Best Online Baccarat Sites for Real Money in 2024

Baccarat, a casino game common in land-based casinos, is available in New Zealand. As online casinos gain traction, Kiwi players can experience this card game featuring straightforward rules and strategic elements. The game’s accessibility through online platforms has made it a popular choice among the online gambling community.

This page presents information about top baccarat casinos, popular types of baccarat, rules, strategy and 5 tips

What Is Baccarat?

Baccarat is a slow-paced exciting game that doesn’t require any skills or strategy. This game has two or three cards where the hand with a higher score is the one that wins. Baccarat is a game of chance that was traditionally for high rollers. Online versions of this game are for all kinds of players regardless of bank balance.

Types Of Baccarat Games

Baccarat is a game with multiple variations such as Bac Bo a unique dice baccarat game from Evolution Gaming. Each variant has particular side bets and rules. For anyone interested in baccarat, here are the variants to choose from.

Punto Banco

This version of baccarat has been popular in land-based casinos for years and is now available online. Playing Punto Banco involves the dealer handling all the card action, including shuffling, cutting, and dealing.

Online casinos in New Zealand that offer this baccarat version give players an immersive experience with live camera views of the dealer and table in live HD streaming. The game has various betting limits with customizable options to match the players’ bankroll and aesthetics.

Online Punto Banco has different betting limits, and players can play demo games. The game comes with stunning graphics with gameplay backed by features like audio controls and history, allowing players to enjoy it on various devices.

Chemin de Fer

One of the oldest baccarat versions, Chemin de Fer, was popular among French nobles before spreading throughout England and the US. This baccarat version doesn’t have an online version but is available in brick-and-mortar casinos in France.

Chemin de Fer differs from other baccarat versions, with players betting against each other. In this game, players set a bet covering their opponents and hold the bank. Tables for this baccarat version are kidney-shaped, with 12 seats for players, one for the banker, and two for the dealers.

A banker stands among the first and last players overlooking the dealers. Less than eight players play this game, while the biggest number is 12. The game involves six decks in a shoe moving counterclockwise across the table.

Baccarat Banque

This baccarat version became popular in France simultaneously as Chemin de Fer and was its banking counterpart. The game is popular in Europe, especially in France, and was played in Monaco at specially designed double conjoined tables with 10 to 16 players.

The dealer sits, separating the table into the right and left sides, making more players participate in a round. Onlookers may only place bets if players fail to cover the bank bet. This game has three decks, instead of the regular six or eight in other variants.

Players can take turns to be the bank but don’t play against each other. The player playing the banker makes n;t cover bets from other players. In this game, the person with the biggest wager remains the banker until they finish their bankroll, the shoe is entirely played out, or they can’t keep placing bets anymore.

A player who stakes the highest becomes the banker and sits opposite the dealer. The game begins when everyone sits.

Macao

Macao baccarat is more popular for Asian players. The game is played with eight packs of 52 cards. Players aim at reaching nine, the highest value with not less than two or not more than three cards. The game is played against the croupier.

During the game, the banker distributes three cards on the desk. The highest hand possible is three face cards. Both player and banker must have a hand with similar points. The hand having more face cards becomes the winner. If not, the game is a tie.

How To Play Baccarat Online

After knowing where to play Baccarat in New Zealand and opening an account, it is time to know how to play this game online.

Online Baccarat requires placing a wager and pushing the deal. There’re no playing decisions since the embedded action grid determines all decisions. Players need to understand the game’s strategies and idiosyncrasies.

The game’s emphasis lies in the strategies. A set of baccarat rules dictate the turn of each card. The cards are laid on the table and live-streamed for everyone to see. All cards have a face value of zero or 10. Counting other cards is at face value.

4 Steps To Play Baccarat

Playing is very simple, and players don’t need to know all the baccarat rules. The dealer controls all the action. Playing baccarat online in New Zealand is simple and requires betting on the player or banker and watching to see what happens.

Here are the steps to playing baccarat like a pro:

• Placing your bets

You begin by placing your bet on the player hand, banker hand, or a tie. There’s also a chance to place extra bets on either the player or banker pair.

• Playing the cards

After placing bets, the banker awards two cards to himself the player. The pair whose value is closest to none wins. A tie is when the banker and player have the same hand value.

• Need for a third card

When the value of the banker or player hand is not more than five, there’s a need to draw a third card whose value contributes to the first results.

• Understand how bet pair work

Adding pair bets for player and banker hands spices up your first bet. You win with pair bets when the first two cards win without need for a third card.

Rules of Baccarat

According to the rule of the game, all betting on any hand must be completed before a hand begins. The game begins with two cards for dealing with the two hands: the player hand and the bank hand.

The objective of live baccarat is to predict which hand subsequently acquires a total closest to nine. Players do this by betting on the player hand, bank hand, or a tie. When determining the hand total, all tens and face cards are worth zero, an ace is worth one, and other cards maintain the amount on their face value.

If the hand score exceeds nine, then it’s adjusted by deducting ten from the first total. The house rules at the venue determine whether the player or player hands draw a third hand. There’s always a maximum of three cards for any hand.

A correct bet on the winning player hand qualifies for a one-to-one payout. Even those who make a correction prediction on the winning bank hand get a one-to-one payout. A 5% commission also applies. This reduces the payout odds on the hand from 20 to 19.

Winning bets get a payout of eight to one.

Baccarat Score Card

Baccarat’s scoreboard is for tracking previous results. There are many methods to keep score, and players choose any to determine their next bets. A score card starts when a new shoe begins and ends when the shoe runs out.

Players receive a blank scorecard at the table in brick-and-mortar casinos for taking notes and tracking results. However, players see the results automatically for every live dealer on the baccarat table NZ at online casinos.

Baccarat Tie

A tie in baccarat is when players bet that the outcome of the next hand between the player and banker is a draw. Many players of this game don’t like ties because the odds of it happening are few, and it comes with a 15% house edge.

A tie pays eight to one or nine to one. Wagering one unit on the hand leads to a tie and a win to get eight or nine more units. It sounds very appealing but tie bets rarely happen. Many statistics reveal that tie bets happen once for every 11 hands.

Players are more likely to choose a tie on tables paying eight to one since eight is associated with luck and prosperity in some cultures. The dealer is more likely to call “Press, Change or Rearrange” when a tie appears.

Ties are always in pairs making most players remove their bets or move them to the opposite side. Selecting “Press” is likely to double the first bet.

Baccarat Drawing Rules

Playing baccarat requires following particular rules.

Player’s hand

A win or tie happens when the player or banker scores eight or nine in their first two cards to begin a new deal. A natural nine beats a natural eight. If a player’s first two cards make zero to five, then the player must draw a third card.

The player can’t draw a third card when the first two cards are six or seven. The banker must draw zero to five on the score and follow the given criteria regardless of whether they win with two cards.

Rules for drawing apply automatically for the player and banker without making decisions.

Baccarat Strategy

Learning baccarat NZ is easy, but consistent wins require having some strategies. Before playing baccarat, players must determine which bets give them the best chances of winning. Here’re some strategies to consider.

Opt For Banker Bets

One of the best baccarat strategies is the banker bet. Players are likely to win despite the house taking a 5% commission on banker bets. A six or eight-deck game available at most baccarat casinos has the house edge on this bet at just 1.06%, while that of player bets is at 1.24%.

The odds of winning baker bets are at about 45.85% compared to player bets, with odds at 44.62%. Although the house edge and winning odds may vary by baccarat casino, banker bets are usually better than player bets.

Don’t Go For Tie Bets

Tie bets are appealing at first glance. But, avoid them when looking to win in baccarat NZ. Tie bets promise to pay nine to one, although they rarely happen. Players have a 95 chance of hitting this bet, whose house edge is usually 14%.

Pro baccarat players agree that tie bets aren’t worthwhile since earning wins is rare. Understanding every bet’s house edge and odds is crucial while playing baccarat.

Paroli Baccarat

This is a positive progression strategy for baccarat. In order for players to use this strategy, they have to set the initial bet value. Players keep the same bet after a loss but earn double for every win. Some players opt for double bets after particular wins, but others double after every win.

The Parelli strategy comes with a low risk of making big losses. On the flip side, it has a small win. Overall, we recommend the strategy for new or risk-averse players.

Fibonacci Strategy

Based on the Fibonacci mathematics sequence, this is a negative progression system. The strategy adds every two last numbers to come to the next one in the sequence. In betting, it begins with ones and continues.

The strategy makes players treat their bet as a unit. This strategy moves the player up to the next number after each loss. After winning, the player moves back by two numbers. Although this strategy seems complex, it can be easy to use once learned.

The Fibonacci strategy is wonderful for allowing players to change their bets constantly depending on the outcome. After winning, players pull back to bet more cautiously, then move up the sequence again to recoup after losing.

Despite being a negative strategy, it works better for players who don’t fear risks. We recommend players with limited funds to use other strategies that make their money last, like Parelli.

Labouchere Strategy

This negative progression strategy is among the most complex for baccarat. We strongly recommend it for experienced players. The Labouchere strategy resembles the Martingale strategy (often used in blackjack) in various ways.

Players usually make losses. Instead of aiming at a single jackpot to recoup after a loss, this strategy focuses on various tiny wins. It aims at increment recouping losses over time but not one huge win.

It begins with the player writing sequence numbers for adding. Players should focus on the higher end of what they’re likely to bet. The first bet sums up the first and last figures in the sequence. Winning on that bet crosses out these two numbers to place another bet.

The bet this time equals the sum of the remaining first and last digits. When the player loses the bet, they can add another number at the end of the best list. If the player decides to cycle through their numbers, they may write a new sequence to start over.

The Labouchere strategy is complex, with near-infinite permutations according to the player’s sequence. Before its high-risk and high-reward potential, we recommend this strategy for experienced players and high rollers. Beginner players are likely to find it hard to keep up.

Flat Betting Strategy

This baccarat strategy separates positive and negative progressions. The strategy allows betting a similar bet on each hand without increasing or decreasing the bet. This strategy is simple for players.

Flat betting is effective and simple. Although the strategy doesn’t recoup losses using huge wins, it’s less risky than other strategies. We recommend this strategy for beginners.

How To Win At Online Baccarat?

Baccarat is the simplest online casino game. Players have to guess a winning hand and pray for the best. It involves betting on the hand nearest to nine in value. Unlike blackjack and poker, baccarat doesn’t need a complex strategy.

Players have to understand the rules and place bets. Simplicity is the trick to winning at baccarat casinos. This is highly effective at increasing the chances of huge earnings.

Here are some pointers to improve winning chances playing online baccarat

• Understand gameplay
• Go for small stakes
• Avoid tie bets
• Use our recommended casinos
• Keep practising

5 Helpful Baccarat Tips

Learning baccarat how to play and become a pro is quick. The game is becoming popular for Kiwis for being comparatively simple compared to blackjack. Baccarat NZ is a game of luck and chance, although mastering these helpful tips will swell your earnings.

• Go through the terms and conditions

Before you begin playing baccarat at any casino, you must go through the terms and conditions. You’ll be in a better position to know what to expect and what the casino expects from you.

• Understand the game odds

You have to understand how the banker or player odds win. The banker hand has a 45.8% chance of winning, player hand at 44.6%, and ties at 9.6%.

• The banker is the best bet

In Baccarat, the banker hand is the best bet for having 45.8% chances of winning. The chances of winning using this bet are 51%.

• Gamble until the banker loses

The banker bet has a one percent edge over the player hand bet but it’s significant when it comes to winning.

• Use the 1-2-3-4 strategy to change the bet size

This strategy allows increasing your bet size wherever you win a hand. The strategy where you bet only four units on the fourth bet to reduce the win/loss variance

Related Baccarat Games

Apart from slots and roulette, online casinos offer baccarat. It is an exciting and interesting game of chance. However, there are other new and fresh games like blackjack and Spanish 21 for playing, like baccarat. Let’s go through them in detail below.

Blackjack

Blackjack is a popular game that some people call a cousin of baccarat. Players aim to beat the dealer at getting a higher card count. The game involves playing against the dealer but not other players.

Face cards are worth 10, ace 1, or 11 and other cards at face value. In this game, the best hand is when the total value of the first two cards is 21. Players need odds calculating skills or count counting and a chance to win.

Blackjack is fast-paced, with various bets available online. We recommend this game for professionals and beginners.

Spanish 21

A relatively new game, Spanish 21 is like baccarat and has been in casinos for about two decades. The game is growing in popularity because of players who love baccarat and blackjack.

Spanish 21 is inspired by blackjack, and their rules are alike. However, some twists in Spanish 21 like giving the player advantage. The game has six to eight decks of 48 cards each. All ten-point cards get removed from the game, which may disadvantage the player.

Fortunately, other rules compensate for this, as the dealer must draw on 16 or under. Alternatively, the dealer must stand on 17 and over. A player beats the dealer when both have 21.

Spanish 21 begins like blackjack, with the player placing a bet before the first hand is dealt before normal action starts. Afterwards, the player begins hitting, standing, splitting, or doubling. Any player who enjoys baccarat and blackjack also enjoys Spanish 21.

Baccarat Facts

1. Baccarat is a card game played in online casinos.
2. The game is between the “player” and the “banker”.
3. Each baccarat coup or round of play has three potential outcomes: “player”, “banker”, or “tie”.
4. Playing baccarat requires six to eight standard 52-card decks.
5. To determine the hand value is adding the values of the cards in the hand. The Ace is worth one, two to nine cards are worth their face value, and the 10, Jack, Queen, and King are worth zero.
6. Nine is the highest possible baccarat hand value.
7. You aim at getting a hand value as close to nine as possible.
8. The minimum bet for Baccarat vary by casino and may start from $5.
9. The house edge in baccarat of about 1%, is among the lowest for casino games.
10. Baccarat is a popular game among high rollers and VIPs.
11. Casual players love this game for being fast-paced and easy to learn.
12. Baccarat is a game of chance, but players can use some strategies to improve their winning chances.
13. Always remember to use your chips wisely by betting on the banker’s hand when playing baccarat.

References

Baccarat

Baccarat History

New Zealand Gambling Commission

NZ Department of Internal Affairs

Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand

Safer Gambling Aotearoa

GambleAware