Getting Started with Live Baccarat: A Step-by-Step Guide

Baccarat is a staple in most every online casino's live dealer sections - and for good reason too. It's a simple but fun card game with a low house edge - and best yet, it's easy to learn! Today, we're going to breakdown how to play live Baccarat so you'll feel confident adding it into your next session - and hopefully coming away with some wins! So what are we waiting for, let's get into it!

What is Baccarat

Baccarat has been around for over a hundred years. It was first invented in France in the 1920s and has only grown in popularity due to its simplistic gameplay. Basically, players are playing against a dealer. Players place one of three main bets - either on the player, the banker or that both those hands will end up in a tie. That's it! There are other side bets and versions of Baccarat that we'll touch on later, but that's the game in general. So how is it played? Let's take a look…

How to play Live Baccarat

As we mentioned above, this is a two person game - they player and the dealer. The objective of Baccarat is to correctly predict which of the two hands - Player or Banker - will win by having a hand value closest to nine. The hand values are as follows:

Aces are worth 1 point.

Cards 2 through 9 and worth their face value.

10's and face cards are worth 0 points.

Hands are calculated by adding the two cards together. If the value of the two cards equals double digits, the hand is given the value of the second digit. For example, say you are dealt a five and a nine. That equals 14. So your hand would be given a value of 4.

Most live Baccarat use 6, 8 or 52 decks, but the most popular is 8 decks.

Dealing Baccarat

So now that we've got the set up of Baccarat down, let's look at how the game is dealt.

First off, both positions - the Player and Dealer (or Banker) - will be dealt two cards. The value of those two will then be added together. If either hand - Player or Banker - has a total of 8 or a natural 9 then that hand automatically wins and the round is over.

If not, then a third card will be dealt - sometimes. If the Player's total stands at five or less, then the Player will be dealt a third car. Anything over a 5 then the Player stands. If the Player position stands, then the Banker will hit on a total of 5 or less.

Once both positions stand then the hands are tallied and the winners are announced.

Baccarat payouts

We know there are three main bets players can place in Baccarat - on the Player, on the Banker and a Tie. The payouts for each are as follows-

A bet on the Player pays even money at 1:1

A bet on the Banker pays 0.95:1 - this accounts for the built in house edge.

A bet on there being a tie pays out 8:1 - however, the house edge shoots up to nearly 15% on this bet, making it the riskiest of the three.

Baccarat side bets

Like any good table game, Baccarat offers players the chance at hitting wins on side bets. Each live casino offers different varieties of side bets, but the three most popular are as follows:

Pairs - a side bet that either the Player's or Banker's cards will form a pair. A perfect pair - same suit, same number - pays 25:1. A Player's or Banker's pair - same number - pays 11:1. Any pair - that covers both hands - pays 5:1

Small/Big - A side bet in which players are betting on the total sum of the cards dealt. A small bet - if the total of the cards dealt is 4 - pays 1.5:1. A big bet - if the total of the cards dealt is 6,7 - pays 0.54:1.

Sum Bonus - this side bet takes the sum of both cards. A bet under 5 pays 2:1. A bet over 14 pays 1:1. A bet that both cards will equal 18 pays 6:1

Versions of Baccarat

Like the side bets, each live casino will offer its own variety of baccarat gameplay, so players should search around for the version that best suit their playing preferences. Some of the most common versions are:

Single Player Baccarat - this is just you and the dealer, no one else.

Multi-Seat Baccarat- same as single player but this version allows for multiple players to sit at the table.

Conclusion

And there we have it - the basics to playing live Baccarat. The bets and side bets and how the game is dealt might seem like a lot to take in, but once you see it in action it'll become clearer and you'll get into the swing of it in no time. Baccarat is a fun, simple and exciting game with multiple bets and a relatively low house edge, making it one of the more popular live casino games around. So the next time you're sitting down to for a real money session, give Baccarat a chance - you could walk away a winner!