Online Baccarat Guide: How to Play, Tips, Best Strategies and More
With simple gameplay and minimal skill, online baccarat is a game of chance that has thrilled the crowds for decades.
Rising to fame after being featured as James Bond’s table game of choice in the novels of Ian Flemming, today baccarat is one of the most sought-after games at land-based and online casinos alike. Traditionally speaking, there are 14 seats at a baccarat table numbered one to 15, with seat number 13 intentionally omitted for superstitious reasons.
Online baccarat is generally played with six or eight decks of card, and the name is said to come from the old Italian word ‘baccara’ which translates to ‘zero’, referring to the zero card value face cards and tens have in this exciting game.
If you’re looking to learn how to play baccarat online ZA, you’ve come to the right place. Join us in exploring everything this game has to offer, while discovering whether it’s the right game for you next time you hit your favourite online casino – let’s get right to it.
A Brief History of Baccarat
The origins of online baccarat are somewhat unclear, with some saying that the French actually developed Baccarat sometime around the 19th century. The first mention of this was published in a book by Charles Van Tenac and is referred to as Baccarat Banque or Baccarat à Deux Tableaux. One popular online baccarat variation is known as Baccarat Chemin de Fer, which translates to ‘railway baccarat’. An even more simplified form of the game is known as Punto Banco, which is said to have originated in a casino in Havana, Cuba.
There are also several versions with regards to the meaning of the name and its origins. The most popular belief is that the word stems from the Italian word ‘baccara’ as mentioned earlier on in this online baccarat guide, however there is no clear proof of this either. Seeing that most references point to France, it might very well be that the game actually originated there, with game historian Thierry Depaulis claiming the name actually originates from an expression used in the Provence region, fa bacarrat, which translates to ‘go bankrupt’!
Types of Online Baccarat
When it comes to playing online baccarat, there are a number of variations you’re able to play. In today’s online baccarat guide we’re about to highlight some of the most popular variants among casino players, which include:
- Punto Banco
- Baccarat Banque / Baccarat à Deux Tableaux
- Chemin de Fer
Punto Banco
This is probably one of the most popular versions, currently played in most of the world especially in Asian casinos amongst high rollers. Although several players are known to bet on the outcome, this online baccarat variation is essentially a game between the ‘player’ and the ‘banker’. The only choice that’s left to the player is what side they’d rather bet on, with the outcome of the game left to pure chance.
In this case, a number of 52-card decks are shuffled together, and for the purpose of the game every card rank is assigned a different numerical value as mentioned earlier on, with number cards and Aces worth their same value in terms of points, and tens and face cards worth zero points.
Baccarat Banque / Baccarat à Deux Tableaux
As far as we know, this is the original form of 19th century baccarat, with the earliest descriptions mentioning this exact same version. In this case, Baccarat Banque is played using three decks of 52 cards and is somewhat similar to Chemin de Fer which we’ll discuss in the section below in this online baccarat guide. In this case, however, the banker is allowed to play further while the player position will remain fixed.
Just like the name suggests, in this case you’ve got two sides to the table, with the player assigned to the left- and right-hand side of the banker. In this case, one hand is assigned to the players on the right, another to the players on the left, and a third to the banker who sits in the middle. In this case, both sides of the table will play against the banker and not compete against each other.
Chemin de Fer
Another popular online baccarat variation is the Chemin de Fer which was originally created to include the dealer’s choice with players taking turn to act as the banker during their gameplay. This version was featured in early James Bond films, namely Casino Royale and in contrast to the Punto Banco variation, both the player as well as the banker are not always able to draw a third card.
The main difference with this variant is that Chemin de Fer generally requires at least six players at the table, and the dealer is equipped with a long wooden paddle which allows him/her to move the casino chips and cards to the far end of the table.
General Rules of Online Baccarat
If you’re looking to learn how to play baccarat, the first thing you’re going to want to keep in mind is what we’ve already mentioned above; tens and face cards are worth zero points, while the Ace all the way through the Nine will retain their numeric value.
The aim of the game is to guess which hand will be closer to nine in value and placing your bet on it before the cards are dealt. There are also another couple of online baccarat tips you’re going to want to keep in mind before hitting the table. These include:
Online Baccarat Strategy Essentials
If you’re looking to refine your skills in terms of online baccarat strategy, we’ve got you covered. The first thing you’re going to want to keep in mind is that online baccarat is game of chance, which means that technically you’re slightly limited in the ways you’re able to increase your chances of winning apart from the obvious, which includes ignoring the tie bet option which, statistically speaking, is the rarest form of outcome.
When first learning how to play online baccarat, most would recommend always betting on the banker, which offers a more attractive betting option than betting on the player. Because the nature of online baccarat is entirely random, standard casino betting systems such as the Martingale or the Fibonacci system do not always perform favourably, and are not always recommended when it comes to this sort of game.
In essence:
- It’s generally preferred to bet on banker
- Never bet on a tie unless you’re feeling particularly lucky
- Look for games played with fewer decks
- Make sure you’ve completely understood the rules
How Live Dealer Baccarat Works
The classic game of baccarat has entertained the crowds for centuries, so with the advent of online casino, evolving into live online baccarat felt like the next natural step. If you’ve never played live online baccarat before, it’s pretty much the closest thing to a brick and mortar casino experience you’re able to enjoy from the comfort of your home.
In this case, you can expect to enter a number of online baccarat tables that are hosted by a real-life dealer with real decks of cards. Thanks to the latest high definition streaming technology, along with multiple high-tech cameras, you’re able to take a virtual seat at the table and watch the action unfold in real time as it’s being broadcast from a series of casino studios from around the world..