How to Play Baccarat Online

Online baccarat, with simple gameplay and minimal skills, is a game of chance that has enthralled crowds for decades. Having gained fame after being mentioned as James Bond’s favorite table game in the novels of Jan Flemming, today, baccarat is one of the most popular games in both land-based and Baccarat live casinos. Traditionally, there are 14 seats at the baccarat table, numbered from 1 to 15, with seat 13 deliberately omitted for superstitious reasons.

Online baccarat is usually played with six or eight packs of cards. The name comes from the old Italian word ‘baccarat,’ which translates to ‘zero,’ referring to the zero face value of face cards and tens in this exciting game.

Types of online baccarat

When it comes to playing online baccarat, there are several options that you can play. In today’s guide to online baccarat, we’re going to highlight some of the most popular choices among casino players, including:

Punto Banco

This is probably one of the most popular versions currently being played in most of the world, especially in Asian casinos amongst high rollers. Although multiple players have been known to bet on the outcome, this version of online baccarat is essentially a game between a ‘player’ and a ‘banker.’ The only choice left to the player is which side they prefer to bet on, and the game outcome is left to chance. 

Baccarat Banque / Baccarat à Deux Tableaux

As far as we know, this is the original 19th-century form of baccarat, and the earliest descriptions mention the same version. Baccarat Banque is played with three decks of 52 cards each and is somewhat similar to Chemin de Fer, which we will discuss in the section below in this online baccarat tutorial. However, in this case, the banker is allowed to play, and the player’s position remains fixed.

Chemin de fer

Another popular version of online baccarat is Chemin de Fer, which was initially designed to incorporate dealer selection, with players taking turns acting as bankers during the game. This version was featured in the early James Bond films, namely Casino Royale, and unlike the Punto Banco variant, both player and banker cannot always draw a third card.

General rules of online baccarat

Each game round begins with the dealer dealing four face-up cards – two to the banker and two to the player. The aim of the game here is to bet on the hand that totals closest to nine points. Whenever the total of cards exceeds this value (e.g., 7 + 7 = 14), the first number is discarded, leaving you with a total hand value of four, for example.

The game’s goal is to guess which hand is closer to a nine in value and bet on it before the cards are dealt. There are also a couple of other online baccarat tips you should keep in mind before you sit down at the table. These include:

Both hands remain in effect whenever a banker or player receives an eight or a nine.

He may stop or request a third card whenever a player’s hand is five points or less.

The banker must score five points or less if the player decides to stop.

Generally, the banker and player’s hands are paid 1:1, whereas if you decide to bet on a draw and win, you can expect an 8:1 payout in return.

Several online resources can help you keep track of your gambling.

Fundamentals of Online Baccarat Strategy

The first thing you should keep in mind is that online baccarat is a game of chance, which means that technically you are somewhat limited in how you can increase your chances of winning, apart from the obvious, which includes ignoring the draw bet, which statistically is the rarest form of outcome.

Bottom line:

– It is usually preferable to bet on the banker.

– Never bet on a draw unless you feel fortunate

– Look for games that are played with fewer decks

– Make sure you fully understand the rules