Learn more Baccarat, James Bonds favourite game! Here at Wisegambler, we tell you all about online and live baccarat and you can also make informed decisions on our information!
Baccarat Online and Live Baccarat
Online Baccarat is a favourite amongst high rollers, but don’t get us wrong, no matter what skill level or bet level you want to play at, you can. This is one of the oldest games on the globe and has grown to be a favourite by many. There are 3 different types of Baccarat, namely Punto Banco, Chemin de Fer and Banque. NetEnt offers two types of Baccarat, namely standard Online Pro and the Punto Banco version.
Top NetEnt Online Baccarat Variants
The two Online Baccarat variants that NetEnt have to offer is all you need to enjoy your favourite game. Here is some information about each variant:
NetEnt’s Baccarat Pro
Baccarat Professional Series offers a 98.94 payout percentage and plays with 8 decks of cards with 52 cards in each deck. In Baccarat the general rule of thumb is to get to nine points or as close to it. And you can bet on one of three options to win, namely a Tie, the player or the banker. The card scores are simple, 2 to 9 are face value, 10, King, Queen and Jacks are worth 10 points and an Ace are worth 1 point. If you get a card valued at 10 and another card from 2-9 this means you are above 9 and 10 will be subtracted. For example, you get a King and a 6, it’s 10 + 6 = 16, minus 10, and therefore it leaves you with 6.
Your betting options include €1, €5, €10 and €50, your smallest bet amount is €1 and the largest amount is €100. Settings that you can change include background music, speed, sounds and game history.
NetEnt’s Punto Banco
There is no major difference between NetEnt’s Baccarat Pro and Punto Banco. In Online Baccarat, Punto Banco is a type of Baccarat, in other words, it’s a synonym for Baccarat. The same, the aim of Punto Banco is to choose who you think will win. Between the Bank, the player or a tie between the two. This table game bases on chance and uses 6 decks of cards with 52 cards in each deck. The difference comes in with the Jack, Queen and King values at 0, not 10. Find 3 different levels of bets:
- High Bets: You can bet €10 minimum and €1000 maximum
- Standard Bets: You can bet €1 minimum and €100 maximum
- Low Bets: You can bet €0.10 minimum and €10 maximum
NetEnt’s Punto Banco Rules
Settings can change including sounds, speed, background music and game history (in this version you can choose to activate or deactivate this). Punto Banco has two different third card rules:
- Punto: If a player has 0-5 points he will get a third card.
- Banco: When the bank has 0-5 points he will get a third card. There are many other ways for the bank to draw a third card.
In Punto Banco you can find situations where third cards are drawn by the banker:
| The Player Draws | The Banker Draws |
| 2 or 3 | Draw 0-4 and stand at 5-7 |
| 4 or 5 | Draw 0-5 and stand at 6-7 |
| 6 or 7 | Draw 0-6 and stand at 7 |
| 8 | Draw 0-4 and stand at 3-7 |
| 9, 10 or face card | Draw 0-3 and stand at 4-7 |
Baccarat Professional Series
Baccarat Professional Series is a thrilling game that is played between banker and player. Gamers looking for something simple and yet exciting will enjoy Baccarat Pro as it follows the standard rules with a 9 to 1 payout for a tie. This series is available in Low Roller, High Roller and a VIP version available upon request. This Professional Series is a production of NetEnt, this software is recognized in the online gaming industry for delivering some of the highest quality entertainment. This game follows suit featuring rich graphics and crystal clear when it comes to sound!
How to play Baccarat Professional Series
This table game is not hard to grasp. It is a thriller, although not the most complex of table games. The main objective of this game is to score as close to a total of nine points as possible by beating the other side. Your goal is to receive an eight or 9 as referred to as ‘natural’. Betting options are limited to these selections; bank, tie and player. Below is a list of card scores in case you are not familiar with this table game:
- Numbers 2 – 9 represent their face value
- Ace – The Card is worth 1 Point or 10
- Jack, Queen and King are also worth 10
10 points are subtracted from the total when you receive 10 points or more, therefore a player cannot receive more than 9 points. 9 is the highest score to achieve. Just to clarify, if you have a 5 card and a jack, the total will equal 15. Of that 15 points, 10 points are always subtracted giving you a total of 5 points in your hand. Remember the objective is to score as close to 9 as possible!
In this table game, 2 cards are dealt but a third card may be dealt when the player has 0-5 points, or the player doesn’t take a card where else the bank has taken a card of the value less than 5 points.
Features of Baccarat Professional Series
Baccarat Professional Series allows the player the option to select the background, adjust sounds and music tracks available at the Game Settings menu panel. The menu also includes the game history and adjustable card dealing speed. Additionally, features include the Fun Game Play option, which lets the gamer have a free trial before placing real money bets.
Live Baccarat – What Is It?
Live Baccarat gives people the chance to interact live with casino dealers in a casino. you view them on your computer screen in real time. gone are the days where you sit alone at home and play your favourite games, you can now enjoy some great interaction with Live dealers. The live dealer will shuffle your cards and deal, they will then move to the third card rule and you get to do this all in the comfort of your own home.
Live Baccarat gives you the chance to stream directly to the casino and allows you to play against a real-life dealer. You choose your bets and the options just like you would on online baccarat but now you get to enjoy some interaction while you do it!
Features of Live Baccarat
There are many different features of live baccarat depending on the variation you choose. Some cool features include:
- Live Streaming to a table at an online casino
- The live dealer hands out your cards at the casino
- All your choices are made in real time
- You can choose your bets just like you would on an online baccarat game
- Relax at home but still enjoy a real-life experience
- You can even chat with other players using a chat function
Advantages of Live Baccarat
So, you want interaction, but you don’t feel like the issues of having to dress up and travel all the way to your nearest casino. then you need to try live games and live baccarat! You get the interaction you would at a land-based casino, but this time you can relax in your own home.
For those who are more sceptic about playing online casino games, you should try live games. You are able to see everything that is happening right in front of you. you will watch the dealer deal live and have the human component of playing live.
Other great advantages include playing at whatever time suits your schedule, the house edge doesn’t change, and you play with real cards instead of those digital ones you find on online baccarat!
Rules of Live Dealer Baccarat
So, how do you play live dealer baccarat? You play it the same way you would any other game. The dealer will deal two cards for both the banker and the player. Your aim of the game is to get as close to 9 points as you can! You only choose one of 3 bets (the banker wins, the player wins or there is a tie).
There is also the third card rule for the player which is applicable when the banker or player has 9 points, then there is no need for a third card. Or, if the player has less then 5 then a third card will be drawn.
For the bankers’ third card rule, the banker will always draw a third card if his hand is 2 or less, equals to 3, totals a 4, 5 or 6. If the banker gets a 7 with his first two cards he will stand!
