Best Baccarat Games – Popular Titles & Casinos

Baccarat games are among the popular card games that gamblers love to play. Dubbed one of the most preferred gambling variants among high rollers, baccarat can be very favourable for low-stakes players too. Read our blog and discover more about the intriguing game’s long history, rules, types, and more.

Baccarat games are becoming more and more popular nowadays among players. Both land-based and online casinos are competing for gamblers’ attention by boasting their offers of the best baccarat experience. If you are new to this game or would like to improve your skills in playing it, then read along as we have covered some of the of baccarat.

Brief History of Baccarat

Baccarat has been known for about 600 years and is believed to have started in Italy. The game quickly rose to fame in other neighbouring countries. It was, namely in France, where baccarat received its popularity among aristocrats. Because of King Charles VIII, the game was available only to noble or very rich people in the country.

Soon after, the game started gaining popularity in other countries thanks to French travellers. In England, baccarat became quite popular among everyone despite their social status. Another interesting fact is that it was Ian Fleming, the author of James Bond, who popularised the game as being the favourite one of his fictional character.

The baccarat games that we play nowadays are very much influenced by the South American variant of the game. Cubans called it Punto Banco and made significant changes to the rules that were adopted in the modern variant of baccarat played today.

How to Play Baccarat Games Online?

Although baccarat is a simple game, it can be very intriguing. The main purpose of the game is to bet on a hand that will be close to or equal to 9. There are three different bets that players can choose to bid on. What makes the game so simple is the only choice that gamblers will have to make, which is what bet to choose.

Before we continue further with the game’s rules, we have made a table that outlines the values of the cards in the game. Another important aspect of baccarat is that if a hand equals 10 or more, you must subtract 10 from the total. For instance, a hand of 7 and 9 equals 6 because 16-10=6.

After the players make their bets, the game starts with two hands being dealt from a deck of cards. One is meant for the player, and the other is for the banker. If neither of the hands reaches a total of 8 or 9, a third card can be drawn.

The third card rule is probably the most complicated part of the game. Based on the total value of the player’s hand, a third card might be required. In the table below, you can see when a third card is drawn.

As you can see, the player’s next move can be determined quite easily. Now, things get more interesting when it comes to the banker deciding on the next step. If the player has not processed withdrawing a third card, then the same third card rules apply to the banker.

If, however, the player has decided on taking a third card, then a completely new set of rules kicks in. As we love tables so much, we have used another one to describe the occasions that determine whether the banker will draw a third card.

We realise that these rules might seem a bit hard to comprehend at first. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you get some practice to make more sense of the game. Make sure to check out some of the best casino sites where you can play online baccarat games.

Baccarat Bet Types

To increase your chances of winning when playing baccarat casino games, you need to know about the bet types of the game. Unlike other card games, baccarat doesn’t come with such a great choice of bets. Players can choose from three main bets that are the player, the banker, and a tie.

The baccarat table comes with specifically designed areas for the bets. Regardless of which variant of the game you play, the bets are the same everywhere. The table layout clearly indicates where you need to place your chips, so you shouldn’t have any issues when it comes to choosing your preferred betting option.

The main goal in baccarat is to bet on the winning side. In that line of thought, you can bet that either the player or the banker will win. If you think both hands will score the same, then you can place your chips in the tie box. In some table layouts, the latter is marked as égalité, French for equality.

There are different baccarat strategies. When choosing your own, keep one of the games with the lowest house edge. The most popular bet is the banker, which gives odds of 45.84%, and players are more likely to succeed. The second most favourable option is the player, which gives odds of 44.64%. The tie bet wins only 9.52% of the time, which makes it a rather poor strategy to rely on.

Most Popular Types of Baccarat

There are different games that you can choose from both in land-based casinos and online. Choosing the most exciting variation can be hard. To make your life easier, we have outlined some of the best online baccarat games that you can try out for the best experience.

The objective in most of the games is the same- you need to bet on the winning hand. Yet, it is the distinctive rules and additional side bets that discern them. Here is our list of top four picks among the most popular types of baccarat:

Punto Banco

Most of the baccarat casino games are punto banco. This variation is very similar to traditional blackjack rules in that it shares the same rules and objectives. Punto Banco is played with 52 cards shuffled from six or eight decks together. The maximum number of players that can participate in one game at a time is 12.

Gamblers can choose from the three standard bets and must attempt to get a hand that is close to or equals nine. The card values are the same as in traditional baccarat. Another important aspect of punto banco is that the casino functions as the bank and plays according to fixed rules referred to as ‘tableau’.

Chemin de Fer

Chemin de Fer, translated as ‘railway’ in French, is another popular baccarat variant. The game is quite famous around Europe, especially in France. One of the main characteristics of this game is that it is significantly quicker than the original game, hence where its name comes from.

The main difference here is that the player becomes the banker and manages all dealings. Players then take turns in being the banker in a counterclockwise manner. What is more, players compete against each other, unlike in the traditional baccarat game.

Baccarat en Banque

Baccarat en Banque is a popular alternative to the original Chemin de Fer variant. The game is also known under the name ‘Baccarat à Deux Tableaux’, which is translated from French and means baccarat on two tables. Although the rules are very similar to those of Chemin de Fer, in this variation, the cards are dealt from only three decks shuffled together.

The player is again allowed to play as the bank and is announced at the beginning of each round. Another major difference is that players do not compete against each other. Instead, they take turns in an attempt to obtain a hand that will beat the banker.

Three Card Baccarat

The three-card baccarat is a very popular variant in casinos across Macau and other Asian casinos. The game is a simplified version of Punto banco and uses a single deck of 52 cards. What is more, both the player and the banker are dealt three cards.

The cards’ value is the same as the one with traditional baccarat. Another difference that can be spotted here is that the player may choose out of four optional side bets. The objective of the game is to obtain a hand with three face cards.

Top Baccarat Games

At the beginning of our blog, we offered you our top picks for baccarat games. Below we will look at each one of them in detail. Make an informed decision by reading more about the rules, side bets, and other special features of the top baccarat games.

Baccarat – 98.94% RTP

The first game suggested by us is Switch Studio’s Baccarat. The game was developed in collaboration with Microgaming, which explains the pleasant graphics with vivid colours and smooth gameplay. The game follows the rules of the Punto Banco variation.

Some of the special features included in this take on Punto Banco are a scorecard that keeps track of previous bets and wins. Players can take full control of how cards are dealt thanks to the peeling, flipping, and rotating their cards thanks to the Squeeze option. What is more, gamblers can benefit from a left-hand mode as well as a turbo mode that speeds up the game.

First Person Baccarat– 98.76% RTP

First Person Baccarat is one of the most authentic RNG baccarat games out there. Designed and created by Evolution, this game will take your gambling experience to a whole new level. The easy-to-use interface allows you to be in control throughout the entire game. What is more, First Person Baccarat comes with other exciting features that we have further investigated for you.

As suggested by the name, you will be offered a unique VIP experience that enables you to engage in various actions throughout the game. For instance, you can shuffle the shoe or deal free hands. If you decide to try it out, you will be given a choice of 12 different tables. Six of them are standard tables, whereas the other six are ‘No Commission’ ones.

Wall Street Baccarat – 98.90% RTP

Fans of Gordon Gekko would surely want to try out the Wall Street Baccarat game. Created by Candle Bets, this baccarat variant comes with a simple design of a classic baccarat table and a menu which you can choose your actions from.

The game is great for new beginners willing to try out baccarat and learn more about it. Some of the exclusive features of the game include technical analysis, early exit cashout, skill-based experience, and more. Thus, players can better predict winning hands, take an early profit, or visualize trends more clearly.

3D Baccarat – 98.94% RTP

Behold Iron Dog’s 3D Baccarat, a state-of-the art game that will take you on a glamourous gambling journey. Its stylish and seamless design allows you to play the game both on desktop and mobile devices. Moreover, the game follows the traditional baccarat rules that allow even beginners to play easily as they are quite simple to follow.

Although the game does not feature a great variety of additional features, you can still indulge in the authentic experience of playing baccarat. One useful application is the ‘History’ button that enables you to view previously dropped cards. In addition, players can also speed up the game with the autoplay option.

Dragon Bonus Baccarat – 98.94% RTP

Scientific Games’s Dragon Bonus Baccarat is a game that gives an interesting twist to the traditional baccarat card game. The game comes with an appealing Asian theme and motifs and will push you to dive into the fascinating gameplay. What is great about this game is that it can also be played on mobile devices.

The game is played with 8 decks of cards and follows the same objective as in traditional baccarat. In addition to the traditional bets, players can also choose to place a wager on the Dragon Bonus Banker Bet. If the bet is placed on the winning hand, the maximum payout that a player can get is 30:1.

Premium Baccarat– 98.94% RTP

Premium Baccarat is one of Playtech’s thrilling table games. Although their portfolio features mostly slot games, this take on the popular card game has resulted in something that gamblers are excited to try out. What is great about this variation is that it sticks to the traditional rules of the game, yet offers some additional possibilities.

Several exciting side bets give you the opportunity to win one of four jackpots. Another option worth trying out when playing Premium Baccarat is the Squeeze Side Bet. By choosing it, you can guess the value of the squeezed card and win an extra payout. Of course, you can play with the traditional bets, as they are the leading ones.

Mini Baccarat– 98,76% RTP

Mini Baccarat is one of the popular versions of the classic baccarat game. In this case, however, we are going to look at Play’n GO’s take on Mini Baccarat. The high-quality graphics render an authentic gambling experience just as if you were to play in a real land-based casino. The game follows the same rules as those of typical baccarat.

Unlike other some of the other variants that we have covered above, this one does not come with a significant number of special features. In addition to the main three bets that players can choose from, there is also a Bead Road board located in the bottom left corner of the screen. It shows previous bets as well as the results of previous rounds. Another special feature is the Fast Play button that can speed up the game.

Best Baccarat Strategies

Baccarat games are among the most popular ones in casinos. You might have seen them in some of the Bond movies like Casino Royale as it also happens to be the secret agent’s favourite game. Although it is easy to learn how to play, it might be useful if you try different strategies the next time you play online casino baccarat games.

Some popular betting systems that work include the Martingale system, which revolves around progressively adjusting your bets every time you lose a round. The Martingale system works well also for other casino games, such as roulette, for instance.

Fibonacci is another popular strategy for table games that can be easily employed in baccarat online games. If you choose to use it, you must focus on banker bets and follow the Fibonacci Sequence that applies to your betting values.

The Paroli system also referred to as the Reverse Martingale system, is another effective baccarat strategy that you can use in your game. Whenever you win, you double your bet, simple as that. The main goal when using Paroli is to win three times in a row in order to benefit from winning streaks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Our blog post has come to an end, and so we have prepared our usual FAQ section to summarise everything we have described above. We hope you can find the answers to all your questions here and if you missed out on anything, follow the jump link that will take you to the desired section. If you are curious to find out more casino and gambling games, do not hesitate to take a look at our blog post on the topic.

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