Best Online Baccarat Games

Playing Online Baccarat: Advantages, Strategies and Mistakes to Avoid

Although online baccarat is a table game less well known than blackjack and poker, it has its audience.

It is moreover this relatively moderate popularity that gives it its charm. Connoisseurs having the impression of being part of a private players' club.

In all cases, since the democratisation of money games, it has become easy to play baccarat online. In addition to the many available variants (Punto Banco, Lightning Baccarat...), you can easily play in free mode or real money.

If you are reading these few lines, it is no doubt because you want to find out more about this legendary card game.

Read carefully what follows. We have written a baccarat guide specially for you.

Good to know: you will find, on our site, many demos of all baccarat games available online.

What is Online Baccarat?

Originally, baccarat was mainly played by the French nobility of the 19th century. This is what gives it its status as an aristocratic game. At that time, people mainly played the Baccarat Banque version which was replaced, over time, by Chemin de Fer, before giving way in turn to the most popular variant today: Baccarat Punto Banco.

To properly understand where you are stepping, let us look at the baccarat rules in detail.

The Basics of the Game

Online baccarat pits the punto (the player) against the banco (the banker).

The objective is simple: form a hand whose value comes closest to 9 points.

So far, nothing complicated. However, the counting follows a particular mechanic.

Before starting the session, participants must bet on one of the three available options: the victory of the punto, that of the banco (subject to a commission) or a tie between the two hands.

Then, each receives two cards (a third card can be added in certain situations).

At this stage of reading, you must be thinking that it is difficult to stay close to 9 with 2 cards. This is where the value of the cards comes into play since face cards and 10s are worth zero, the ace equates to 1 while other cards retain their face value.

Furthermore, when the total exceeds 9, only the units digit counts. For example, if you obtain a 7 and an 8 for a total of 15, the hand is worth only 5 points (the tens digit is removed).

Betting Options: Punto, Banco and Tie

Bets come in three main options.

• The punto bet offers a payment equivalent to the bet amount in case of victory;
• The banco bet presents a slight statistical advantage, but implies a 5% commission on winnings;
• The tie, although offering attractive winnings (often 8 to 1), remains the least favourable option mathematically.

Please note: the best casinos may also offer side bets such as pairs or totals.

Differences Between Online Baccarat and Physical Baccarat

With the arrival of its digital version, baccarat has modernised.

Concretely, 2 choices are available to players: face the machine (RNG baccarat) or a live dealer (live baccarat).

The RNG version uses a certified algorithm to deal the cards while live baccarat calls upon real dealers from Evolution Gaming or other renowned game providers. The latter being very appreciated by bettors who want to combine gaming comfort and typical casino atmosphere.

Furthermore, digital versions allow players to benefit from an intuitive interface that clearly displays their betting options as well as detailed statistics on previous rounds.

Not forgetting specific bonuses and exclusive VIP programmes.

Online Baccarat Variants

Now that you know more about Baccarat Punto Banco, we can take an interest in baccarat variants.

The idea being to present you with the particularities of each variant in order to help you find the one that suits you.

Baccarat Banque

Let us start with the original game: Baccarat Banque.

In this variant, the house designates a player as banker for a prolonged duration. The other participants divide on each side of the table, forming two distinct camps.

Bets follow a structure similar to Punto Banco, but the amounts engaged are often more substantial.

Chemin de Fer

Chemin de Fer differs from Punto Banco through its more participatory aspect, as players alternately take on the role of the bank.

The banker position is passed clockwise around the table, hence its name inspired by railway vocabulary.

The slower pace and increased involvement of participants create a unique atmosphere, particularly appreciated at live tables.

Lightning Baccarat

A recent innovation from Evolution Gaming, Lightning Baccarat energises the classic game with random multipliers.

Before each round, up to five cards receive multipliers that can reach 512x. Which makes certain potential winnings explosive. In return, an additional contribution of 20% is requested on each bet.

This modern variant appeals above all to thrill-seekers in search of impressive jackpots.

Strategies for Maximising Winnings

Just like blackjack and poker, baccarat cleverly blends chance and strategic thinking.

The objective being to limit the risks of loss as much as possible by playing intelligently and making good use of the mathematical rules of statistics and probability.

House Advantage and Redistribution Rate

Before talking about tactics, let us take an interest in the RTP (Return To Player) which is important data for any online casino game.

According to statistics, we observe that the average RTP of baccarat is around 98%. Which is equivalent to other casino games (and superior to that of slot machines which is approximately 96%).

That said, this rate can fluctuate depending on your strategy. Indeed, it proves that the RTP is higher if you bet on the bank which is the least risky bet, decreases slightly if you prefer to bet on the player and drops if you tend to bet on the tie.

This is moreover why casinos tend to offer a higher multiplier for this type of bet.

Please note: other versions, such as Chemin de Fer, slightly modify these statistics due to their specific rules.

The Martingale and Other Betting Systems

If you take an interest in casino table games, you will surely have heard of the Martingale technique.

In theory, the principle of doubling your bet at each loss is unbeatable. Indeed, by doing this, you are sure to recover your total bet at the first victory (with a small bonus).

Obviously, casinos have not let this happen and have implemented counters such as bet capping.

This is why we advise you to apply instead the D'Alembert method which is more flexible than the Martingale.

Here, you reason in betting units that you increase or decrease after each win or loss (according to your desires).

A concrete example to understand: imagine that your betting unit is €2. After each loss, you increase your bet by €2 and, after each win, you decrease it by €2.

This type of strategy offers a genuine game plan and a coherent betting strategy.

Managing Your Budget to Optimise Your Chances

To conclude, let us look at a strategy often neglected, but which, however, is essential for all money games. We are obviously talking about good bankroll management.

In other words: the definition of a precise gaming budget and the obligation to stick to it over time.

Concretely, this implies knowing precisely your gaming amount and that of your bets. And, above all, not going all out or being more aggressive after a loss to try to win back losses.

Do not forget: the casino is above all a leisure establishment and not a means of easily enriching yourself. Thus, if needed, do not hesitate to use the budget control tools integrated into the most serious casinos. The aim being to configure deposit, loss and gaming time limits to obtain genuine discipline and play responsibly.

Playing Online Baccarat for Free or Real Money

Another advantage of online baccarat gaming lies in the possibility of benefiting from a 100% free demo mode.

Ideal for novices, this type of trial version allows testing new variants or new gaming strategies. It is also the best way to better understand the rules and mechanics of the game before making your first bets.

Obviously, a free game means the impossibility of winning real money. You play with virtual credits and obtain winnings that are also virtual.

This is moreover the main difference between demo mode and bonuses. Whether talking about bonuses with or without deposit, cashback or loyalty bonuses, in all cases, you have the possibility of extending your playing time or even playing for free.

As a reminder: you can benefit from many demo modes of different baccarat titles directly on our site. Do not hesitate to use them to your advantage to put all the chances on your side when switching to real money baccarat.