How to play Baccarat
Baccarat is famous for one thing, among others: it’s James Bond’s favourite casino game. It’s only fair then, that LiveCasinoGuide will take you through all the steps needed, to enable you to join the baccarat elite! Baccarat is easy to master, but you need to understand the basic baccarat rules first. It’s one of the most user-friendly live dealer games out there, but it’s difficult to master for sure. In this guide, we’ll help you understand the game – and get you one step closer to mastery. Let’s talk about it.
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Your Guide to Baccarat
The premise of Baccarat is easy enough to understand, which makes it a great card game for beginners. There are only 3 outcomes; the player wins, banker/dealer wins or a tie – which is self-explanatory. Place your bet on which hand wins first – this is the simple part. Cards two – nine are face value, while a 10, jack, queen, and king cards have a value of zero. An ace is worth one.
Simple so far, right? The dealer deals out the cards face up, two for each player and the banker alike. If you’ve bet on the banker and the banker takes the cake, that will pay 95% of your wager, while 5% being the house cut. Bet on the player, the winnings are doubled. Rinse, repeat, have more fun!
The objective of baccarat
Similar to its bigger and better known cousin blackjack, the outcome is determined by a card value getting as close to a certain number as possible.
The difference here is, you don’t necessarily have to bet on yourself; the objective of baccarat is to predict the outcome of the game overall, that means you can even bet on the banker. Simplified? Bet on who’s hand will win by having the hand closest to 9. Easy!
Step by step
Let’s go through the steps that need to be taken for a more or less successful round of online Baccarat. Let’s go through these steps and prepare you the best way possible for your venture into the luxurious world of James Bond’s favourite live casino game.
- The first thing you do is enter a table, which is as easy as clicking the “join” button on any Baccarat variant
- The game starts with players placing their bets – player, banker or tie.
- Dealer deals cards – 2 for each player.
- Dealer announces winner.
- Rinse and repeat
Betting in baccarat
At the start of each round, the players are asked to make their bets. As previously discussed, you as a player can bet on yourself (or other players for that matter), the banker or a tie. For obvious reasons the tie bet is the least likely to happen, so choose your bets wisely!
After you’ve placed your bet, all you really have to do is wait for the dealer to play the cards and hopefully give you a satisfactory result. It’s that simple! There are side bets however, but let’s talk about that in the next section.
Player
Betting on the player (you or others) pays out double your bet, which is pretty straightforward. It’s probably the most common bet, since it obviously encourages everyone to play in the first place. Besides winning the bet, beating the dealer is also a huge incentive.
Banker
This one pays 95% of your wager, should you be on the winning side. Some players don’t like this bet, since it obviously means you don’t have that much trust in your own abilities, but there are certain strategies that encourage this type of bet. As usual; the choice is yours.
Tie
This highly sought after result pays 8:1 and you can see why; the probability of that happening is comparably low, which is not to say it’s impossible. Make sure you got the payroll to back up your claims when consecutively going for this bet. Obviously the lucrative nature of the tie bet makes this one a kicker to bet on.
Side bets
Side bets are a neat way to increase your winnings if chosen smartly. There are a number of side bets to choose from and some of the most commonly used are the All Red/Black bet (we think you see where this one is going), 3 Card Wins, where the chosen side wins with three cards (pays out 4 to 1) and the 4,5,6 bet.
How to play essentials
How about we talk about some more advanced stuff now? The essentials of becoming a baccarat pro, essentially. After you’ve played your first couple of baccarat rounds, you might ask yourself what else is there – we’re speaking strategy territory here.
Truth be told, calling it “strategy” might be a bit of a stretch, but when playing baccarat online, you’ll need every help you can get. Let’s talk about it.
Baccarat card values
Let’s reiterate: The cards 2 – 9 are face value, while a 10, jack, queen, and king cards have a value of zero. An ace is, as previously told worth one.
There are a few things that you need to know though; if either the player or banker is dealt a total of 8 or 9, both parties HAVE to stand.
Going overboard with your card value is not allowed. If the player totals with 5 or less, he/she will receive another card – otherwise, a stand is in order.
So you see, knowing your different hand values in baccarat is paramount to success.
Using a strategy
Think of games like poker or blackjack like a marathon; you’re in it for the long run.
Baccarat? Not so much, look at online baccarat as a sprint with fast, repeatable rounds. They both have their pros and cons and using a strategy can severely improve your play.
Our secret tip? Choose a game with as few decks as possible and have a lookout for banker bets lower than 5% – if you can find one, that is.
How to play baccarat online
Playing baccarat online is simple, yes – that’s not to say that there’s not a lot going on. You need to interact with the interface, the casino lobby itself and, should you want to, with the live dealer.
We actually encourage you to chat with the dealers, since that obviously makes you feel like you’re in a real casino a lot more. Here are some of the things you interact with besides the baccarat field.
Live Dealer perspective
Online baccarat is a game that’s largely dependent on the live dealer on the other side of the screen.
A good round of baccarat stands and falls with the banker – is he/she charming? Plays the cards fast enough so you don’t get bored but slow enough so you don’t feel rushed?
The banker deals a third card whenever your current card value calls for it, so feel free to give these guys a little kudos; they’re trying their best to make this online casino game as entertaining as it is.
Betting interface
The betting interface is like the foundation or the skeleton of any casino game; baccarat is no different.
It is quite satisfying to physically place chips at the baccarat table, but modern casino lobbies have found a way to make the feeling just as great.
The interface can change whether playing in landscape or portrait mode and in some of them, you can even see how many players have made bets in the respective betting areas.
Haptic feedback and HD screen effects do their best to keep you immersed as well.
Signing up for an account
Similar to visiting an actual casino, the first step on your journey to becoming an online baccarat champion is – you guessed it – is signing up for an account at your chosen live casino.
This account will make sure you’re safe and secure while playing online and is portable to all your devices, be it Android or your PC. After you’ve signed up, you will have the world of casino at your fingertips – literally.
Making withdrawals
Obviously, having fun while playing at your favourite baccarat table is the main focus of it all.
But if all goes well, you’re gonna bring home some dough – filling up your account quite neatly. But obviously you need to deposit first, which is another interaction with the casino we implore you to get familiar with.
Once the cash starts raining down on your account, withdraw your funds with your preferred payment method!