When you see the number of sites that offer dozens of roulette or blackjack games for only a handful of live baccarat games, you can imagine that this one does not yet enjoy the same popularity.
Moreover, live baccarat arrived many years after all the others, which doesn’t really help it to catch up in terms of visibility. Some sites, some time ago, did not even offer this game, which is much simpler than others. It was when it was launched as a live casino game that Baccarat became popular.
The offer is still growing and more and more live dealer tables are available for playing live baccarat online. You can find the best live dealer games at Dublinbet, Lucky31 and Casino Extra.
The Rules of Live Baccarat
Baccarat is not as famous as Blackjack or Roulette, so we’ll remind you of the rules, without going into too much detail.
In a game, a person has the option of betting on the bank, the player or on a tie.
Two cards are dealt to the player and the bank, and possibly a third depending on the outcome of the first two cards. The side that comes closest to 9 points wins.
The 10, jack, queen and king are worth no points, while the other cards are worth their face value and the ace is worth one point. If the total of the two cards is greater than 9, for example 12 points, only the unit is kept, i.e. 2.
If you bet on the right side (player or banker), you double your bet. A tie allows you to multiply your bet by 8. With $10 played, a tie gives you $80 + $10 of your initial bet.
In some cases, it is possible to draw a third card, especially when the total of the two cards is neither 8 nor 9. Please refer to the complete rules of this game to know all about it.
Live Baccarat Variations
It’s true that it’s not always easy to remember all the rules of live baccarat, especially when it comes to whether or not the player or the banker is allowed to draw a third card.
However, this does not prevent this table game from having several variants, like any good casino game!
However, these variations are not always present in the casinos. The classic baccarat game is not always in the limelight, and it is clear that its variants are far from being legion.
However, if you do come to play in a casino that offers a different kind of baccarat than you are used to, you should be aware of the rules, at least in broad terms.
We can’t list them all, but here are the most common versions:
- Punto Banco: This is simply the other name for Baccarat. So don’t be surprised if you see this name at a baccarat table.
- Railroad: In this variant, one player takes the role of the bank and the other the customer. This is a little more like blackjack. There are some differences in the possibility to draw a third card.
- Super Pan Nine: There are no more 7s, 8s, 9s or 10s in the deck. Instead of receiving two cards, each side receives three, with the possibility or not of getting a fourth.
There are of course other variations, but these are the most common in the casino. Feel free to try them all, some sites even let you play a demo version.