Baccarat is often overlooked by casino players in favour of roulette, blackjack or slots. One of the reasons is that smaller live casinos in the UK may not offer a baccarat table and another is that many players aren’t sure how to play. This is why mobile casinos offer the perfect opportunity to try this classic casino game for the first time.
In the past, live casino baccarat was reserved for seriously high rollers, so most players wouldn’t have had the chance to get involved. These days, traditional baccarat has often been replaced by punto banco or punto 2000, which offer the same game with smaller minimum bets and simpler rules.
Baccarat has a glamorous, sophisticated image and it is certainly one of James Bond’s favourites! Another great reason to play is that this game offers one of the lowest house edges of any casino game, so it is worth checking out if you want to make money at mobile casinos.
In baccarat, the cards 2 to 9 are worth face value, Aces are worth 1 and the royal cards and 10 are worth 0. The score of a hand is the sum of its card values and the best score to achieve is 9. Traditional baccarat allows the player to make the choices about his hand, whereas in the more common punto banco and punto 2000, the house plays out both hands according to a set of rules.
Here’s how it works:
In modern baccarat or punto banco, players can bet on either Banker or Player, with cards drawn to each hand in turn according to the set rules. Winning Banker bets pay 19/20 or even money with a 5% commission. Winning Player bets pay even money. The Banker bet has a smaller house edge at 1.06%, compared with the Player 1.24%, so it makes sense to bet on Banker, even with the extra 5% tax.
In punto 2000, no tax is paid on Banker wins, instead the bet always pays even money except if Banker wins with a 6, in which case 50% tax is taken. Punto 2000 offers a slightly higher house edge at 1.46%, but some find the game more fun as it tends to be faster when played live and players like the simple nature of the payouts.
There is one golden rule to remember for baccarat – don’t bet on a tie. The tie bet in baccarat is known to be one of the worst bets in the casino for players as, by normally paying out at odds of 8-1, it has a high house edge of 14%. Even with a 9-1 payout, which some casinos offer, the house edge is still the highest on the table at 4%. So steer clear of this mug’s bet and you’ll be well on your way to your first baccarat win.
Another quick tip to remember is to keep an eye out for the fewer deck games in order to lower the house edge and therefore increase your winning chances further.
Baccarat has a glamorous image and features in many films – and with the modern versions making the game even more accessible and mobile casinos offering a great way to practice, there’s never been a better time to become James Bond for the night!