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Baccara
The History of the game dates back to the early 1400s in medieval Italy when a man called Felix Falguiere created a game called Baccara, which meant zero because, at the time, all face cards and tens were worth zero. The name was a French adoption of the real name.
The game is based on an old legend where a virgin had to throw a nine-faced die to determine her fate. If she got 8 or 9, she would become a priestess. In case she got a 6 or 7, she would take part in religious events. However, if she threw lower than 6, she would drown at sea.
How to Play Online Baccara?
When you pick a number at the table, you will have two hands and must decide which of the hands to bet. The first hand is called banker or Banco while the other hand is called Player or Punto. Cards are then dealt automatically by a virtual dealer. It is a custom for the dealer to bet on Banco but can decide to bet on Punto.
The two hands will be dealt before you choose the hand to bet on. Essentially, you are betting on the hand that you believe will win or predict a tie. It is like black or red in Roulette. You may opt not to deal, and the shoe will pass to the next player. This shoe remains with one player if the bank carries the day. However, when Punto wins, the shoe is passed to the next player.
Both Player and banker bets pay off even money (1:1) However, if you win on Banker, you will be required to pay a casino tax of 5%. The tax was established from a study over a period that found that, on average, Banco would win three to four times more than Punto.
Each of the hands is dealt two to three cards. The dealer will put two cards that face down under the shoe. Then, after dealing all the cards, the dealer will show the cards and announce the winner. The winner is the hand with the highest count.
If either of the hands has a count of eight or nine, it is said to be Natural and does not get any more cards. If the hand is not a natural, the dealer will deal a third card to the hand. If the player and banker tie, all the players that bet on tie bets win.
Where there is nobody with a tie or a natural, the value of the hands for the player on the table dictates what would happen next. Players with card values of either 6 or 7 stands while players with card values of 5 and below get a third card. The values of the cards are then added up and the highest hand wins.
Play Baccarat Online for Free/for Fun
It is possible to play Baccarat for free in many of the online casinos around the world. Playing free online Baccarat allows you to learn the basics of the game without risking a coin in the process. All new players are encouraged to start by playing free to develop a skill before they start placing real money bets on the game.
In most online casinos, you do not need to sign up or log in to your account to play the free baccarat online. Just head to the card or live games section and select one of the games with a free game offer. Free game players get all the features of the real game players, including sound effects, background music and quality graphics. There are also free mobile Baccarat games. Check for the free games with your favourite casino.
Variants of the Baccarat online
There are several variants that you can play in online casinos. Here are some of them.
Punto Banco
This variant is also called American or Nevada Baccarat. This is a game of chance driven by precise rules and not strategy or skill. Interestingly, this is the most popular variant and available in many casinos around the UK.
Chemin de Fer
This is the original game that was adopted in France from the Italians. This variant is very rare and not available in many online casinos. Players in land casinos take part in shuffling cards and their own decisions can affect the outcome of the game.
Banque
In this version, one of the players in the game takes the role of the dealer for the whole game, unlike Chemin de Fer where all players take their chance. There is a few numbers of decks in this game, but it has many bet options for the player. The version is popular across Europe.
Mini
This is the mini version of the game which only accommodates seven players. The version of the game is popular across North America’s live casinos. Unlike the bigger version, the dealer also acts as the banker.
Mobile Baccarat
Most casinos now allow you to play Baccarat online via your mobile device. Mobile versions can be played via the HTML based mobile casino or apps. Nowadays most online casinos have apps for both the Android and iPhone platforms.
Most of the leading gaming software providers such as RealTime Gaming, Microgaming and NetEnt have several tables that can be accessed via mobile phone. There are different rules and payouts for each version of the games. The layout of the table in many mobile casinos are responsive to the size of the screen for an optimal experience.
Useful Tips and Tricks for Baccarat online
- Stay off the tie bets where possible: This game has very low house edges for both the player and banker. The player has a house edge of just 1.24% while the banker has a house edge of 1.06%. However, the tie has an edge of 14.4%. Clearly, the tie bet has so many odds of losing than any of the other bets on the table. Keep off the bet as much as you can.
- Banker is clearly the best bet: If you are getting started on live Baccarat table, consider going for the Banker bet. The Banker has over 55% chance of winning all the time. This is the reason why there is a 5% commission on the winnings. Definitely, this is the best bet you can place. There are still good odds for winning in the player bets, but you are best placed if you take the banker bet.
- Wait for at least one decision after the loss of a banker: Keep going with the banker until it makes a loss. However, do not bet too aggressive on your bets to reduce the chances of making several losses. When you finally lose the Banker bet, do not be too fast to jump into the next bet. Wait for a decision before you place a bet. From the decision, after a deal, you decide if you will go for Player or the Banker.
