Live Dealer Baccarat Online
Whether you’ve seen James Bond play it or heard that it’s been the preferred game of the aristocracy, you’ve probably wondered about the privileged status of baccarat. You might have also thought its rules too complicated or the outcome unpredictable. If you’d like to learn more about baccarat and its most rewarding variant available at online casinos – Live Baccarat – you’re at the right place. We’ll explain how to play it, step by step, and we’ll give you a list of the side bets. We’ll discuss payouts and strategy, while also highlighting the best places to play this classic card game in real money mode. For quick navigation around this article, use the buttons below.
The Top Live Baccarat Sites
William Hill – High Betting Limits
Live Baccarat by Evolution at William Hill
When you want to play Live Baccarat online, you can hardly find a better place than William Hill Casino. One of the most respectable UK operators has a wide range of tables, game variations, and present all that in their unmistakable style. Here are the highlights:
- The Greatest Choice of Live Baccarat Tables
- The Highest Betting Limits (Up to £25,000)
- The Mayfair Experience
Actually, William Hill has live dealer games powered by the two leading software providers – Evolution and Playtech. This premium combination is typical only for the best live casino online sites. As a result, they offer an impressive number of tables, including many dedicated ones which feature their signature real dealers dressed in elegant gold and black corsets. Most importantly, William Hill are the place for high rollers as they have the highest betting limits. Play Here! >
888 – A Wide Choice of Side Bets
Live Baccarat by Evolution at 888
When we mention live games, 888 Casino will always come up because of their special live bonuses. So, what do they have in store when Live Baccarat is what we are searching for? Here are the essential points:
- Six Side Bets at each Game
- Betting Limits Ranging from £1 to £10,000
- The Best Live Casino Platform
Like William Hill, 888 are also powered by Evolution and they use the award-winning platform to offer their customers six side bets at every Live Baccarat game variation. Also, they have a quite impressive range of betting limits, starting as low as £1 and going up to £10,000, which makes them suitable for both low risk players and high rollers. Play Here! >
Learn the Rules of the Game
Though these may seem too complicated to new players, the rules of baccarat are quite simple and straightforward. They do differ a bit depending on varieties, the three of which being Baccarat Chemin de Fer, Baccarat Banque, and Punto Banco. While the first two require some skills on the part of the player who has a say about certain actions, the third one is purely a game of chance. All a player can do is bet on one of three possible outcomes – the player wins, the banker wins or it’s a tie. It is namely Punto Banco, also called North American baccarat, that is widely spread in online casinos. Moreover, at those sites, you can indulge in interesting game variations, such as Mini Baccarat, Speed Baccarat or the suspense-filled Baccarat Squeeze.
Game Basics
Baccarat is a card game in which the hands of the player and the banker are compared to find out which one comes closer to 9. The value of the cards is as follows: cards marked 2-9 have the value written on them, aces are worth 1, while 10s and face cards are worth 0.
Unlike blackjack, for example, there is no combination of cards that can make for a value higher than 9. For example, a 6 and an ace equal 7, whereas an 8 and a 4 equal 2. That is so because the value of the cards is determined by the rightmost digit. In this case 8 + 4 = 12, with the rightmost digit being 2, the hand value is 2. The best hand in the game is a 9 (for example a face card and a 9), the second best hand is an 8 – both of those are called ‘natural’.
Despite being very entertaining, Live Baccarat has a good theoretical RTP. For instance, the game by Evolution has an RTP of 98.94%. The player bet payout if 1 to 1, while the banker bet payout – 1 to 0.95 (5% commission). Finally, the tie bet pays 8 to 1.
How to Play Live Baccarat
- Step 1 Enter the live casino lobby and pick a table – you’ll have a choice of betting limits, side bets, real dealers or even room ambience.
- Step 2 Take a seat at the table and place your wager on an area marked as ‘banker’, ‘player’ or ‘tie’. Make sure you place a stake on side bets at this point, if it’s your intention to do so.
- Step 3 The Player and the Banker are each dealt two cards. If any of them has a total of 8 or 9, the coup is over and the winner is announced. If both have the same value, a tie is announced.
- Step 4 If neither hand equals 8 or 9, there are specific drawing rules that are applied to determine if the Player should receive a third card. Depending on the third card of the Player, the Banker may have to hit or stand according to strict rules. Each hand’s value is determined and a winner or tie is announced.
Make Use of the Side Bets
Placing your money on the tie bet is not recommended – that’s because it has a very high house edge. So, your basic decision when playing baccarat is whether to bet on the banker or the player. However, if you’re playing at an online casino site, you’ll be able to enjoy the company of beautiful live dealers while wagering and feel the thrill of slow card turning – for example, at Baccarat Squeeze. But that’s not all. You’ll also have the chance to wager on side bets that could not only amplify your player experience but also increase your bankroll immensely with amazing payouts going up to 200 to 1. Here’s a list of some of the most popular side bets you can find online:
- Player Pair – When the Player’s first two cards are a pair. The payout is 11 to 1.
- Banker Pair – When the Banker’s first two cards form a pair. The payout is the same as the one for Player Pair.
- Either Pair – When either the Player or the Banker is dealt two cards that form a pair. The payout is 5 to 1.
- Perfect Pair – If either the Player or the Banker has two identical card – that means that the first two cards are of the same value, suit, and colour. There are different payouts depending on who got a Perfect Pair. Should both the Player and the Banker get a Perfect Pair, you’ll get a payout of 200 to 1.
- Player Bonus – When the Player wins with a Natural 8 or 9 or by 4 points. There are various payouts with the highest being 30 to 1.
- Banker Bonus – When the Banker wins with a Natural 8 or 9 or by 4 points. The payouts are the same as with Player Bonus
- Big – When the Player and Banker cards are worth 5 or 6.
- Small – When the Player and Banker cards total 4.
Baccarat Strategies – Your Roadmap to Success
As we have already mentioned, the baccarat game available at online casinos is the Punto Banco type, which means that there is zero opportunity for using expert skills. Instead, the player should depend on their good luck only. That practically makes the whole idea of a baccarat strategy ridiculous. However, this classic casino game is extremely popular with Asians and high rollers – it contributes the largest chunk of online casinos’ revenue, so we shouldn’t just give up on it yet. Let’s have a look at some tips a high roller might have for you when starting playing Live Baccarat:
- Consider your bankroll and bet accordingly. You don’t want to bet on a couple of hands, potentially lose, and then not have enough cash to go on.
- Take advantage of a winning streak and walk away when losing. If your intuition is leading you down the way towards winning, by all means, follow it, but if you keep on losing, consider it might not be your day and come back some other time.
- Don’t stake on the ‘tie bet’ – it’s the worst bet with the highest house edge.
- Side bets can quickly increase your bankroll. All you need is to use them wisely and have some good luck.