Baccarat has been a fixture in high-roller areas at brick-and-mortar casinos for decades. The attraction is a low-house edge compared with other games: close to 1% for one bet type. Now, you can enjoy baccarat online or live with our detailed guide. Betting on baccarat is simple.

1. Baccarat Gambling Game
2. Baccarat Game Online
3. What Is Baccarat

1. The traditional (meaning the high-roller room) version of baccarat, where players actually deal the cards, is a leisurely game; you might play 40 decisions an hour. But there is a fly in the ointment of baccarat. That fly is the mini-baccarat version of the game. There are two major differences between traditional baccarat and mini-baccarat.
2. A lot of sites tend to overlook baccarat bonuses, but we know there is a strong and dedicated following that love the game, and we set out to form the following table for the best baccarat bonuses. This table is sorted using the bonus amount, wagering requirement, and quality of casino, among other factors.
3. Home Casino Game Rules Baccarat. Baccarat Game Rules. Baccarat is probably the most lavish and least understood of all casino games. If you've ever been to a land casino, and taken a stroll by the baccarat pit, you may have glimpsed gorgeous women seated about the oversized table, and both players and dealers clad in tuxedos.
4. Gambling author, Steve Bourie, explains how to play and how to win at baccarat. Topics covered include: the rules of the game, the bets that can be made; the.

Baccarat has been a fixture in high-roller areas at brick-and-mortar casinos for decades. The attraction is a low-house edge compared with other games: close to 1% for one bet type. Now, you can enjoy baccarat online or live with our detailed guide.

Betting on baccarat is simple. On each hand, you’ll decide whether to back “player,” “banker” or “tie.” There are complex rules for how the two hands are dealt; though, when you play the game, the croupier handles this side of things. There are variations of baccarat which simplify the rules. The best known is called Punto Banco.

Online baccarat is available either against software or via live dealer casino rooms. However, you’ll need to be in a state that offers legal real money casinos to take advantage.

Our baccarat guide provides you with everything you need to understand the bets and rules. We look at how to play baccarat online, as well as the strategy for placing those all-important bets.

How to play online baccarat legally in the US?

Regulation for online gambling is expanding at a rapid pace. Many states have started with legal sportsbooks, and a handful of states offer or are in the processing of offering online casinos. Presently, these states are New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan and West Virginia.

If you are in a legal state, you’ll be able to enjoy online baccarat and Punto Banco.

First, there are computer software versions. These are fast, easy to play and start at surprisingly small stakes (or even for play-money while you learn the game).

At some online casino sites, you can find table games at live dealer studios. Casinos stream these games in real-time from their brick-and-mortar casinos. You can find live dealer casinos at the bigger online casinos, including Golden Nugget and 888 Casino, in regulated states.

Details of the online casino laws vary by state. Generally, you’ll need to be at least 21 years or older to play. There is no need to be a permanent resident of the legal gaming state, though you will need to be inside state lines where the casino is licensed to play.

Casino apps include the geolocation technology to verify that you are inside the state borders.

How online baccarat works

We describe a typical baccarat game in which a dealer handles the cards, with one or more players betting on the outcome. However, there are variations where the dealer position rotates around the table.

Before a hand is dealt, each player will place bets on one or more of the three outcomes. The choices are player, banker or tie. You can choose to bet on any of these outcomes (as a player, you are not forced to bet on the “player” option).

Here are the odds of winning based on those bets:

• Player: 1.24%
• Banker: 1.06%
• Tie: 14.36%

Note that the “tie” option has terrible odds compared with either the player or the banker bets. More on that in the side bets section below.

The dealer deals hands to both the player and banker. There are complex rules for whether more cards are added to each hand. You don’t need to memorize these to enjoy the game.

Baccarat drawing rules

The winning hand out of the player and banker is the one closest to (or at) 9 points.

Each hand is dealt two cards with the following rules:

• Non-picture cards are worth their point value.
• Tens through kings (all the picture cards) are worth zero.
• Aces are worth one.

If a hand goes over 10, then 10 points are removed.

For example, two 7s = 14, take the 10, and you have a score of 4.

• If either hand shows 8 or9 (also known as a “natural“), the hand ends and no extra cards are dealt.

Any time there is no “natural” (8 or 9) on the two-card deal, then the following chart is examined, with more cards being dealt under the following criteria:

• The player stands on 6 or 7 and draws a third card with a score of zero to 5.
• If the player stood with a 6 or 7, then the banker draws a card with zero to 5 and stands with a 6 or 7.

Banker rules on 3rd card

When the player draws a third card, the rules for the banker become more complex:

• If the player total is zero, 1 or 2, then the banker will always draw a third card; otherwise, the rules depend on the banker’s current total.
• Banker Shows 3: Draws a third card unless the player’s third card was an 8.
• Banker Shows 4: Draws a third card when the player drew 2 through 7 as a third card.
• Banker Shows 5: Draws a third card when the player drew 4 through 7 as a third card.
• Banker Shows 6: Draws a third card when the player drew 6 or 7 only.
• Banker Shows 7: Always stands.

You don’t need to remember these rules to enjoy the game.

From a player’s perspective, you can enjoy online baccarat by merely deciding whether to bet on the player, banker or tie squares.

How to reduce the house edge in Baccarat

Baccarat is a favorite among high rollers because of the lower house edge. There are variations in payouts and details of the rules which make a difference.

The golden rule for baccarat is to avoid the tie bet. This does have a bigger return than either the banker or the player bet but comes with a horrific house edge. The tie bet can be more than 20% in some games and, typically, more than 14% (it depends on the return in each game).

If you contrast this with the player and banker bets, you’ll see how big the difference is. These wagers have a house edge of around 1%.

Baccarat Gambling Game

The standard rules give the following:

• Player: 1.24%
• Banker: 1.06%

Table minimums are often bigger for baccarat than other games. When you see the low house edge, you’ll understand why this needs to be the case.

Casinos balance the lower edge (and easy gameplay where the players can’t make strategy mistakes) with the cost of running the table. Some casinos will have side bets on the hands being pairs or pairs of the same suit. These do add an element of excitement and interest to the game.

These wagers also have a prohibitively large house edge, often upwards of 10%.

Different variations of baccarat

Baccarat Game Online

Some baccarat variations are more complex than the original game, involving strategy decisions by players who affect the outcome of hands.

Others are simplified, turning them into an entertaining and simple casino game.

Here are the main variations:

• Punto Banco: This is also known as American baccarat, though it is the single most popular variation around the world. In this format, the casino is the “house” (not each player in turn). This variation is played with a shoe of between six and eight decks.
• Mini Baccarat: This game is designed to work with a single casino dealer who performs all the handling of cards. The drawing rules are slightly different from the main game.
• Super 6 Baccarat: This is also known as Punto 2000. Banker bets are paid at 1-to-1 on all scores except 6, which is paid at 50%. It increases the house edge to 1.46% on banker bets.
• EZ Baccarat: This casino variation includes Dragon 7’and Panda 8 side bets. The banker will win on a total of 7 after the third card is drawn.
• Chemin De Fer: This is a multiplayer form of baccarat, where each player acts as the dealer in turn. This player acts as the banker, making decisions on whether to draw additional cards. All players share a single player hand in this format.

Live dealer baccarat games

Live dealer casino studios take advantage of better network speeds available these days.

You can bet on the outcome of a hand of baccarat dealt in real-time from a studio. These are available in those states with regulated online casinos. The studios are often inside the casinos, where experienced dealers can handle the cards.

To bet, you only need a funded account. You’ll drag and drop wagers using an overlay on the felt. With the dealing rules set, you won’t need to wait for others to make decisions (as you do when playing blackjack) or for the hand to play out to cover players who have bet when you have folded (as you do with live dealer casino poker games).

If the table minimums at live dealer online casinos are too big for your bankroll, you can always choose a software-based game instead.

These have the advantage that you will not miss a hand should you get distracted or disconnected, as well as those lower table minimums.

Baccarat history

There are different variations of the history of baccarat. Some historians suggest that the origins of the game go back to the 15th century when France and Italy were at war.

France has a history of inventing gambling games, with roulette appearing there in the 17th century, and poker having a predecessor game in the region, too. The original French name for this game is Chemin de Fer.

Punto Banco was the version that hit the new world. This was the house-banked game, rather than the player-versus-player variation, which started in Europe.

It first appeared in Las Vegas at the Sands Casino in the 1950s. This game has made appearances in James Bond movies. More recently, it moved online, where you can now enjoy it with a live dealer or as a software-based game.

Baccarat and US casino bonuses

Online casinos in legal jurisdictions offer a lot of various bonuses and promotions to attract and retain players. While you can certainly take advantage of them, baccarat is not the best game for bonus clearing.

The super-low house edge means that most casinos will either exclude it or give it a very low “weighting” for the purposes of clearing bonuses.

With no-deposit free play, matched welcome bonuses and other promotions, your best bet is often to take advantage of them using slots, then enjoy baccarat games with the money you win.

Final thoughts on playing baccarat for free or real money

What Is Baccarat

While not in the same league as blackjack or roulette in terms of popularity, baccarat does have its fans.

You’ll find this game in the high-limit area of many casinos, as well as (in simple “mini bacc” form) on the casino floor.

The outcomes are a win for a fictional player or a banker or sometimes a tie. You can bet on whichever outcome you like. The house edge is low on either bet, though slightly lower for banker bets.

Tie bets have a huge house edge; experienced players avoid these. Some variations of the game also have side bets.

Contrasting with the simple outcomes, the rules for dealing are complex.

Unless a “natural” (8 or 9) is dealt, a table of rules that depend on what cards are showing is referenced.

Make sure you check out the new live dealer casino baccarat in states that regulate online gambling. It adds a social element — with a real dealer handling the cards — and lets you bet online.

Baccarat is one of the oldest casino games, dating back to the 14th century when it was brought from Italy to France. The name of the game comes from the Italian word “baccarat”, which, translated into English means “zero”. There is a pretty good explanation for the name, though.

In Baccarat, all tens, jacks, kings and queens have a zero value. The same applies to any hand that totals zero. For instance, a hand of seven and three makes zero and therefore baccarat.

The most trustworthy historical sources claim that Baccarat derives from the Italian word for zero, but there are some arguments about the origin of the game because the French word “Baccarat” also means zero. According to the most popular version for the origin of Baccarat, it was invented by Felix Falguiere, an avid gambler from Italy. Initially, Baccarat was played with Tarot cards.

King Louis XIV, known as one of the most powerful French rulers, banned all forms of gambling, but instead of decreasing the interest in such kind of games, the prohibition had the opposite effect. Baccarat became even more popular and the French version Chemin de Fer or Chemmy, for short, became widespread.

Although the first records for the game date back to the 1400s, it was not until the 19th century when Baccarat started gaining popularity in Europe. Before that, it was mainly popular among French royalty.

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As mentioned above, Baccarat became a commonly played game in Europe in the 19th century and there was a preferred variation in every country. Yet, the interest for the Chemin de Fer variation prevailed in Europe, but according to various sources, Punto Banco was the most frequently played variation in the UK. Actually, it was the English variation that became popular in the US as American Baccarat.

Apart from being popular among the French nobility, the game was also widespread among high rollers. It is a well-known fact that the most passionate players were keen on Baccarat and made huge single bets.

As time passed by, a lot of Baccarat versions emerged, and quite a few of them remained popular throughout the years. Some of the most commonly played Baccarat versions include Punto Banco, Baccarat Banquet, and Chemin de Fer.

All Baccarat variations basically have the same rules, but the way of dealing cards is the thing that sets them apart from one another.

Nowadays, the most popular variations in the US seem to be Punto Banco and Mini Baccarat where players are supposed to bet on one out of three possible outcomes. Mini Baccarat is a popular Baccarat variation for a reason.

The increasing popularity of baccarat led to the invention of Mini Baccarat where the low table limits and simplified rules attracted mass players. Today, one can indulge in a game of Baccarat even if they have an average bankroll size. The big table Baccarat versions usually have pretty high table limits, which makes them a preferred option of the high rollers, while Mini Baccarat tables have more reasonable limits.

As for the online Mini Baccarat games, they follow the American rules. The random number generator is responsible for the fairness of the game and an equal chance of winning by all participants. Some casinos also offer live dealer baccarat games where you interact with a croupier and keep a close eye on how the game action unfolds.

Nowadays, Baccarat can be found in every brick and mortar casino in every part of the globe. Chemin de Fer, the French variation of Baccarat, became popular in England, but this variation went through some rule changes and today it is known as European Baccarat.

Tommy Renzoni brought the game to the US and the variation he introduced was a combination of European Baccarat and the aforementioned Chemin de Fer. Despite the small changes in the rules, the game remained appealing to high rollers and players from high social classes.

Baccarat in Brick-And-Mortar Casinos

Baccarat is known as a game that attracts elite players and high rollers. It is among the games that have the lowest house edge of approximately 1%.

The French version of Baccarat, Chemin de Fer, also known as European Baccarat, was introduced in US casinos in the middle of the 20th century. At first, it had complicated rules and players were supposed to take turns and take the role of a banker. The game also required three dealers to be involved.

The game became mainly popular among wealthy players as the stakes were pretty high for mass players and they preferred the well-known blackjack and roulette variations instead.

Later, these issues were figured out and Baccarat became more affordable to mass players. The rules were also simplified and there was no need for three dealers to run the game. Players had to place an initial bet on the player, banker, or a “tie”. The stakes became lower and the dealer was in charge of the entire game action.

Baccarat Online

The online casino industry emerged in the 1990s and since then has been subject to rapid development. Gone are the days of the slow computers and troublesome dial-up networks. Things have greatly improved since the dawn of the online gambling sector.

Baccarat is now a widespread game and you are unlikely to come across a reputable online casino that does not have at least one Baccarat variation in its portfolio.

Fast connection speed, as well as the latest technology, has enabled players to enjoy sharp graphics and user-friendly interface regardless of the device they use, be it a computer or a smartphone.

In point of fact, playing baccarat online is typically more lucrative as the stakes are usually lower.

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