How to Play Live Dealer Baccarat?

Baccarat is a casino game that needs no introduction. While not as high on the list of favourites like poker and blackjack, it has a loyal following. It combines two very important things for players: high RTP and fun and simple gameplay! As a result, punters can frequently find baccarat tables in just about every live casino out there! It is easy to learn, which makes it easy to recommend even to new players.

That said, there is a large chunk of punters who have never played live dealer baccarat. Whether due to a lack of interest or a preference for other titles, the game can easily fall by the wayside. Have you ever wanted to give baccarat a go, but did not know how? This article is for you! We discuss how to play this game, available side bets and strategies and what the best bets are.

Baccarat 101

Your goal in baccarat is to predict whether the result will be a player or banker hand win. There is also an option for the two hands to be equal value, which produces a tie. The two cards the dealer draws determines the strength of each hand.

Hands can have a value of zero to nine. Numbers two to nine offer their face value. The Ace is worth one point, and 10, Jack, Queen and King have a value of zero. Both hands are competing to get as close to nine as possible, without going over. If the total hand value is more than ten, the first digit is removed. That way, a fourteen becomes a four.

Under special circumstances, both player and banker hands can have one more card drawn for them. After that happens, the game will compare the values of both hands. The side closer to the value of nine will win the round. If you wagered on that main bet, you will score a winning combination.

Side Bets in Baccarat

There are several popular baccarat side bets that very frequently appear among live casino games. The basic idea behind these wagers is usually simple. You put down extra money that a specific, not-so-likely outcome will occur. As a general rule of thumb, all side bets are higher risk compared to main bets. That is why they offer better payouts to make them worth playing.

Pairs is present on just about every baccarat table we played. It comes in several variants. Any Pairs is a wager that grants a cash prize if the first two cards in any hand form a pair. Player or Banker Pairs pay slightly more but only grant a prize if the pair occurred in the associated hand. Finally, Perfect Pairs pays if the pairs match in both value, colour and suit.

Dragon Bonus grants a cash prize when one hand defeats the other with a large point difference. The minimum you need to score this special feature is a difference of four points. The maximum difference is nine points, which happens very rarely. It is one of the best side bets available in live baccarat, and we recommend trying it out.

Super 6 is a side bet exclusively available on No Commission Baccarat tables. In order to spare you a 5% commission on banker bet wins, developers lower the payout when you win the number six. By placing the Super 6 side bet, you get a big cash prize instead of a decreased reward.

Baccarat Strategy

The simplicity of baccarat means there are not many optimisations that you can do. Even so, a basic baccarat strategy does exist. Banker bets have the best RTP, and so you should focus on playing it. Along the same lines, punters should avoid tie bets as much as possible! You can also employ baccarat betting systems, but these are not guaranteed to increase your payouts long-term.

Cool Baccarat Variants

Players who have tried a lot of Online Casino, Online Gambling & Variations know that every casino game has many versions. Baccarat is no exception! For an even simpler version, punters can try Dragon Tiger. No Commission baccarat removes the 5% tax you get on your banker bet wins. If standard baccarat tables are too slow for you, Speed baccarat is a great variant! All three options are great, and we recommend them wholeheartedly.