Baccarat Online and All About It

The easy rules of baccarat are what make it so popular with gamblers worldwide. Similar to blackjack, the dealer and the player each receive two cards. You have the option to bet on the player or the banker to win.

The hand that is closest to nine when the values of the cards are added together is the winner. Occasionally the banker, player, or both may draw a third card. If the values of the cards exceed nine, then subtract ten from the total to determine the final value. If the hand consists of a seven and an eight, then the final value is five. (7+8=15, 15-10=5)

• The procedure for wagering on baccarat online is easy:
• Choose your stake by clicking on the chips
• Place your bet on a player, banker, or tie
• You may have side-bet options
• Click on the deal button
• Either two or three cards are drawn to decide the outcome of the game
• Any winnings are added to your balance
• You can now place a new bet or repeat your previous bet

It's easy to understand the main features of baccarat once you know the card values and the flow of play. The goal is to guess if the banker or the player will win the hand before the cards are dealt. There’s a third option for a tie, where the card values of the banker and player add to the same result. The three main betting options are:

Banker: The banker bet has a slightly lower house edge at 1.06%, but most casinos take a 5% commission on winnings

Player: The player bet house edge is 1.24%, but the casino takes no commission

Tie: The tie wager counts on the values of the player's, and the banker's hands being equal and has a house edge of 14.36%

More Variations of Bets in Baccarat

If you crave more excitement or variation in the game, you can look for a baccarat casino that offers these side bets.

Player pair: You wager on the first two cards dealt with the player being a pair

Banker pair: A bet on the first two cards dealt with the banker being a match

Perfect pair: The wager pays out if either the banker or the player receives two cards matching both value and suit

Either pair: Your wager is that the banker or the player will receive two matching cards

Panda 8: A panda 8 requires the player to win with three cards adding up to a value of eight

Lucky 8: For this wager to payout, the total value of the winning hand must be eight

The low house edge for baccarat makes it popular with gamblers. If you stick to the main bets of a banker or player, the house edge is only 1.06% and 1.36%, respectively. If you're betting on a tie, this increases to 14.4% with a payout of 8:1.

If you like the risk and bigger payouts, some of the side bets compare better. For example, the Panda 8 pays out 25:1 but only has a house edge of 10.19%. Game developers base most online baccarat games on an eight-deck shoe, with a marginally higher house edge.

How Do Odds, Payouts, and House Edge Change With Different Deck Combinations?

Occasionally, you have a choice of the number of decks. Baccarat is typically played from eight decks, but you have single and six-deck options with a lower house edge.

Six Deck Baccarat

Single–Deck Baccarat

One of the advantages of gambling online is that you can take advantage of bonuses and promotions that you would seldom find at a land-based casino. You may not find specific baccarat promotions, but that doesn't mean you can't take advantage of welcome bonuses or any promotion that includes table games or live casino options.

Claim a bonus and keep playing your favourite version of baccarat for longer.

Baccarat is purely a game of chance, but you can try these two progressive betting strategies to increase your likelihood of winning more money than you lose. With the positive progression system, you increase your bet after each win and decrease or keep your stake the same if you lose. The negative progression systems work the opposite way. Try these strategies while playing baccarat for free.

Let's look at some of the most popular versions of baccarat online. You can play baccarat for free and try different versions to find which one you prefer. 

Big Baccarat

• The full-size version of the game is known as big baccarat
• Up to 14 players can join the game
• You can have up to three dealers
• The table is oval-shaped
• The players' places are marked from one to 15, with the unlucky 13 left out

Mini Baccarat

• You can have five to seven players
• The table is in a semi-circle
• There are no players in the place marked "4" as it's considered unlucky in Asia
• You get one dealer who stands opposite the players
• The lower bet limits make this version popular in most casinos
• The mini version of baccarat isn't for high-rollers

Live Dealer Baccarat

• It can be any baccarat version with a live dealer
• Not always available 24/7
• You can interact with other players and the dealer during live baccarat games
• In some versions, you can make side bets
• The game is typically played with a mini-baccarat table setup

Chemin De Fer

• Chemin de fer is the oldest modern baccarat version
• Popular in Europe and France
• It's played around a kidney-shaped table
• The table has 12 player seats, two dealer seats, and one banker seat
• Played from a six-deck shoe
• Players bet against each other, and each player has a chance to act as a dealer or banker