What Is Live Dealer Baccarat?
While virtual games are still quite popular, now you have options. You can choose between them and live games held by most modern online casinos. The overall selection is extensive, including dice games, Roulette, and card games, such as poker, Blackjack, and Baccarat. Unlike poker, Baccarat is a game of chance. It doesn’t call for particular skills, and its outcome is unpredictable. Whatever you do, you can’t be sure if you’ll win or lose. However, you can learn the rules and study the odds and payout rates. Additionally, it would help if you only played this (and every other) game at a legitimate casino.
Live dealer Baccarat is every online game of Baccarat that’s hosted by a real-life dealer. A random number generator does not control it; the dealer deals the cards. Live dealer Baccarat is almost the same as land-based Baccarat — the only difference is the screen in front of you.
Baccarat in the live format is less common than live Blackjack and Roulette. However, it’s more common than live Craps. If you choose a quality casino, you can find several game versions. You can check out the casinos we’ve selected for you and explore their offer.
How to Play Live Baccarat?
If you’ve already played Baccarat at a brick-and-mortar venue, you’ll quickly grasp the concept of its live dealer version. You’ll see that there are no differences in terms of the gameplay.
However, if you have no experience, you may want to play free live dealer Baccarat online before you start betting. Most online casinos in Canada have the free play option. Namely, many of their games are available in demo mode.
Whichever the case, it’s paramount that you choose a legitimate casino. Plenty of shady and rogue casinos are online, so you must be careful. However lucky you may be and however well you may play, a rogue casino can ruin that experience.
The Dealing Round
A standard game of Baccarat customarily involves eight decks of cards. The cards are dealt clockwise. The point of the game is to form two hands (the banker’s and the player’s hand), each containing two cards. You can bet on one of the three possible outcomes — that the banker’s hand is going to be stronger, that the player’s hand is going to be stronger (have a combined value of cards as close as possible to nine), or that it’s going to be a tie.
After the cards have been shuffled, one card is revealed. It indicates how many of them the dealer has to “burn” between two deals. The rule is valid until the cards are reshuffled.
Card Values
While the card suits play an important role in poker, in Baccarat, they’re irrelevant. Depending on the ranking, every group of cards has a certain value. Face cards and tens are worth ten points. Aces are worth one point each, while the rest of the cards are assigned their face value (fives are five points, nines are nine points, and so on). If you get a double-digit number when you add up the points, the result is the digit in one place. For instance, if you have a King and a three, they add up to three points.
Unlike Blackjack, Baccarat doesn’t have the option of busting. However, there’s the possibility of a tie. In a tie, the hand is passed, the bets are returned, and another round of dealing takes place.
What Is Hit and How Does It Work?
An additional card can be drawn for either of the two hands. That card is called a hit. It can be drawn if the following conditions are met:
- If the value of one of the hands is eight or nine, both hands have to stand. In regards to hits, this rule is the strongest.
- They draw a card if the player’s hand’s value is five or below. Their card is the first one to get hit in the rotation.
If the player chooses to stand, the banker draws a card (if their hand’s value is five or below it). But if the player’s already hit, the banker’s hit depends on the player’s hit card value and their score.
| The player’s third card | The banker draws | The banker stands |
| 9, 10, face card, Ace | 0-3 | 4-7 |
| 8 | 0-2 | 3-7 |
| 6 or 7 | 0-6 | 7 |
| 4 or 5 | 0-5 | 6-7 |
| 2 or 3 | 0-4 | 5-7 |
The Odds
You already know that Baccarat is a game of chance. You bet on the player, the banker, or a tie before the first dealing round. Thus, you know nothing about either of the hands when you place your wager. The game is entirely unpredictable, but that doesn’t mean you should bet randomly.
A game of Baccarat involving eight decks has a house edge of 1.06% if you bet on the banker. The player bet has a slightly higher house edge — 1.24%. The tie bet, however, has a house edge of 14.4%. That is if it pays eight to one. In the United Kingdom, most casinos pay the tie at nine to one. As a result, the tie bet’s house edge is lowered to 4.85%.
Where to Play Live Dealer Baccarat Online?
Blackjack and Roulette are the most common live dealer games. However, live Baccarat isn’t that hard to find online, either. We’ve selected reputable online casinos whose game libraries you can explore. There, you can play a variety of live dealer games both for free and for real money.
The diversity and variety of live dealer games at a casino depend on the software providers. The best one is Evolution Gaming. Their games are of the highest quality in terms of graphics and features. Some of their features are VIP tables (in addition to the standard ones) and a multi-game play feature.
Playtech is second to Evolution Gaming. It’s a reputable company with several licenses. Not only does it have a broad selection of live table games, but it also has multiple language options. Namely, you can choose a dealer based on the language they speak.
Another superb developer that offers live dealer games is Microgaming. This provider is the founding member of eCOGRA. As such, it’s one of the most reputable companies on the market. It has diverse live dealer games, including card games like Baccarat.
Some of the other live dealer game developers are Authentic Gaming, RealTime Gaming, Extreme Live Gaming, and Ezugi.
How to Pick the Best Live Baccarat Casino?
Live dealer Baccarat is quite common, although less so than live Blackjack and Roulette. The point is you can easily find it online. However, you shouldn’t make an account at the first casino with it in its game library. The expansion of the online market has made room for many shady operations. Some casinos are notorious for voiding winnings and delaying payouts.
Before registering and betting, you should review your chosen casino to ensure it’s legitimate. You can consult trustworthy watchdog portals and other players to see how it rates among them. More importantly, you should review the terms and conditions section and check it for red flags. The casino will have high security and fairness standards if it's good. It’ll probably use encryption for players’ protection and a random number generator (as well as third-party services) to ensure fairness.
As for payment terms, they should be as player-friendly as possible. Are there several different payment options available? What’s the withdrawal time? How much money can you cash out at once? Are there any additional charges on withdrawals? You can check every casino’s payment terms by answering these questions.
Live Dealer Baccarat vs. Virtual Baccarat
Virtual Baccarat and live dealer Baccarat are both online games. However, live dealer Baccarat is much more similar to the traditional game (the one you can play at land-based casinos) than the virtual one. In the virtual game, a random number generator deals the cards. In live dealer Baccarat, the dealer does that (hence the name). They also dictate the pace of play. In the virtual game, however, you can play as fast or slow as you want.
The only difference between traditional Baccarat and live dealer Baccarat is the screen. While they’re very much alike, the live dealer form of the game is more convenient since you don’t have to leave your home to play it.
If you’re a social player, you’ll enjoy live dealer Baccarat. You’ll be able to interact with the dealer and the other players alike. Thanks to the advancement of technology, live dealer games simulate the atmosphere of brick-and-mortar casinos quite well.
All in all, live games are more dynamic than virtual games. Even though (or because) you have to adapt to the dealer’s pace of play, the experience is rather thrilling. If you’re nostalgic about the Las Vegas' heyday or curious about the level of convenience live games offer, they’re perfect for you.
Closing Thoughts
Live dealer Baccarat has put a new perspective on this card game. It combines the thrill of being at a land-based venue with the convenience of online gaming. If you play it at a good online casino, there’s no doubt that you’ll enjoy the experience.