Online Baccarat
Baccarat is a casino game that doesn’t enjoy the same popularity as some other table games like blackjack or Caribbean Stud, for example. However, there is still a fairly large base of players who enjoy an occasional hand of this classic game, especially from the ranks of high rollers.
Like so many games, baccarat has started its life in brick and mortar casinos but found its way online with the rise of internet casinos. These days, Ireland players can find a host of online casinos featuring different types of baccarat tables, from electronic ones to those hosted by live dealers.
Where to Play Baccarat
Baccarat is best played in live casinos of various online casinos. You don’t really want to play RNG Baccarat as you can’t really be sure that the odds are what they say they are. When you play Baccarat in live casinos you can be sure that the rules and odds are just the same as in a brick and mortar casino.
Be sure to choose one of the casinos we list on this page so you know you’re playing on not just a quality casino, but also a safe one.
How We Pick The Best Online Baccarat Casinos
Our team uses both their knowledge of the casino industry as well as their knowledge of being casino players to bring you the best baccarat casino sites in Ireland. We take many different things into account when judging each and every casino we come across online. These aspects include:
Fairness and Security
The number one thing we always take into account for any casino we review is the security that can be found on the site and the fairness of the games. Any online casino you play baccarat on should be secure – you are putting your money in there and so it should be safe.
The main thing we look for is that the casinos hold a licence from one of the big authorities in the gambling industry, such as the Malta Gaming Authority, UK Gambling Authority or the Curacao Gaming Control Board. SSL level encryption is also a must on any casino we list. This keeps all of the personal details you enter onto the site safe and is the same style of encryption that is used by the world’s biggest banks.
We also check to make sure that the casino games are fair and tested by an independent agency.
Casino Bonuses
Next up are the bonuses that are on offer. This is a major reason why many people sign up for a casino. Managing to get your hands on an impressive casino bonus can give you a great head start on your playtime.
From hundreds of free spins on the latest slot games to plenty of bonus money to play baccarat online, casinos will be sure to spoil you on your first deposit. You’ll also get regular promotions, with some casinos offering VIP and loyalty programs.
Games and software selection
As any good online casino that you can play Baccarat on, we expect there to be plenty of other games as well. This includes both live casino games and slot games, as you want the choice to be able to play them if you ever get bored of Baccarat games. Don’t forget about these games being from the biggest and best software developers in the industry.
Mobile casino compatibility
With the rise of people playing online casinos on their mobile phones, we make sure that you’ll be able to enjoy these baccarat games whilst you’re on the move. You want to be able to play a few quick rounds wherever and whenever you want – having a full casino in the palm of your hand.
Customer support
If you ever have a problem with the online casino, you want to know you can get any issues resolved quickly and professionally. Any casino we list will have at least 3 ways to communicate with them and professional staff.
Banking and payment options
Another big part of picking a casino is making sure it has legitimate and easy to use payment methods that you are comfortable with. You want to be able to use your preferred method of banking whilst also having the option of plenty of other methods just in case something goes wrong with that one.
We also make sure to check if there are any fees and any processing times for withdrawals.
Baccarat Rules
Baccarat is one of the simplest games to play and there isn’t much strategy involved. In fact, players’ decisions are limited to choosing where to place their bets before the cards are dealt. Everything that happens after that is pretty much automatic.
At the start of a baccarat hand, all players at the table have an opportunity to bet on one of three available fields: the player, the banker, and the tie. Although the first two fields are called the way they are called, none of the hands really belong to the house in a traditional sense as players are free to pick whichever side they like best.
Once all the players have placed their bets, the cards are dealt out. Four cards are dealt out, two for the player bet and two for the dealer bet. At this point, the dealer will look into both hands and, based on what they are, they’ll decide what happens next according to strict rules of the game.
How To Play Baccarat
In baccarat, the goal is to have the hand of the value as close as possible to the total of 9. The way cards are counted is the following:
- 10s and face cards are valued at 0 points
- Other cards have their face values
- If the total of the hand exceeds 10, the hand has the value of the second digit of the total score (i.e., 8 and 4 would have the value of 2)
Once the first four cards are dealt, the dealer will first look into the player’s hand. The following happens:
- If the hand total is 8 or 9, no more cards are dealt (this is called Natural)
- If the hand total is 6 or 7, no more cards are dealt
- On all other totals, the player’s hand will receive another card
Then, the dealer will look into their cards and, once again, act according to the rules of the game in deciding whether to take another card. These rules are a bit more complicated because they aren’t based just on the dealer’s hand but also on the player’s hand total.
All the rules applied to the player’s hand also apply to the dealer. However, there are additional rules:
- If the dealer’s total is 6, the dealer draws when the player’s hand is 6 or 7, otherwise, they stand
- If the total is 5, they draw on the players total 4 through 7, otherwise stand
- If the dealer’s total is 4, they draw on the player’s total 2 through 7
- If the dealer’s total is 3, they will only stand if the player’s total is 8
While these rules may seem a bit complicated, the good thing about online baccarat is that you don’t actually even need to know them. Dealers know the rules (or the computer software) and they will always act according to them. So, you’ll never get cheated in that sense.
It is also important to note that no hand can ever contain more than three cards. Once the third card is out, that’s it, and whatever the total is, that number will be used to determine the winner.
Different Versions of Baccarat Game
Whilst the game of baccarat has a very long and colourful history, different versions of Baccarat have evolved in different locations over the world. Probably the most widely played and well-known version is the classic ‘Punto Banco’, along with Chemin de fer and Baccarat en Banque, which we’ll go over now:
Chemin de fer
One of the oldest versions of Baccarat, this variation doesn’t have any banking option and was incredibly popular in France until 1837, when the country made casinos totally illegal. This version is mainly played in Europe and is pretty hard to find in American casinos.
Baccarat en Banque
Baccarat en Banque was described in a handbook as ‘the official version of Baccarat’ back in 1911 and is well known to be different from any other versions. This version of baccarat can sometimes be called “two tables” or “Deux tableaux”. This is another variation of Baccarat that isn’t so popular in casinos in Ireland, getting more attention in Europe.
Punto Banco
It’s the Punto Banco variation of online baccarat that you’ll see in most online casinos and land-based casinos today. It was first played and developed in Argentina back in the 1950s and has exploded in popularity since then, taking the name of ‘American baccarat’.
Mini Baccarat
A very popular online baccarat game, this version is a scaled-down and faster variation on Punto Banco. With mini-baccarat, stakes are typically smaller and the banker is always fixed instead of changing player. Players also never touch the cards.
Baccarat Payouts
In baccarat games spread on casinos catering to Ireland, standard game rules apply when it comes to player payouts. There is a difference between betting on the player hand and the banker hand in terms of payouts:
- Bets on the player’s hand are paid at 1:1
- Bets on the banker’s hand are usually paid at 0.95 to 1
- Tie bets are paid at 8:1 or 9:1, depending on the house rules
History of Baccarat
Baccarat has a very long and deep history that extends to way before online casinos were around – centuries before!
Whilst the exact point in history where baccarat was invented is unknown, it’s thought to have been created sometime during the 1400s’ by a gambler named Felix Falguiere. The game then flitters in and out of history until the mid 19th century, when the first written records of a game of baccarat appear. At this point, it was a card game that was popular with French nobles.
Baccarat grew in popularity throughout the 19th century and by the end of it, the game had managed to find its way all over Europe and even to America. It didn’t gain the popularity it has now though until the ’50s when it saw a sudden boost in renown. This was thanks to the punto banco, Chemin de fer and baccarat Banque versions of the game getting widely implemented into casinos.
In modern times, you’ll find a baccarat table at almost all land-based casinos and you can play baccarat online. You’ll be able to find plenty of different versions and variations as well, as it’s picked up popularity.
Online Baccarat Bonus
If you want to win real money when playing an online baccarat game, you need to make sure you have the right bankroll. making the amount of money you’ve got to play with stretch as far as possible is vital in baccarat if you want to walk away with a nice chunk of change.
That’s where casino and baccarat bonuses make a real difference. These bonuses will give baccarat players some free bonus money or game credits to play with. Some generous casinos will hand out hundreds or even thousands of dollars free for you to play online baccarat with – all without you having to risk any of your own bank balance. Among the best bonuses you can find at online casinos are:
Welcome Bonus
Almost every online casino in Ireland will offer new players a bonus for joining. The best welcome bonus to look for if you want to enjoy online baccarat games is a welcome package, which gives you a couple of different bonuses over your first few deposits. These are some of the most lucrative bonuses around!
Match Bonus
With a match bonus, the online casino will match or add a multiplier onto however much you deposit. This type of casino bonus can be part of a welcome bonus or welcome package and is absolutely great for using with baccarat games.
A match bonus will give you some extra bonus funds to use for your bets on baccarat games, meaning your bank balance is going to last longer. These match deposit bonuses will usually be between 50% all the way up to 300 or even 400%!
As an example, if you managed to get a 100% matched deposit bonus and deposited €200, then you’d have double the amount of money to play baccarat online! Who knows – maybe this extra €200 could lead to a big win!
Reload Bonuses
In an incentive to get players to make multiple deposits, many online casinos will offer what’s known as a reload bonus. These bonuses can be claimed when you ‘reload’ your account with funds. This is a great style of bonus if you think you’re going to be playing regularly, as you can get a nice little bonus to however much you deposit.
You can get match deposits or even straight-up bonus cash – either way, they’re well worth grabbing if you have the option from the online casino.
No Deposit Bonus
No deposit casino bonuses are some of the most sought after casino bonuses around. these bonuses are essentially giving you something for nothing – you’re getting some sort of casino bonus simply for signing up to the casino.
Thanks to how lucrative these baccarat bonuses are, they are incredibly rare and hard to find. You could be playing online baccarat games with absolutely none of your own money. The only downside with these casino bonuses is the fact that they award much lower amounts of free bonus cash compared to bonuses where you have to deposit.
VIP Bonus
With baccarat games featuring plenty of high rollers, it’s no surprise that many of the people playing baccarat online are looking for great VIP and loyalty schemes.
These bonuses lavishly reward regular players and are implemented by online casinos in Ireland as a way to make sure these high rolling players keep coming back. In terms of baccarat online, the best VIP bonuses you can get include match bonuses, free bonus cash and free bets for playing baccarat online.
When you reach the higher levels of the VIP program you can even find luxury trips abroad, customer bonuses specifically for baccarat and your very own online casino concierge.
Ongoing promotions
Many online baccarat casino sites and online gambling sites will have weekly or even daily promotions on offer for players to claim. These bonuses usually won’t be as good as the deposit bonus, but they are a nice little booster to your deposit.
These ongoing promotions can be themed around holidays as well, giving you bonuses for holidays like Christmas, Easter and more.
Mobile Casino Baccarat
With more and more players in Ireland playing their online casino games via their mobile devices, it only makes sense for baccarat casinos to develop technology that allows perfect play on any sized device.
It’s this rising number of mobile players that has caused many baccarat games in casinos to be built on the HTML5 system. This system makes any casino game work perfectly on any sized screen, so you get the same quality when playing on your mobile phone as you do when you’re on a fully-fledged desktop.
You can also find online casinos with apps that you can download onto your handheld devices. These allow for quick and easy access to whatever baccarat casinos and an easy way to you want whilst you’re on the go.
All of the casinos we list on this page will have plenty of different options that allow you to enjoy baccarat whilst on the go. You’ll also be able to enjoy plenty of other Games as well.
Developers of Online Baccarat
All casino games are developed by a software developer and this is no different for any baccarat game you play. Developers of baccarat online are some of the biggest software creators in the gambling industry, with plenty of live casino gaming heavyweights creating different variations for players to enjoy.
These software developers all have their own styles and quirks with their live dealer baccarat games. These games each have their own features, which gives baccarat players great choice in terms of what they want in a baccarat game.
Below is a list of the 6 biggest software developers for both real money and free baccarat games:
Playtech
Playtech is seen as one of the most prominent developers in live casino software – including baccarat. The stockpile of games you can find by Playtech includes great variety between games and the baccarat games are highly sought after at casinos.
Their baccarat games include VIP baccarat, Progressive baccarat, No commission baccarat and also their newest release Prestige baccarat. This new release features your standard version of online baccarat with the addition of five different camera angles and action replays of winning hands!
Microgaming
The live casino games from Microgaming have designs that you won’t find anywhere else and a focus on customizability and ease of use. The entire range of virtual games all come with a play for real money mode and a free play demo mode, allowing you ample time to practice and test out strategies.
The baccarat range by Microgaming has the bonus of being able to be played either individually or even in a multi-table style of play, with the other tables being any other live card game you want.
Evolution Gaming
Evolution Gaming is seen as the leader in live casino software, with their live games being run by fully trained professionals. No expense is spared with their live games – they have lavish sets that are located within prestigious real-life casinos and all games are streamed in the highest HD quality.
In terms of Evolution Baccarat games on offer, you’ve got plenty of different variations including Speed Baccarat, Choice of Roads and both control squeeze and squeeze variations. Evolution Gaming also spices up their baccarat games with special side bets and bonuses – such as for perfect pairs. If you’re after twists on the original baccarat format with the bonus to earn extra money with interesting bonuses and side bets, look no further than Evolution Gaming!
Extreme Live Gaming
Extreme Live Gaming is a developer that’s all about authenticity with their live games. Their Baccarat offering follows a more traditional Macau style, with the layout being 6 cards. The games are streamed from a luxurious studio with plenty of different side bets for both newcomers and high rollers to enjoy.
NetEnt
NetEnt are industry favourites, with probably the most stellar reputation out of all software providers. Whilst they’re most well known for their hit slots and Slots, they also offer a great range of diverse and entertaining table games.
These table games come with professional dealers and are powered by the innovative Chroma Key technology which they helped pioneer in the industry. Baccarat wise, their most famous software is the Punto Banco pro series of games.
Play n’ Go
As the name suggests, Play n’ Go has a major focus on mobile compatibility and mobile-friendly casino games. Thanks to this, some of the baccarat games are actually built to be played primarily on the phone – such as the six-deck mini-baccarat. This baccarat game is intuitively designed to fit the smaller screens of phones, with easy to use menus and buttons, making it perfect to play whilst on the move.
Baccarat Strategy
As you can see, baccarat is a simple game as far as players’ decisions are concerned as there is almost no interaction with the cards or the bets after initial wagers are placed. This limits possibilities for any real strategies. Although counting cards in live baccarat games could potentially yield a small edge, it is so minuscule that it’s not worth pursuing.
Banker bets are more favourable for the player, which is why they pay slightly less. Betting on ties is not advisable in online baccarat as this bet actually offers the worst odds. Other than this, if you consistently bet on the banker, the house edge will be around 1.17, which is definitely not too bad. That said, there is virtually nothing you can do to actually cut this edge, so proper bankroll management and walking away after a lucky streak is the only strategy that can keep you in the game longer.
Some common strategies include:
1-3-2-4
This is a strategy specifically designed to increase the amount you wager. The whole idea is that you start by adjusting the amount you bet each round and when you do so in this special way, you can cover any losses you incur.
Just like any baccarat strategy though, this strategy isn’t completely bulletproof – the simple rule of making your budget stretch as far as possible stands here as it does with any strategy!
One-sided
This is one of the simplest Baccarat strategies around, with you just having to focus on consistently betting on the banker or the player. You bet on ‘one side’ until you lose 3 times in a row, and then you stop betting. You then wait until your choice starts to win the game again. This is a very simple strategy and we would recommend having a target amount you want to win before you start implementing it!
Paroli
The Paroli system is well known in various table games and is one of the few systems where you actually increase your bet every time you win. The sequence of bets you want to place is 1-2-4, and after you complete the sequence you start betting from 1 again.
Baccarat Tips
Here are a few quick tips to help you with your baccarat games:
*If you decide you want to play baccarat in a land-based casino, you want to look around for casinos where the commission for the house (also known as the rake) is less than 5% – that’s the standard amount you would pay with an online casino.
*Try out different strategies and see which one compliments your playstyle the best. When you have a strategy you can curb some of your losses.
*Don’t place bets on ties. These bets have a high payout so may look enticing, but you will get caught out with the higher house edge rate – 14.4%! You’ll most likely be better off just making a banker bet or player bet.
*Finally, one of the betting options which has the higher odds is betting on the banker. The banker has slightly higher odds of winning – 45.8% – instead of the 44.6% odds you would get from betting on the player.
Free Online Baccarat Games
Free baccarat is a great way for you to practice your skills, learn the game and implement new strategies. We would suggest all new players have a few rounds on a free version, just to get the pace of the game and a general feel for it. You can often find free versions of baccarat from many of the software developers on the casinos we list.
Games Like Baccarat
A table game that gets compared to Baccarat a lot is Blackjack. Both of these card games have big fan bases and great house edges. Blackjack is often seen as the most popular game in casinos, with baccarat a close second – especially in Asian casinos.
Both games can involve side bets and strategy, with the right strategy being incredibly lucrative. Baccarat has a small advantage here though – the strategies can’t be influenced by other players, which can happen with Blackjack.
In terms of other table games which involve strategy, you could also look at roulette, poker or dragon tiger. This is seen as a two-card version of baccarat and is incredibly popular in Asia. The game also features side bets and simple gameplay like baccarat.
Baccarat Online FAQs
What’s the objective of baccarat?
The whole point of the game is to get the hand that’s closest to 9. No hand can go over 9, and if the total of your hand is over 9 then you drop the first digit of the hand. So a 16 becomes a 6.
Are these different variations of baccarat?
There are plenty of different versions of baccarat for you to enjoy. The online casinos will provide interesting versions, each with its own gameplay mechanics and side bets. This keeps things interesting so you don’t get bored just playing the same old standard baccarat game all the time!
What are the odds in baccarat?
Baccarat has one of the highest payout rates of any casino game out there – the RTP hovers around 98%. This means you’ve got some pretty good odds against the house. remember that it’s still a game of chance though!
Are baccarat games online rigged?
Nope. The casinos we list on this page have all been verified to be fair and have their games tested by an independent auditor.
Can I get baccarat casino bonuses?
If you’re looking to boost your bank balance for playing Baccarat then the best casino bonus you can get is the match deposit. This bonus could potentially double or even triple the amount of money you play baccarat online with – making your bank balance stretch much further.
As with any casino bonus though, make sure you thoroughly read through the terms and conditions before signing up for the bonus.
Is there free baccarat?
Most of the software developers who have baccarat software will have demo modes, which allow you to enjoy the game for free. These free versions are really good for practising and testing out new strategies.
