Baccarat Online

Online Baccarat

Glamorized in James Bond movies and often thought of as a game strictly for high rollers, Baccarat (and Baccarat Online in particular) is a surprisingly accessible and fun casino game for all kinds of players.

With a fairly simple rule structure and easy-to-follow strategy you might find yourself jumping in to a Baccarat game online and finding it scratches a casino itch you didn't even know you had.

With all kinds of variations you can find in Baccarat online (EZ, Mini, Live Dealers etc) you'll have no shortage of opportunities to settle on the one that appeals to you most and gives you the best chance to win.

Practice online for free at any number of casinos before hitting the real-money Baccarat tables. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable a game it is!

Baccarat Online Free No Download

As we mentioned above there are plenty of variations of Baccarat available online so you might need to do a bit of sampling before you settle on the Baccarat game that appeals to you most.

Thankfully, with free online Baccarat games plentiful you have plenty of opportunity to do so. Once you sign up and register an account at any online casino you'll easily find the "play money" or free Baccarat Online link underneath the game itself.

The most popular Baccarat games are known as Punto Banco or Chemin de Fer.

As long as you have an updated Internet browser you'll be able to load the demo game and give it a whirl as long as you like to learn how to make your bets, when you're in an advantageous position with the cards or whether to bet on yourself or the dealer.

The rule of Baccarat are fairly simple to learn so a few free practice Baccarat games will get you up to speed quickly. From there it's a short hop to hitting the real-money online Baccarat tables and starting to see the rewards.

Quick Baccarat Online Rules

baccarat online

Without going too deeply into the rules of Baccarat (we recommend you play the free Baccarat Online games which will walk you through the rules as you play) but here are a few simple rules to get you started:

  • The goal in Baccarat is to get as close as possible to 9 points
  • Players can make 3 bets - on the player, on the dealer or a tie
  • The player and the banker are each dealt two cards face up
  • Each players points are tallied - Ace = 1, 2-9 are at face value, face cards = 10
  • Depending on players score a predetermined action is taken (if player total is 5, draw a card; player has 6 or 7 stand, dealer or player has 8 or 9 it's a natural and higher hand wins)
  • Dealer's 3-card draw is also predetermined
  • If you hand value exceed 10 you subtract 10 for your true score (eg 12 = 2)
  • Player bets pay 1-1, Banker bets pay 1-1 (minus 5% commission), Tie pays 8-1

As you can see the rules of Baccarat online are not particularly difficult. Once you get used to the automatic actions following the deal it's quite easy to follow. With just three bets to choose from it's also quite easy to follow whether you win or lose.

It's definitely worth it to read up on the full Baccarat rules before you step in an play online or live but the game is simple enough you can learn it on the fly.

Baccarat Online Real Money

With such simple rules and betting it's easy to make the leap straight into real money online baccarat as well without trying out the free no download games.

Table limits will depend on the casino but generally speaking Baccarat games can offer some fairly high limits. Online, of course, you can find much lower table stakes as there isn't the same type of overhead for running a table as there is in a live casino.

Sure, it's slightly less glamorous to play Baccarat online in the comfort of your home versus getting all decked out for a night at the casino but you can easily see the advantages of playing Baccarat online:

  • Smaller table stakes
  • Tables available 24/7
  • Can get many more Baccarat hands in online which can even out your losses faster
  • Many different Baccarat game options
  • Clearing your casino bonus is quite quick
  • Reward points add up just as if you're playing live

Check our toplist above to see the online casinos that offer the best selection of real money online Baccarat games. Among the options for online Baccarat:

  • High-Limit Baccarat
  • Baccarat Pro
  • Baccarat Privee
  • Live Dealer Baccarat
  • Baccarat Gold
  • Mini Baccarat
  • Baccarat Squeeze
  • Baccarat Control
  • Knockout Baccarat
  • 2-1 Baccarat
  • 7 Up Baccarat
  • Super Pan 9

Baccarat Online USA

As anyone who lives in the United States knows, the online casino industry in the US is in a pretty perpetual state of flux.

Live casino can be found virtually everywhere, primarily on various Native reservations, and of course Las Vegas and Atlantic City are fully sanctioned live gambling meccas in the West and East, respectively.

Online, it's not quite so cut and dry.

baccarat online

Currently there are 4 US states where online casino and poker rooms have been licensed and regulated. New Jersey, Nevada, Delaware and Pennsylvania have all passed legislation to normalize the online casino business and have operating online casinos, all tied to a land-based brick-and-mortar casino.

Casino games are strictly monitored and regulated and you can be guaranteed games are fair, abide by standard Baccarat house rules and that your deposits and withdrawals are safe and secure.

If you live in or are visiting any of those states, and are of legal gambling age, you're completely free to create an account at any licensed online casino, make a deposit and play online Baccarat to your heart's content.

Outside of those legalized states, however, the situation is a little greyer. Most online casinos that are properly licensed in other countries have withdrawn or banned US players from accessing their games.

At the very least they won't accept deposits from US players although you might be able to access the free Baccarat games.

Some "rogue" online casinos may try to get around US gambling rules but it's not in your best interest to try and play at those casinos as there are no protections for your games or deposits.

Gradually it seems more States are putting together proper online casino licensing and regulation and the total number of states where it online baccarat available should expand in coming years.

See our top online casinos above where you can play Online Baccarat in the USA.

Play Baccarat Online Live Dealer

For those casino diehards that can't imagine playing Baccarat without a live dealer at hand to run the show, you're in luck. Baccarat was actually the first casino game that was played with a live dealer online and with improved technology has become even better.

Options for live dealer online Baccarat are plentiful with many of the variations listed above available on both live dealer and automated form. The rules of live dealer Baccarat are the same as they are live with the dealer working through the show of cards and the player clicking the bet amounts online.

Live dealer Baccarat games run slightly slower than automated games but you should still be able to get a lot of hands in per hour if that's your priority.

baccarat online live

Real Baccarat Online

As we mentioned above there are dozens of Baccarat variations you can find online but the main forms of Baccarat are primarily:

  • Punto Banco - Standard Baccarat with rules outlined above. Punto simply means Player and Banco means Bank
  • Chemin de Fer - Role of a dealer is given to the player and player can choose to stand or take another card with 5 points

Super Pan 9 is another popular variation in the USA played with a limited deck of 36 cards from 6 to Ace). Players are dealt 3 cards instead of two.

The type of Baccarat game will be clearly identified both on the gaming table itself and under the image you click on to begin play. If a table is listed simple as "Baccarat" you can safely assume it is the standard Punto Banco.

EZ Baccarat Online

EZ Baccarat is a very popular variation of Baccarat you can find online as it plays exactly like standard baccarat except it eliminates the 5% commission paid to the banker for winning a hand. That means you get paid a straight 1-1 on the banker bet - same as a player bet.

If the banker wins with a three-card total of 7 then the banker bet becomes a push. A couple of side bets - the Dragon 7 and Panda 8 - are also added for EZ Baccarat.

The Dragon 7 bet wins on a a Banker winning three-card total of seven. The Panda 8 bet wins on a Player winning with a three-card total of eight. The drawing rules for EZ Baccarat are the same as Punto Banco.

Mini Baccarat Online

Mini baccarat is also an extremely popular variation of Baccarat - especially online - as it's a smaller, lower stakes version of Punto Banco.

A minimum bet at a live Punto Banco table can run at $100 or higher but for Mini Baccarat that will drop to $25 or even lower. A Mini Baccarat table is also smaller than a standard Baccarat table, which can typically accommodate up to 14 players at a time.

At a Mini Baccarat table only 7 players can sit at any one time. Mini Baccarat abides by the same rules as standard Baccarat except moves a little quicker thanks to the smaller amount of players.

Baccarat Online Strategy

Baccarat is a fairly player-friendly game as the house edge is quite small compared to other casino games but it helps to know some basic odds and strategies for minimizing your losses.

punto banco baccarat online

For example the tie bet, at 8-1 odds, seems quite appealing but in reality a tie only comes around on average every 9.5 hands. That means the house has a 14% edge for tie bets.

So a good rule of thumb to follow:

NEVER BET ON A TIE

Unless you have an unlimited bankroll or you're playing very low, repeated bets on Tie will not work out very well.

If you factor out ties, the Banker's hand will win slightly more (51%) than the player's hand because the banker gets to decide what to do after the player has already drawn or not drawn a new card. That means a bet on the banker hand is always your best bet by the math.

Lots of players like to try and "feel the shoe," as they say, and bet based on the trends of the Baccarat hands as they play out, but the truth is that gives no distinct advantage. You can see why EZ Baccarat, where the 5% commission is dropped on baker hands, then becomes more appealing.

If you stick to basic Baccarat strategy you're more or less given a 50-50 shot to win each time, no matter which hand you bet on. And again: Never bet on a tie!

Online Baccarat Tournaments

A relatively new phenomenon in online Baccarat is the Baccarat tournament. It's not a particularly strategic game but it can be a fun way to mix up your online Baccarat play. You won't find one online very often but you might get lucky.

As with any kind of tournament (poker, roulette, etc) each player pays the same amount to buy in and is given the same amount of chips. The goal, of course, is to be the last player standing still with chips.

Players are seated randomly at Baccarat tables and every one plays against the dealer for a set number of hands. At the end of that round the players with the most chips move on to the next round with similarly successful players from other tables. Repeat as needed until there is just one table left and then one player remaining.

Baccarat tournaments play by standard Punto Banco rules (usually) so there is no real strategy to tournament play but there are some simple pointers.

If you bet on Tie hands, for example, you will likely lose your chips quicker. If you're down a lot of chips and want to make a last ditch effort to catch up a Tie bet, though, you should try it. But in the long run you will still lose more often.

Also, betting position matters as if you are the last to have to bet you can make your play based on what has already happened to the other players.

Baccarat Online Mobile App

The rapid advancement of mobile technology has been a boon for online casinos and if you're looking to play online Baccarat on your iPhone, iPad or Android smartphone/tablet, you'll find lots of good options.

baccarat online app

Many online casinos have now developed native mobile apps you can download and use either on your phone or tablet. The software is typically very good and smooth so even playing live dealer Baccarat will run without a glitch (as long as your Internet connection of Wi-Fi is strong).

Making deposits & Withdrawals via your phone or tablet is also very common and secure these days so you can pay and play on the go. You can use a casino site's no download version to play for real money but its recommended to download the full app for better security and stability.

Mobile users can also use the online casino website to play free online baccarat on their phones as well.

Learn & Practice Baccarat Online

As mentioned the rules and game play of Baccarat aren't particularly complex but if you're a new casino player just getting your feet wet practicing on free online baccarat games is a good place to start.

If you're more inclined to jump right into the real-money games we recommend Mini Baccarat as a lower-stakes, less risk investment. Check out the online casinos in our toplist above to play their free or real-money online baccarat games.

Online Baccarat Bonus

Can you get an online casino bonus for playing Baccarat? Absolutely. Each online casino offers its own specific welcome bonus with its own particular terms and conditions for paying out.

Baccarat games do usually count as credit towards any wagering requirements but as always it's best to check with each online casino for its specific payout percentage and bonus terms.

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