Baccarat is a fun card game that can be played at land-based casinos as well as at online casinos. It’s a game of chance that doesn’t involve much strategic thinking and can be played even without knowing the rules. It would be a bit of an exaggeration to say that the rules are too simple, as this very fact only serves to make the game even more appealing.

Baccarat is associated with the elites and high-rollers and beautiful casinos. But now you can play it online from the comfort of your home! So, do you remember the James Bond books and movies where he always played Baccarat? Well, this really helped to popularize the game. Try and learn the basics of this game, so you can get a real James Bond experience!

Online Baccarat Rules

In online Baccarat, the banker and the player are usually dealt two cards face-up, and in some cases, they may also receive three cards. The player needs to create a hand that is as close as possible to 9. The third card is dealt to the player if the total of his cards is 5 or less. The rules for the banker are more complex. He draws a third card in the following cases:

After all the cards are dealt, the banker and the player compare their results, and the winner is revealed. The one who has more points is the winner. Or if their points are equal, it’s a tie. The tie is a less probable outcome, so its payouts are the highest.

Card Combinations and Their Value

Aces count as 1, and the rest of the cards are counted as they are numbered. Face cards and 10s count as zero. If your hand’s count is over 10, the left-hand digit is dropped: 19 becomes 9, 17 becomes 7, and so on. The hands totaling 8 or 9 are called “natural,” and 9 beats 8.

Betting and Payouts

Only 3 variants of bets are available when you play online Baccarat for real money: bet on the banker, bet on the player and bet on the tie. Each of them has different odds, house edge, and payouts.It’s wise to bet on the banker. This is the most favorable way of betting; it has the lowest house edge and some good payouts.

See the table below to learn about Baccarat bets.

Bet	Odds	Payouts	House Edge
On the Banker	0.458597	1:0.95	1.06%
On the Player	0.446247	1:1	1.24%
On the Tie	0.095156	8:1	14.4%
On the Tie	0.095156	9:1	4.85%

Versions of Baccarat

Baccarat has many variations; the rules described above refer to American Baccarat. Several versions are available online, being the widest spread Mini Baccarat, Baccarat Squeeze, Punto Banco, Live Baccarat, and Chemin de Fer.

The variables are the following:

The number of participants
Dealing rules
Number of decks (1-8)
Card drawing rules (when the dealer can draw the third card)
Payouts
Role of the dealer may or may not be taken by the players
The layout of the table
Presence of the live dealer

Baccarat Tips

Bet mostly on the banker, as it gives you a better advantage.
Don’t use progressive betting systems and manage your bankroll effectively.
Play for free to practice.
Look for games with less than 5% commission on winnings on the banker bet.
Never bet on a tie, although the casinos offer 8 to 1 or 9 to 1 payouts. This bet has the highest house edge of around 14%.
Card counting is not possible while you play online Baccarat, as the cards are drawn from the infinite virtual deck.