When most think of card games you may think of blackjack or poker, but baccarat has a rich history in the gambling world as well. Dating back to the late 15th century, baccarat has a certain elegance associated with it and with the advent of legal online casinos, you can now play anytime and from anywhere via your computer or mobile device.
Let this page be your guide to all you need to know about online baccarat including where to play, how to play and of course the best baccarat strategies to keep you in the game.
Where Can I Play Baccarat Online?
With the rise in legal online casinos popping up in the US, you have many options to play, but it depends on what state you are in that determines what gambling sites you can play.
Currently, the states that are legal for online baccarat include Connecticut, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. In each of the aforementioned states, you can play a wide range of casino games safely online such as craps, blackjack, and roulette for real money.
The list of states that get on board could increase in the near future as states contemplate the financial benefits of operating legal online casinos.
Can I Play Baccarat Online if I am not in a Regulated State?
In order to play baccarat online, you don’t have to be a resident of one of the regulated states. You just have to be physically present while participating.
For those not in a legal gambling state, there are social casinos that offer baccarat such as Stake.Us, Wow Vegas, and High 5 Casino.
History of Baccarat
Baccarat has a rich history that spans several centuries. Its history can be traced back to Italy in the late 15th century, when it was called “baccara,” meaning “zero” in Italian, which refers to the majority of cards in the deck that are equal to zero.
The game was originally played with tarot cards and were often associated with rituals and mysticism. As baccarat made its way to France in the 19th century, it became the go-to game for the rich.
Eventually, the game evolved into different variations being developed, with “Chemin de Fer” and “Punto Banco” emerging as two of the most prominent forms.
In the 20th century, baccarat expanded across the Atlantic and into North America and other parts of the world. The Punto Banco variant gained traction in the United States, especially in casinos in Nevada, and became a staple game in the Las Vegas casinos.
As Baccarat became more popular in the States, it kept its allure as a game for high class gamblers. Baccarat is now available online and can be played anywhere with an internet connection.
Is Online Baccarat Legal?
Online baccarat is currently legal in the states of Connecticut, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Rhode Island and Delaware also have legal online casinos but don’t have baccarat yet.
There are also some online casinos that allow clearing a bonus during baccarat but the wagering requirement will be at the minimum 10 times greater than slots due to the much higher RTP associated with Baccarat.
Online Baccarat Terminology
Here’s some of the most important terms for casino players to know when playing baccarat:
- Punto: The term for the player and also the baccarat hand which is across from the Banco hand. Since there’s a higher house edge, this is a riskier move as a betting strategy.
- Banco: The term for the House or banker bet. You need a commission to be paid when you bet on the banker but it’s considered the wisest option in the game.
- Commission: The total of cash that has to be dealt to the casino for the right to place a Banco wager. It’s usually valued at 5 percent of the wager, as rounding is beneficial to the the house, yet it can sometimes be as low as 4 percent.
- Burn: Disposing of the first cards in a shoe in order to befuddle any potential cheaters.
- Standoff: When there’s equal point value between two hands or when a player wagers that the hand will be a draw.
- La Grande: French phrase known in English as “The big one” for a natural hand valued at 9.
- La Petite: French phrase known in English as “The small one” for a natural hand valued at 8.
- Natural: This is a two-card hand in baccarat in which the value is either 8 or 9. When just one of the hands is dealt naturally, the round is finished and that hand is declared victorious.
Choosing Your Preferred Bet Type
Here’s the betting options available when playing baccarat:
- Player: The odds are 45.86 percent, with a 1:1 payout and the house edge is 1.36 percent.
- Banker: The odds are 44.62 percent, with a 1:1 payout and the house edge is 1.06 percent.
- Tie: The odds are 9.52 percent, with an 8:1 or 9:1 payout and the house edge is 14.4 percent.
How to Play Baccarat Online
Here’s some of the most important rules to learn about playing baccarat online:
Card Values
The objective of baccarat is to have a hand as close to 9 as possible.
Each card has a different value. Ace is worth 1, 2-9 cards are face value, the 10 cards are 0, and face cards (Jack, King, Queen) are also 0. For example, if you’re dealt a 9 and a 6, the total is 5 because only the second digit from 15 is included.
Place Your Bets!
Prior to each hand being dealt, you have to set a wager on player, banker bet, or tie bet. When you set the wager, you’re betting on which of those 3 options will be victorious for the hand. The hand starts when the bets are placed.
The Deal
If you have a hand equal to 8 or 9, it’s a natural win and the winning hand is cashed out. This is also the case for the banker’s hand in that scenario. In situations without a natural win, the hand ensues with the player and banker picking up an extra card based on the totals.
How is Real Money Baccarat Different from Free Online Baccarat?
For baccarat games, you can either participate for real money or play free online on internet casinos. The real money version allows you to wager real money on all your favorite baccarat games. Meanwhile, free baccarat is an excellent tool for new users to familiarize themselves with strategies and rules without wagering any real funds.
Best Online Casinos for Baccarat
When choosing an online casino to play baccarat, there are several factors that you should consider. From beginners to veteran gamblers, all bettors should feel safe and secure knowing that all legal casinos go through rigorous testing to ensure safety of funds, game integrity and that the site is stable and runs smoothly.
Below is our top picks for legal online casinos that offer baccarat.
Beginners: BetMGM Casino
BetMGM is one of the top online casinos for a myriad of reasons, but one of them being a large library of casino games, including baccarat. They also offer bonuses that will entice you to try new versions of all your favorite games.
The interface is extremely user-friendly for both mobile phones and tablets. It’s easy to withdraw funds, which takes 24 hours for review and approval.
Game selection: Bally Casino
- Available States: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia
- Full Review: Bally Casino Review
- Shares wallet with: None
One of the most popular live dealer games for baccarat at Bally Casino is Speed Baccarat, which is from Evolution Gaming. The catalog of games is pristinely organized in alphabetical order with some handy filters to sort through such as volatility, jackpot size, and bet size.
Bonuses: Caesars Palace Online Casino
At Caesars Palace Online Casino, there’s a 100% welcome bonus of up to $1,250 available for heavily invested beginners on the site to use on real money baccarat. In addition to the deposit bonus, you will get 2500 rewards credits and $10 in freeplay just for signing up.
Both of these bonuses are top-notch when it comes to online baccarat casinos.
Overall: BetRivers Casino
- Available States: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia
- Full Review: BetRivers Casino Review
- Shares wallet with: BetRivers Sportsbook
BetRivers is an elite online casino for real money baccarat users due to a plethora of exciting options.
There’s a high payout percentage of 97.61 percent for a winning bet, as well as one times the betting requirement on all bonus money. This is a wonderful luxury that enables every bonus claimed can be maximized.
There’s also VIP rewards through the iRush program which can unlock benefits such as the ability for instant withdrawals and free dinners.
With over 200 casino games including baccarat titles such as Baccarat IGT and First Person American Roulette, there’s a ton of fun and cash to be won.
Online Baccarat Game Selection
Here’s some examples of the most popular types of online baccarat games:
Baccarat Supreme (OneTouch)
Baccarat Supreme is played with eight standard decks and offers the option of side bets.
Under the table will be the various wagers you can make. Beneath the wagers, you’ll see the different chips with their values ranging from 0.05 to 1,000 to insert on the betting field.
With the clear bets button, your chips will be disposed. The deal button initiates the virtual dealer to begin assigning the cards. Then the two of these buttons transitions into re-bet x2 and re-bet buttons. The former allows for the identical wager as before, while the latter is essentially the same.
Wagers you can set include player, player pair, banker bet, banker pair, big and small bets, and tie bet. The betting spectrum goes from $0.5 to $5,000 in real money.
Wall Street Baccarat (Candle Bets)
In a unique twist for a baccarat game, Wall Street Baccarat combines the card game with the stock market. There’s 6 decks with the standard 3 options for wagering: banker, player, and tie.
The game is formulated in a structure to decide if a stock will go up or down. The banker’s wager decides if the stock goes down and the player’s bet determines if it goes up. The red and green curves are the values of the stock. There’s many statistics from your previous rounds to aid you in your decision making.
The range you’re able to wager varies from $1 to $500 in real money. You can also combine your chips to craft your ideal wager, set them on the fields, or place a new bet with the re-bet button.
Wall Street Baccarat is a fun and entertaining remix for real money baccarat.
Magic Baccarat (Wizard Games)
Magic Baccarat is a mystical take on the game via a visually pleasing interface.
There’s 6 standard decks composed of 52 cards in addition to the 3 main wagers. In this version of baccarat, the banker wager has a 1:1 payout and doesn’t have the 5% commission.
There are also side bets through sorcery such as tie pair and banker pair (11:1 each) and the highest reward wager which is the super 6 bet (12:1).
The objective is to garner a hand combination of 9 or closest to 9. The wagering range is cast as $1 to $500 in real money and there are chips of all sizes to bring together for your desired wager. The broad betting range makes Magic Baccarat an attractive game for players of all levels.
Free Baccarat Games Online
Free baccarat games at an online casino are an ideal opportunity to brush up on your strategy online minus any major risks.
Here are some of the top free online baccarat games:
- 3D Baccarat (Iron Dog Studio): Same rules as traditional baccarat. Baccarat beginners laud it for its simplicity, while experienced users rave about the pace, as there’s the option to increase the tempo. The history button will enable you to track the game through previously used cards.
- Baccarat – Punto Banco (Red Tiger Gaming): Played with six decks and the dealer doesn’t place them face up. A benefit for beginners is the roadmap function which provides access to important information to control your wagering round. Payout goes as player (1:1), banker (0.95:1), tie (8:1), player pair and banker pair (11:1).
- Virtual Dragon Bonus Baccarat (Funky Games): The player in this free-play baccarat title activates the dragon bonus when their chosen hand is a natural winner or when it wins by a wide amount. The dragon house edge for the player is 2.65 percent while for the banker it’s 9.37 percent.
What Online Baccarat Game Pays the Most?
The objective of baccarat is to obtain a hand as near to 9 as possible. When your score exceeds 9, the first digit is dropped.
Each card has a different value. Ace is worth 1, 2-9 cards are face value, the 10 cards are 0, and face cards (Jack, King, Queen) are also 0.
Some game types of baccarat include punto banco, baccarat chemin de fer, and baccarat banque. An example of an online game type that pays the most is Baccarat – Punto Banco (Red Tiger Gaming). In that version, the payout is 1:1 for the player, 0.95:1 for the banker and 8:1 for tie, with player pair and banker pair both 11:1.
Best Baccarat Strategy
Although baccarat is largely a game of chance, there are still some sound strategies to employ to enhance your odds of winning.
One of the top strategies is to not bet the tie because the 8:1 payout is far lower in reward when evaluating the risk compared to the true odds.
Another prudent strategy for those with an adequate bankroll is the Martingale system in which bets are progressively adjusted. In this strategy, the user doubles down on the next bet after each losing wager, with the aspiration of acquiring large gains at the conclusion of the cycle.
Advantages of Playing Baccarat Online
One advantage of playing baccarat online is that you’ll have access to bonuses and promotions from casinos.
There’s the option to play low-limit baccarat with stakes as low as 0.50 if you aren’t ready to go all in and want to reduce the risk. In free baccarat, you can play online while learning the rules with the same software as real-cash games.
You can accumulate real money to use on other games all while not having to drive to a physical casino. The random number generator ensures a fair playing environment. Legitimate online casinos must be regulated through licensing and audits.
Online Baccarat FAQs
Yes! Online baccarat is currently legal and authorized for US residents in the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
You can also play free online slots at many sites from anywhere via the social casino platforms.
Yes! You can play baccarat to clear bonuses, but many sites will only all baccarat play to count 10%-30% towards the bonus wagering requirements.
Yes! You can win real money playing baccarat at verified and trusted online casinos. There’s low-limit baccarat games for those looking to mitigate incurring too much financial losses.
Online baccarat is not rigged at reputable casinos. In those safe settings, there’s a random number generator which is determined to draw the cards. These online casinos have are regulated by licensing while their software must undergo a litany of audits for fairness.
Yes! There’s various sites online in which you can play baccarat for free. The free version of baccarat is an excellent opportunity to familiarize yourself with the game before making a financial investment.
The legal gambling age to play baccarat online for real money is 21 years of age or older.