A great casino classic, Baccarat has a special meaning for Canadian players due to its French origin. If you want to discover this exciting game, quickly read our guide to Baccarat and the online casino. Our experts offer you a selection of the best sites to play real money baccarat and free Baccarat.
The Concepts of Online Baccarat
Online baccarat is a simple game at its core. The player’s hand is compared to the dealer’s hand, and the one with the highest score wins, or both hands end up tied. The goal is to get a hand that scores as close to nine as possible. Numbered cards are worth their face value, while tens and face cards are all zero, while aces are worth one. Hands are calculated according to the number to the right of the sum of the cards, so if a hand totals 13, the hand is only worth 3. A baccarat hand is a hand valued at zero. The game’s basic rules are the same, and online baccarat casinos clarify this in the basic rules section.
The game becomes more complicated with its variants, such as the Punto banco, for example, which applies some variations of the rules. There are other variations as well that experienced players can look out for, and there are even high-limit tables for those who are interested in this challenge. Canadian baccarat players seem to prefer the base game over these other versions, but each player can choose for themselves. On the other hand, if all of these rules seem complex to you, it is a good idea to play free baccarat online so that you understand them all.
Is Online Baccarat Difficult to Play?
As we pointed out earlier, Baccarat is a fairly easy game to master and play. It is best for people who don’t want to play a game that has a myriad of rules and instructions to remember. Unlike other games, there are no side bets and hand values that you have to write down or memorize before you can win.
Therefore, regardless of your level of experience, you can rest assured that you will have a good time playing this game. The rules are simple and straightforward, and with Baccarat, most occurrences of the game are already predetermined.
To play Baccarat in a pleasant way, all you need is basic arithmetic skills and knowing how to count to ten. You will also need to know the top three bets. With that in mind, you are good to go!
Some Facts About Online Baccarat
Before you start playing, there are some things you should know about this game. These include:
- Baccarat is simple and doesn’t involve making complicated decisions
- The goal of Baccarat is to get as close as possible to nine
- You can choose to bet on a player or a banker to win
- Rich people also play it
How is Baccarat Played?
This game is quite simple. The game ends in three ways: the player wins, the banker wins, or neither wins. Therefore, when you play, you can bet on any of the three outcomes. This means that you can even bet on yourself losing! Exciting, isn’t it? Baccarat is all about luck, but having a strategy can tip the scales in your favour.
So how is the game played? Let’s see.
Baccarat begins when the dealer deals two cards face up to each player and the banker. Each card has a number counted. Therefore, numbered cards are equivalent to the value of the number. 10s and face cards are worth 0 points.
The card with the lowest score is the Ace (one point), while the highest number is 9. Therefore, if your card has a total value greater than 9, it will be subtracted from 10. So if you are dealt cards with values of 5 and 7, which is equal to 12, you must subtract 10. So your final value will be 2.
With this arithmetic in mind, you can craft your strategy. If your cards are worth less than 5, you should keep drawing cards until it is as close to 9 as possible. If your cards have values of 6 or 7, you “hold”, and that will leave the side with the higher number as the winner.
You might be lucky when your initial hand is a nine or even an 8. This would qualify you for a back-to-back win.
Types of Online Baccarat
There is one main difference from the traditional game of Baccarat. This is known as Mini Baccarat. This type of game can be played online and in live casinos.
The main difference between this type of baccarat and the traditional baccarat game is that it has lower minimum bets. A similarity is that it has similar house edges.
Mini Baccarat is best for people who have smaller bankrolls. There are other differences besides the smaller bankroll and lower minimum bets. These include:
- Mini Baccarat has one dealer instead of three found in the traditional casino
- The table is half the size of the normal Baccarat table. It can only accommodate seven players
- All cards are dealt face-up
Best Strategies for Baccarat
Although baccarat is largely a game of chance, the right strategy can help you win more money than losses, which certainly helps you enjoy the game better. Some things you should keep in mind when deciding on your strategy include:
- Know the odds
- Know what is the house edge on different bets
- Insider tips
These can help you play the game and maximize your winnings. Some popular methods are the Baccarat card counting method and the detailed betting system.
Best Baccarat Online Casinos
- JackpotCity Casino
- Spin Casino
- Ruby Fortune
- BetWay