Baccarat is said to be the game of royals, because it was initially played only by the European aristocracy from the beginning of the fifteenth century. The same thing can be said nowadays, as it is usually played by high rollers and land based casinos feature special private rooms with much higher wagering limits than on other tables. But this article will show you that you can feel the thrill of playing baccarat from the comfort of your own home with the help of online live baccarat tables and you will get the same satisfaction and better odds, plus some extra perks. Read on for more information.
Get Acquainted with the Rules before You Play Real Money Baccarat
Baccarat is the game preferred by most high rollers, but you need to know the rules and the odds of every bet, before you can start playing for high stakes. The rules of the game are pretty easy to grasp and there is very little players can do to influence the outcome of each hand, since there are no options after the cards are dealt. The way it works is the dealer deals the cards for the Player and the Banker, after players have placed a bet on either one or a tie.
Some live baccarat tables will also allow you to bet on the Player’s or the Banker’s Pair. Depending on the cards dealt, the Player and the Banker may draw an extra card and whoever has the closest to 9 value, wins or the two may tie.
While cards from 2 to 9 have the value written in them, 10, J, Qs and Ks have no value (zero) and aces are worth 1 point. Given as the highest value in baccarat is 9, the dealer makes a sum of the two cards (or three) when calculating the points. For example, if you have 1 plus 4, the value is 5. But if the sum exceeds 9, the result will be the rightmost digit of the total. So, if you have 8 plus 5, the sum of the two is 13, so the value of the hand will be 3.
If the Player has 5 or more in the first two cards, he will stand pat, if not he will draw the third card. If the Player stands and the Banker has a value lower than 5, then he must draw another card. On the other hand, if the Player draws, there are certain circumstances in which the Banker will stay or draw.
Live Baccarat Payouts, Sidebets and RTP
Usually played with 8 decks of cards, Live Baccarat has standard bets – Player, Banker and Tie, but also some pretty interesting sidebets. These differ from table to table and from one software provider to another. Evolution Gaming, for example, feature no less than 6 such sidebets and these are:
- Player Pair – Winning if the Player’s first two cards form a pair, this sidebet has a payout of 11 to 1.
- Banker Pair – Banker’s first cards need to form a pair and the same payout applies, 11 to 1.
- Either Pair – Winning if either the Player or the Banker have a pair in their first two cards. The payout is 5 to 1.
- Perfect Pair – The perfect sidebet to play, as it can pay 25 to 1 or even 100 to 1. If either the Player or the Banker get identical cards without drawing, which means the first two cards are the same value, suit and colour – 25 to 1 and if both of them get a perfect pair in their first two cards, you are looking at a payout of 100 to 1.
- Player Bonus – If the Player wins with a Natural 8 or 9 (the value of the first two cards) or by 4 points, you will receive a payout of 30 to 1 for win by 9 points, 10 to 1 for a win by 8 points and so on. A Natural win pays 1 to 1 and if the Player and Banker tie, the sidebet will push.
- Banker Bonus – The same payouts apply as explained above and the sidebet is winning if the Banker wins by 4 or more points or with a Natural 8 or 9.
Playtech live dealer baccarat, on the other hand, have two extra sidebets: Big and Small. The Small bet wins in case the total number of cards dealt between the Player and the Banker is 4, while the Big sidebet wins if the total number of cards are 5 or 6, meaning that one or both have drawn cards. As far as the regular payouts are concerned, they are as follows: Player – 1 to 1, Banker – 1 to 0.95 (5% commission) and the Tie pays 8 to 1.
The intriguing fact about live Baccarat is that it has both some of the lowest and the highest house edges, depending on the bet you place. The RTP for the Evolution Gaming live baccarat game is 98.94%, but the different sidebets have varying RTPs, as follows: Player Bonus – 97.35%, Player and Banker Pair – 89.64%, Perfect Pair – 91.95%, Either Pair – 86.29% and the Banker Bonus – 90.63%. As far as the wagering limits are concerned, they also vary from one casino to the other. 888 Casino, for example, will allow you to bet as much as £10,000 on their Live Baccarat Squeeze – an interesting variation, where the dealer gently and slowly squeezes the cards, building the suspense.
Game Variations
Baccarat, also known as Punto Banco, is an extremely popular game among high rollers and Asian players. There are several variations that can be found in land-based locations, such as Chemin de Fer aka Chemmy, Punto Banco or North American Baccarat and Baccarat Banque or à deux tableaux. The version that you can play at online casinos is Punto Banco and the standard rules apply. Other variations that you can try on the Internet are Mini Baccarat and Progressive Baccarat. The latter can be found at Playtech live casinos and the only difference between the standard version and this game is the sidebet that allows you to play for a progressive jackpot. You can try it at Ladbrokes Casino, with the special bonus of £50 for live casino players.
Mobile Live Baccarat – Where Can You Play It?
Nowadays, all the renowned casino operators have mobile-friendly apps and live baccarat could not be excluded from the collection. You have two ways of playing on the go – on the web-based app, in your browser or by downloading the app. iOS users can find the live casino apps in the official store, while Android users can download the apps from the respective casino site. 888 Casino offers two live dealer baccarat tables, while Ladbrokes Casino features 3 Mini Baccarat tables.
Special Offers and Bonus Opportunities
One of the advantages of playing online is that there is always a bonus opportunity just around the corner and with live dealer games it’s not any different. Most of the times, you can choose between the regular deposit bonus and dedicated offers. Baccarat games usually have a contribution of around 20% to the wagering requirements, which is not a bad deal, especially considering the high RTP of the game. If you decide to claim the bonus that 888 Casino offer – 100% up to £100, the wagering contribution for Baccarat and all other live dealer games is 10%. Up until this moment, there are no special baccarat-orientated bonus offers, but as I mentioned before, you can claim and play with the regular deposit bonus.