Play Baccarat for Real Money

How to Play Real Money Online Baccarat

There's a reason why so many people love playing Baccarat for real money online. Baccarat has the reputation of being a high roller favourite. The idea came from baccarat’s origins with French royalty and was further propagated when it became the game of choice for James Bond in several Ian Fleming novels. Behind the velvet rope and high table maximums is a simple game of chance. Two opposing sides attempt to outscore each other, and you simply choose which side to bet on.

The simplicity makes it possible for beginners to jump in the action and place bets based on intuition. While that’s a perfectly fine approach, learning about the game will help you make informed decisions on the felt. Our online baccarat strategy guide explains all the game rules, odds, house edge, payouts and strategies needed to go from beginner to Bond.

Origins of Baccarat

Whether baccarat originated in Italy or France is up for debate, but the Italian word for zero, baccara, is strong evidence that the game has Italian roots. That being said, it didn’t become popular until it reached France and became a favourite pastime of French aristocrats. The French version of baccarat was called Chemin de Fer and was played in small groups of high rollers who took turns acting as the Banker and taking bets from the players.

When baccarat went overseas, Chemin de Fer wasn’t accessible to most people. The slow pace of play and minimal house involvement meant that the game needed to be played with very high table minimums. That’s when the game branched out. Although the types of online baccarat games vary quite a bit, Punto Banco is the version that most casino gamblers are familiar with. It’s also the version you’ll find here at Online Casino.

How to Play Baccarat

Baccarat is contested between two opposing sides (Banker and Player) who both aim for a higher score out of their two or three-card hands. Your role is to place a bet on one of the two sides, or bet on a tie between them. You don’t make any decisions beyond where to place your bet.

A round begins with both sides automatically getting dealt two cards each by the Dealer. A third card may be dealt depending on each side’s score. At the end of the round, the side with the better score wins, and if you bet that side, you win too. When both sides tie, Banker and Player bets push, and Tie bets win.

Baccarat Rules

To start off, if either the Banker or Player get a score of 8 or 9 points right off the bat (a natural), the round concludes and a third card is dealt to neither side. Whoever has the best score wins. If both sides get a score under 8 points, the following rules apply:

• Player stands with score of 6 or 7 and draws a third card with a score of 5 or below.

• When the Player stands with a score of 6 or 7, the Banker also stands with a score of 6 or 7 and draws with a score of 5 and below.

• When the Player gets a third card, the Banker’s move (draw or stand) depends on the card dealt to the Player. To see the scenarios that prompt the Banker to draw a third card, please refer to the chart that is available in the baccarat game menu.

Odds | Counting the Points

The baccarat point system is unique and designed in a way where the highest possible score is 9. Aces are worth 1, Twos to Nines have face value, and Tens, Jacks, Queens and Kings are worth 0. Any time a score reaches double digits, the first digit is removed to ensure the score stays under 10 points. For example, because two Sixes add up to 12 points, the “1” would be removed, making the score 2 points. When you play baccarat online, points are calculated automatically and displayed on the game screen.

The odds of each side winning reflect the positional advantage that the Banker gets. With a six-deck shoe, 45.86% of the time, the Banker wins. 44.62% of the time, the Player wins. 9.50% of the time, both sides tie. When there’s a tie, all Banker and Player bets push. The odds will vary slightly when playing with a larger and smaller shoe.

House Edge | Baccarat Betting and Payouts

Baccarat house edge depends on the bet. Banker bets have a 1.06% house edge, while the Player bets have a 1.24% house edge. That variance is balanced through payouts, with Player bets paying even-money and Banker bets paying even-money minus a 5% commission.

The house edge of tie bets depends on how much they pay and the number of decks in the shoe. Our version of online baccarat uses a six-deck shoe and offers 9:1 payouts for the tie, creating a 4.93% house edge. Versions that pay 8:1 for the tie with the same number of decks in the shoe have much larger 14.44% house edge—something to watch for when you’re looking to play baccarat in brick-and-mortar casinos.

Side Bets in Baccarat Online

Although our versions of baccarat don’t offer them, side bets in online baccarat are fairly common, with the most popular one being a Pair bet for the Banker and Player’s initial two-card hands. These bets often pay 11:1 when either the Banker or Player are dealt two cards of the same rank. Based on the payout, the house edge is 10.36%.

Advanced Winning Strategies

As is the case with most casino games, the fewer decisions you make in a game, the less space there is for strategy, and baccarat is no exception. For a safe bet, stick with Banker, who has slightly better odds of winning than the Player. That’s better than going with an Even/Odd bet in roulette, which would have slightly worse odds and a higher house edge.

In terms of advanced winning strategies, some baccarat players watch for flashed cards to flip the odds to their advantage. This is rare and requires a live dealer, as the dealer needs to flash a card before closing bets in order for the new information to be of value. But if it happens, bettors have a massive 6.76% advantage over the house. Whether that warrants memorizing the optimal move for each flashed card is up to you. Charts can be found online.

Baccarat has undergone many changes to get it from smoky VIP rooms to the general public, and nowhere is that more evident than in online casinos. Now anyone can play baccarat from the comfort of home, with betting options that cater to virtually any bankroll. Find out if baccarat is the game for you by playing at Bodog Casino for as little as $1 a round.