly on the bets of the banker or himself, he will win on a ratio of 1:1. On the other hand, if they bet on the stand-off wager, and their guess is correct, they will receive a prize equivalent to 8:1 or 9:1, once again, this actual ratio depends on the rules of the variation being played.
Going back to the hands, the cards between 2 and 9 keep their values, while all cards with letters, plus the joker, are equal to one. If the value in a player’s hand is equal or higher than 10, then a value of 10 is substracted. As an example, if a player has a total value equal to 15, 10 are substracted, therefore the player has 5 in his hand.
Best Online Baccarat Casinos:
- 888 casino
- LeoVegas
- Starcasino
- Betfair casino
- NetBet
- EuroBet
- Codere
- Casinocom
Is it possible to start playing Baccarat for free?
Yes, many online casinos for real money, while offering tables where real money is being gambled, also offer free tables where customers have no risk of losing any cash, and can get used to the interesting rules of this fascinating game. This means that not only it is possible to try this game from a computer, but also it is available from mobile devices. Almost any gadget capable of running a web browser such as Google Chrome, Firefox or Opera should be capable of executing this game. This applies to Canadian customers and to people anywhere else in the world. If they like the game, they can later sign up and play with real cash. Many casinos give bonuses to quickly get amazing possibilities.
Are any tips for winning when playing online Baccarat?
Below there will be a guide with tips, which has been elaborated after speaking with people who have gained a lot of experience playing this game. Let’s review them:
- Always bet for the banker. In general betting for the banker gives the best odds of winning. While no bet can guarantee a positive result, this is the most safe way of playing. However, for this reason the banker bet also is the one that pays the least.
- Do not bet for a tie. This is the rarest of the outcomes. While it is possible, it is highly unlikely that the hands of the banker and the player will be on a tie. Don’t be tricked by the attractive 8:1 or 9:1 payout, as the chances of effectively winning it are slim.
- Check how many decks are being used. The amount of decks used in a game of baccarat is not set by any rules, and any casino can choose whatever amount they think it is feasible. In general, the smaller the number of decks, the better, but it doesn’t create a huge difference in terms of probability.
- Do not be tempted by the side bets. Some variations of the game offer the customer the chance to place a side bet, promising some high odds. However, the real payouts in these cases tend to be not so great.
- In general it is recommended to never bet more than 5% of your total bankroll on a given round. While this might look as a too conservative way of playing, this would protect you from being out of the game too fast.
Baccarat Game Types
Baccarat comes in many flavours. Some customers may prefer one kind, while others may prefer another one. In any case, all of them offer amazing winning opportunities and great chances to have a lot of fun. Check casinos with baccarat game. Here some of them will be summarized:
Punto Banco
This is the most frequent variation of the game. Every real life and online casino that offers baccarat will offer this kind. In this type of game, the house is the bank all the time.
Mini Baccarat
This is a faster variation, because the dealer is always the house, “callers” are present at the table ready to provide assistance.
Chemin de Ger
This the variation of the game that James Bond made popular.
Baccarat en Banque
This is similar to Chemin de Ger, but with a different twist. Here the player willing to take the biggest risk serves as the banker. This variation is played with three decks of cards.
Super Pan 9
This is similar to Mini Baccarat. However, in this case a single mini deck is used, which contains only 26 cards. All the 7s, 8s, 9s and 10s are removed, and also, all cards with letter denomination are equal to zero.
Betting Types for Online Baccarat
As said in the first section of this article, Baccarat offers three different bets that players can choose when playing each round. They are listed below:
- Player bet. This bet pays 1:1, in order to win in this case the player must beat the banker by being as close as possible to 8 or 9.
- Banker bet. This kind of play is on the “safe” side. In this case if the player guesses incorrectly he will choose 5% of his bankroll.
- Tie bet. This is the most risky but at the same time the most rewarding play that can be made in this game. If the player guesses correctly, he will be rewarded with a payout equal to 8:1.
Depending on the variation of the game, there are several plays that are known as side bets. Some are listed below:
- Player pair. In case a client gets a pair of equal cards, he will receive a payout of 1:1
- Perfect pair. This is the case when a player gets a pair of cards of the same value and the same suit. For example, it is possible to get a perfect pair if a customer receives in his hand two 7s of spades. This gives a payout of 25:1.
- Small bet. Players who get a hand whose total value is 4 will get a 1.5:1 payout.
- Banker pair. The customer will get a payout equal to 11:1 if he is playing as the banker and gets a pair.
- Either pair. The first two cards received by either the player of the banker are pairs. This outcome pays 5:1.
- Big bet. In this case the player takes a 46% commission if the total amount of cards dealt to a player is 5 or 6.
