BEST ONLINE BACCARAT CASINOS
Sportsgrid-Staff
Originally played by Italian nobles in the 15th century and made famous in more recent times by books and films featuring James Bond, baccarat is one of the world’s most popular casino games. People unfamiliar with it think the game is complicated and difficult to master, but it is actually quite simple and very similar to blackjack. Players try to get a hand with a value as close as possible to 21 in blackjack, and they try to get a hand with a value as close as possible to nine in baccarat. Blackjack is named after the best possible hand while baccarat is named after the worst possible hand. Baccarat becomes extremely exciting once the basics have been mastered, and that is why the game has taken both online and land-based casinos by storm.
Best Baccarat Welcome and Sign-Up Bonuses
Many people open accounts with online casinos in states like Pennsylvania and West Virginia just to play baccarat. To attract these players, online casinos offer generous bonuses and sign-up incentives. These welcome packages sometimes include free slots spins or casino credits, but the most common sign-up incentive is a deposit match bonus. Casinos that offer these bonuses match some or all of the funds a new player deposits in their account, but players do not receive the money until they have met the online casino’s wagering requirements.
Wagering requirements are also called playthrough rates. If an online casino has a 10X playthrough rate, new players must wager 10 times the bonus amount before they receive their money. If a deposit match bonus is generous, the playthrough rate is likely to be high. High playthrough rates can put new players off, so online casinos make things easier for them by releasing bonuses in installments. Let’s take a look at some of the best online casino welcome bonuses and their playthrough rates.
|
Rank |
Casino Site |
Promotion |
Baccarat Bonus Type |
Promo Code |
Playthrough Rate |
|
Sign-Up Bonus |
Deposit Match Up To $1,000 + $25 On The House (Up to $200 + $10 On The House in WV) |
N/A |
15X |
||
|
Sign-Up Bonus |
$2,500 Deposit Match Bonus |
N/A |
75X for Baccarat |
||
|
New Player Exclusive |
Play $1, Get $100 |
N/A |
No Playthrough Requirement |
||
|
Holidays on the House |
Play $5, get $50 |
N/A |
$10 Minimum Wager |
||
|
Sign-Up Bonus |
100% Deposit Match up to $500 |
N/A |
1X |
Type of Baccarat Bets
Baccarat was once played in the same way that blackjack is still played. Players would all be dealt cards, and then they would decide whether they wanted to draw an additional card or stick with what they had. The only decision a baccarat player had was choosing whether or not to draw another card if their hand was worth 5. Drawing a card would usually improve a hand worth less than 5 and make a hand worth more than 5 worse, but a hand worth 5 was a toss-up. In baccarat, only the last digit of a hand’s value is counted. If a player has a hand with cards that add up to 16, their hand is worth 6.
Only two hands are dealt today regardless of how many players there are. One hand is called the banker’s hand, and one hand is called the player’s hand. The only decision a modern baccarat player makes is choosing whether to bet on the banker’s hand, the player’s hand or a tie. The player’s hand draws a card if it is worth 5 or less, and it stands if it is worth 6, 7, 8 or 9. Hands worth 8 or 9 are called naturals.
The drawing rules for the banker’s hand are a little more complicated. The banker always draws with a 0, 1 or 2 and always stands with a 7, 8 or 9. If the banker’s hand is worth between 3 and 6, it will draw or not draw based on the value of the player’s third card, which is dealt up. This gives the banker’s hand a slight edge, but payouts are adjusted to give the casino an edge and keep the game interesting.
Betting on the Banker’s Hand
All casino games give the house a slight edge, and baccarat is no different. The rules of baccarat give the banker a slight advantage, but this does not give the house an edge because players can back the banker. To get their edge back, online casinos take a 5% commission from winning bets placed on the banker. If you bet on the banker and win, you will be paid 1 to 1 less the 5% commission.
No-Commission Baccarat
No-commission baccarat is popular in Asia, and many online casinos in Michigan and around the country now offer it. The house does not take a 5% cut from winning bets placed on the banker in no-commission baccarat, but it still has an edge. Winning bets placed on the banker pay 1 to 1 with no commission in this form of baccarat, unless the banker wins with a 6. If a banker wins with a 6, winning players are paid half of their bets and lose the other half. Bankers win with a 6 about once every 19 hands, so these rules give the house about a 5% edge.
Super 6 Side Bets
Super 6 side bets are the “secret sauce” that make no-commission baccarat so exciting and so popular. These side bets pay off when the banker wins with a 6, and they pay off handsomely. The odds for a winning super 6 bet are usually 15 to 1, but they still favor the house. The house advantage on a standard banker bet is 1.06%. On a super 6 side bet, the house has a 1.46% edge.
Betting on the Player’s Hand
Baccarat players don’t pay a commission when they bet on the player’s hand and win, but their chances of winning are lower. This is because the third card rules in baccarat favor the banker and give the casino an edge over the player. That’s why you won’t have to pay a 5% commission if you back the player and win. The rules give the house an edge, so it doesn’t need to collect a commission. Winning bets placed on the player’s hand pay 1 to 1 with no commission.
Betting on a Tie
Baccarat players who bet on a tie win when the player’s hand and banker’s hand have the same value after all of the cards have been drawn. Ties only occur about once every nine hands in baccarat, so these bets have much better odds. Tie bets pay 8 to 1, and they give the house a 15% edge.
Free Baccarat vs Real Money Baccarat
Playing baccarat for real money can be incredibly exciting, but online casino visitors sometimes avoid the game because they don’t know how to play it. To help players overcome these qualms and become familiar with baccarat, many online casinos in New Jersey and other states offer demo modes that allow players to try games out without risking any of their money. Demo modes do not provide the same thrills as playing for real money, but they are useful learning tools.
Social Casinos
You can also play baccarat without risking any money in a social casino. You will place bets with tokens instead of cash in a social casino, and you will get all the tokens you need when you sign up and create an account. Social casinos give players in states where online gambling is not yet legal a chance to play games like blackjack and baccarat, and they are extremely popular. Social casinos do not have an edge in the traditional sense because tokens do not have any cash value, but they still make money through in-app purchases and ads. That means they have an incentive to offer generous sign-up bonuses to attract new players.
Baccarat Strategies
Betting strategies can make playing baccarat more fun and exciting, but don’t expect a huge windfall. If a baccarat strategy worked consistently, casinos would ban it. All of the betting strategies we will discuss in this section are allowed by casinos, so they really don’t change the odds very much. What they can do is add a structure to baccarat play that avoids huge losses, and they provide a great way to take advantage of a hot run or cushion the blow of a cold streak.
1-3-2-4
The 1-3-2-4 baccarat strategy is a progressive betting system that is designed to take advantage of hot streaks. You will need to pick a betting unit to use this system, but you can make it any dollar amount you want. To follow the system, you wager one betting unit on each hand of baccarat until you win. When you win, your next wager will be three betting units. If you win again, you will wager two betting units. If you win for a third time, you will wager four betting units to complete the sequence. You will wager one betting unit on the fifth hand even if you win again. If you lose at any time during the sequence, you go back to the beginning and wager one betting unit on the next hand.
You can only follow the 1-3-2-4 strategy if the table limit will allow it, and you have to play with discipline. Going back to just one betting unit after four consecutive wins can be really difficult even for a stoic gambler, but that’s what you will have to do if you want to make the most of a hot steak and avoid big losses.
One-Sided
The one-sided strategy is the simplest baccarat betting system. To follow this strategy, all you have to do is choose a side and stick to it. You can bet on either the banker or the player every time, but you never switch. You probably won’t win big if you follow the one-sided strategy, but you won’t lose big, either. You can mitigate your losses even further if you add a stop loss to the system. The most common stop loss is three losing hands. If you lose three hands in a row, you stop betting until the side you’re backing starts winning again.
Paroli
The Paroli system gets its name from an Italian word that means equal, and it can be used to play casino games like baccarat and roulette that have even-money wagers. To follow the Paroli system, all you have to do is let your winnings ride. If you place a bet and win, you will bet all of your winnings on the next hand. Every hot streak comes to an end, so the key to success with the Paroli system is knowing when to stop. Pick a cutoff point before you start playing, and take your winnings off the table when you reach it no matter how strong the temptation to keep going may be.
The Best Baccarat Tips to Improve Your Game
Baccarat is a simple game because all players have to do is pick a side. What complicates matters is the emotions that take over when the cards run hot or cold. Here are some tips that could help you have more fun and endure less heartbreak at the baccarat table:
- Use a demo mode or visit a social casino to learn the game without risking any money.
- Bet on the banker if you are not sure what to do.
- Follow a system like the 1-3-2-4 strategy to take advantage of runs.
- Keep track of your wins and losses.
- Follow your instincts.
