Live Baccarat – Play in Real-Time Like a Pro

Nowadays, you can enjoy the baccarat on many live casino platforms, a validation of its popularity among players. Live baccarat combines the benefits associated with an online casino and brick-and-mortar gambling environment. With live baccarat, you can play against a professional dealer in real-time while staying at your home or office.

Baccarat is one of those casino games that remain timeless even in the face of changing the gambling landscape. In many brick-and-mortar casinos, this card game is a favorite destination by high-rollers. It’s also the subject or at least a part of many Hollywood movies. When James Bond meets someone in a casino, it’s a given that the action spills to the baccarat table. All these help contribute to the enduring popularity of the game.

If you’re an experienced player, you can find several variants of live baccarat online. The two most popular options are the Punto Banco and the ‘chemin de fer’. Also, you’ll find theme baccarat games from popular software vendors. You can even find high-limit and VIP live baccarat online casino games that can suit your bankroll needs. But don’t worry if you’re a beginner and just starting to explore the game. This guide can serve as a short introduction to how you can play and enjoy live baccarat online.

Live Baccarat – Rules of the Game

Before you play in real money mode, check out the rules and the types of bets available. In this game, several regular decks of cards are used and these are stored in a device called the ‘shoe’. During the game, the croupier will deal two cards to each side (for a total of four cards) and the objective of the game is to score a ‘9’ or close to it. In a way, live blackjack is somewhat similar to baccarat since there’s a need to target an ideal number, and hands are compared. However, this is still a different game with its own set of features and rules.

How Cards and Hands are Scored

Just like other online gambling card games, live baccarat follows a scoring system. Before you play live baccarat, make sure you understand the basis of the card scores and hand values. When you play baccarat online live, the Aces get a point and all cards from 2 to 9 retain their face values. You’ll also encounter 10s and picture cards and all of these will count as zero. But they can be helpful in specific situations.

For example, if your hand features a 9 and a King, then the total value is 9 which is the ideal score that you need. In live dealer baccarat, the best possible hand total that you should watch for is 9, with 8 as a competitive hand value. For beginners, the scoring may be complicated at first. But once you get the feel of the process, you can easily play and bet like a pro.

How the Betting Process Works

You should be a registered player of a casino before you can play live baccarat for real money. If you don’t have an account, simply create a real-money account in your preferred online casino. Once registered, log in and visit the ‘Live’ section of the casino. From its portfolio, you can choose the variant you want to play. In most Philippines-focused casinos, you can find baccarat tables with various betting limits.

Once you’re seated at the table, you will find betting spaces for the Banker, the Player, or a Tie. These spaces represent your bet. For example, if you put your money on the Banker, you expect that the dealer will hold the best hand after the round. And if you place your money on a ‘Tie’, you predict that both the Player’s and the Banker’s hands will have the same value. During the game, two cards shall be assigned to both the Player and the Dealer. In some cases, a third card is awarded to the player or the banker, or both (as part of the Third Card Rule).

The cards are drawn from a shoe that often holds up to eight decks of cards. After the end of each round, the decks are shuffled. The hand that scores 9 or close to that number wins. And if both hands show the same value, then it’s a ‘Tie’.

In many live casinos, you are given access to a variety of tools that can enhance your gambling experience. For example, you can find websites that offer you a ‘betting history’ that allows you to track your last few bets. Also, some websites offer a chat feature that gives you a chance to chat with the dealer in real-time. You can use this tool if you need help or clarifications with the game or the betting procedure.

Odds and Payouts for the Different Types of Bets

When playing live baccarat, pay attention to the odds and payouts for each bet.  Here’s a look at the payout that you can receive for each type of bet.

• If you bet on the ‘Player’ and it wins, you’re paid 1:1 or it’s an even-money bet.
• If you bet on the ‘Banker’ and it wins, you can also get the same payout. However, the baccarat live casino gets a 5 percent commission. You can also find a live baccarat dealer that offers a ‘no commission’ arrangement.
• In online baccarat live dealer games, there’s a probability that the values are similar. This is called a ‘Tie’ and offers a payout of 8 to 1.

When you play live baccarat, your bet on the banker will offer you better odds at 1.17 percent compared to the player at 1.36. The trade-off here is the commission that you’ll give to the online baccarat live dealer which is set at 5 percent. You can find a bigger payout if you win the tie bet but the odds of winning this are much lower.

FAQs About Live Baccarat