How To Play Baccarat Online April 2024

Online Casinos · How to Play Baccarat Online

Baccarat: The James Bond game! It is a relatively new casino game that has rumored origins back in the 15th century, but people only really started playing it in the early 1900s. It's a prediction style of game that is played between the dealer, otherwise known as the banker, and the player.

The rules are simple for the most part. Aces are counted as 1, 2 thru 9 count as their usual values, 10s and picture cards count as 0. The objective of the game of baccarat is to get the hand that totals closest to 9. If the total of the hand is a 2 digit number (getting an 8 and a 4), you discard the first digit and the value of that hand is 2.

Our Top Baccarat Online Casinos for April 2024

We vetted a number of online and very reputable casinos to pick our favorite choices for you using the strategies listed below, and a site like BetMGM Casino stuck out to us because of its ability to offer live dealer games as well as tons of different stake levels ranging from beginner to expert.

Note: if you like, you can take advantage of the secondary Caesars Palace Online Casino Offer instead of the above, which is the following: Get $10 on Registration + 100% Deposit Match up to $1000! Use code VILAUNCH!

Difference Between Real Money Baccarat and Free Online Baccarat

The differences between real money and free online baccarat are quite a few. Obviously, the big one is that online baccarat can be played wherever and whenever you want, whereas real money baccarat requires you to put up your own money for. You can also play free online baccarat for free so you can learn how the game and betting system work, while you have to wager your hard-earned money at the casino's table.

Real Money Baccarat Sites

  • BetMGM Casino
  • FanDuel Casino
  • bet365 Casino
  • WynnBET Casino
  • Caesars Palace Online Casino
  • Golden Nugget Casino

How We Pick the Best Casinos For Online Baccarat

Here at VegasInsider, we never want to steer you wrong when recommending online casinos to play baccarat at, so we only recommend you to the most well-vetted and thorough sites we can find.

Safety and Security

The casinos picked should have the latest encryption to help protect player's data. Our picked sites also have regular audits to make sure everything is in order with how the sites are run.

Many Baccarat Games

There are more than a few different stylings of online baccarat, and our sites have other options to play like Punto Banco and No Commission Baccarat as well! You can also choose to play against a human croupier in Live Dealer Baccarat.

Strong Promotions

Deposit bonuses are a huge deal for us! The more baccarat you play on our chosen sites, the better offers you will receive for your favorite online casinos.

Deposit and Payment Methods

Our top online baccarat sites let you deposit with a ton of secure methods. Use your crypto wallet, deposit anonymously with your E-wallet, or type in the numbers from your choice of credit card. All of these options will not charge you any fees and our sites offer quick cashout options.

Good Customer Support

Our favorite baccarat sites offer terrific 24/7 customer live chat support if you do require it, and we recognize that this is a priority need for any great online casino.

Baccarat 101: The History

Baccarat's history can be traced all the way back to medieval Italy, and most believe it was originally introduced in the 1400s by a man named Felix Falguiere. The game was originally called "baccara", which translates to 'zero' in Italian.

The original version of baccarat was played a little differently than it is today, as cards were dealt by 4 dealers, each player could be the banker, and players would place bets against each other and the house. Today it is a lot simpler, as bets are typically placed against the house, there's just one dealer, and the banker role typically is filled by the house.

Baccarat has since become a very popular casino game of choice, and it also was a big plotline in one of the most famous book and movie franchises in the world: James Bond. Creator Ian Fleming became a big fan of baccarat, and implemented it into Bond's character and storylines as well.

Overview of Playing Baccarat Online

Baccarat is one of the easier games to play, as it doesn't have too large of a rulebook. The house edge is also pretty low if you figure out the right bets to make.

Below is a list of things you can do to set yourself up to play baccarat online, and is a very basic step-by-step guideline.

  1. Choose a game: Find a baccarat game in the lobby of the online casino you've chosen! Most good casinos will have at least a couple kinds of baccarat to try, and you can play from just about anywhere.
  2. Set your stakes: Once you get to the game, you'll see the board layout and places for you to select how much you want to bet. Select how much you want to bet, and which bets you want to place them on. You won't see cards until you hit the "deal" button.
  3. Bet on banker, player or tie: These are the 3 main options that you have the ability to bet on. The objective of the game is to bet on the hand that gets the closest to 9.
  4. Understand the payouts: You can choose to bet on either hand in baccarat. If you bet on the banker and win, you get paid 19/20, which is basically 1:1 but takes a 5% commission. If you bet on a player hand, you get paid an even 1:1, while if you bet on tie and hit, you get paid at 8:1!
  5. Opt to rebet, clear bet, or double bet: Once the hand is over, you get paid right away and have the option of betting the same amount again, clearing your chips to figure out a new bet, or doubling your bet.

Third Card Hitting Rules for Baccarat Online

The Third Card rule in baccarat determines when and if the player should receive another card. The value of this third card will also determine what the Banker should do as well.

If the players hand totals 6 thru 9, they must stand but if the total is less than 5, they have to hit. If the player stands, the dealer hand must hit on a total of 5 or less. If the player does hit for a complete hand then the dealer hand hits using the following rules:

  • If the dealer’s hand total is 3, then the dealer hand is dealt a third card unless the player’s third card was an 8.
  • If the dealer’s hand total is 4, then the dealer hand is dealt a third card unless the player’s third card was a 0, 1, 8, or 9.
  • If the dealer's hand total is 5, then the dealer hand is dealt a third card if the player's third card was 4, 5, 6, or 7.
  • If the dealer's hand total is 6, then the dealer hand is dealt a third card is the player's third card was a 6 or 7.

In the below chart, "S" shows where the dealer would stand, and "H" shows where the dealer would hit.

3rd Card Hitting Rules
Screenshot from oag.ca.gov

Baccarat Terminology

  • Banco: the Spanish word for bank or banker. The dealer is sometimes called the Banco.
  • Bankroll: the amount of money that you can spend on gambling.
  • Burn: after you shuffle and before you deal, the top 3 to 6 cards are discarded.
  • Callman: a casino staff member responsible for the cards on the table.
  • Commission: winning bank and player bets are subject to a 5% commission, which is just money taken off your bet.
  • Down Card: a card turned face down, also known as a hole card.
  • Face Card: any card with a picture on it: jacks, queens, or kings.
  • La Grande: the best hand in Baccarat, it is a natural Baccarat totaling 9.
  • Natural: when the two cards that you have been dealt total 8 or 9.
  • Punto: simply, a player.
  • Shoe: an automatic dealing machine used to eliminate manual dealing accidents. Usually consists of 6 or 8 decks.
  • Standoff: when both the player and bank are tied.
  • Up Card: a card that is turned face up.

Betting Options for Online Baccarat

Player Bet

This is one of the most common bets in baccarat. The payout is 1:1, and you win by having a higher total than the Banker and getting the closest to 9.

Banker Bet

Also one of the most common bets, your payout if you win is 19:20 and you win by having a higher total than the Player and getting the closest to 9.

Tie

This happens when the Player and Banker have the same total, and it pays out 8:1, which would mean if you bet $10 and hit this you would win $80.

Player Pair

This is a side bet in baccarat where you bet on the Player getting dealt the same two cards, and it does not have to be the same suit of cards. It pays out 1:1.

Perfect Pair

This side bet hits when the two cards dealt to the player or banker are the exact same in number and suit. For example, getting dealt two of the 4 of spades. This rare bet pays 25:1!

Banker Pair

The banker pair is when the first two cards dealt to the Banker are the same two cards, similar to the the Player Pair. Unlike the player pair though, the Banker Pair pays 11:1.

Either Pair

Betting on this side bet allows you to make a hedge on the above Banker and Player Pairs, as it pays out if either of them get dealt a paired first two cards. The payout is 5:1, which is still a solid option.

Small

This is a unique side bet where you are betting that the total cards dealt in a game is 4, and this pays out 1.5:1 if it hits.

Big

Similarly to a Small bet, betting on a Big bet is when you bet that the total cards dealt in the hand are 5 or 6, and this pays out 0.54:1

Tips and Hints for Winning at Online Baccarat

If you're going to be playing online casino baccarat, you've gotta bring your A game to win that money! Here at VegasInsider, we have some tips and hints that may just make you look like a competent baccarat player even if you've only played once or twice!

  • Bet on the banker bet until it loses: Betting on the banker bet gives you a little bit more than a 50% chance of winning in every single hand.
  • Check out the terms and conditions: This will give you a look at what bonuses the casino offers, and you can also see if there are any wagering requirements.
  • Don't change your strategy: Typical to a lot of other casino games as well, if you go on a cold streak, don't force a change in your strategy. Things will turn around.
  • Play in reputable casinos: This one is obvious, but it's always important that you know that wherever you're playing is a legitimate house that will make you whole when you're done playing. Don't play in sketchy, unvetted casinos.

Online Baccarat FAQ

Can you play baccarat online for real money?

You can play online for real money! Just use one of the online casinos that we have recommended in this article.

How do you play baccarat online?

You can play baccarat online by choosing one of the casinos that we have vetted and going there, depositing your money, and clicking play!

Can you win money playing baccarat?

You can win real money playing baccarat.

How much does it cost to play baccarat?

You can play a variety of stakes on online casino baccarat, including playing for free!

What is the best strategy to play baccarat?

The best strategy to follow when playing online baccarat is to bet with the Banker, because you get a favorable house edge when doing so.

What are the odds of winning in baccarat?

The odds of winning in baccarat vary, and we have listed each possibility above for you.

Can you count cards in baccarat?

You can employ a card counting strategy in baccarat, targeting the player, banker, and tie bets.