Play Baccarat with Crypto

First of all let’s take a look at the basics. How does Baccarat work?

In Baccarat there are two opposing sides, the Player and the Banker. Each of these sides is dealt two or three cards, and the goal is to hit as close to a 9 as possible. The objective of players in Baccarat is to place bets and predict which side wins, or if the round will end in a tie. A typical baccarat round will work as follows:

1. Bets are placed on Player, Banker or Tie.
2. The cards are dealt
3. The Player’s hands are revealed, then the Banker’s. The score is calculated
4. If necessary, a third card is dealt to one or both hands (see Drawing Rules below)
5. The final score is calculated
6. Winnings are paid

How the score is calculated

The score in baccarat is easy to calculate. Cards from 1-9 are worth as many points as their number, while 10 and face cards are worth 0 points.

Once the hand is dealt, each card’s number is added. If the result is more than 2 digits, then only the units digit counts. Therefore, the maximum number of points someone can have in baccarat is 9. For example, let’s say your hand is an 8 and a 6, for a total of 14. We then drop the tens digit, giving us a score of 4 points. See here some more examples:

• 7 + A = 8
• 3 + 4 =7
• 5 + 5 = 10 - 10 = 0
• Q + J = 0
• 2 + 4 + 6 = 12 - 10 = 2

In classic Baccarat, after the 4 cards are revealed, the round ends and no more cards are drawn if:

• The Player’s or the Banker’s hand is equal to 8 or 9 - what is known as a Natural Hand. Whichever side’s hand gets a Natural 8 or Natural 9 wins.
• One side’s hand sums up to 6 points and the other’s sums to 7. The hand with the highest score wins.
• There is a tie on 6, 7, 8, or 9 points. In this case, the Tie bet wins.

If there is any other outcome, the Drawing rules come into effect.

Drawing rules

Whenever the first four cards are not enough to determine the outcome of the round (i.e. if both the Player and the Banker have 0-7 points) the Third Card Rule comes into play, determining whether more cards will be drawn and who they will be for.

The Player always goes first, and the ruling is based on the table below:

Based on what the previous draws were, the Banker then may draw a card. The table below breaks it down:

Main and Side Bets in Baccarat

For the Main Bets in classic Baccarat, you predict the outcome of the round, choosing between Player Wins, where the Player has the points closest to 9, Banker Wins, where the Banker scored closest to 9, or Tie, where the points total is the same for both hands. Each betting field is traditionally color coded as follows: The Player’s betting field is blue, the Banker’s betting field is red and Tie is marked by green.

As for Side Bets, many providers have thrown a variety of betting options into the mix to keep things interesting. Side betting options that you may encounter include:

• Player Pair or Banker Pair: it can be a perfect pair, a colored pair or a mixed pair.
• Either pair: this kind of bet wins if the first two cards of either the Player’s or the Banker’s hand form a pair in value or letter.
• Perfect pair: in order for this type of bet to win, the first two cards of either the Player’s or the Banker’s hand have to form a perfect pair, i.e. they must be of the same value and suit.
• Player Bonus or Banker Bonus: Bonus bets win on a natural 8 or 9 by 4 or more points.

Most crypto casinos’ baccarat offering spans a massive spectrum. Each variation can be found as a live game with a real dealer, or as a fully digital option that uses a Random Number Generator (RNG), which is essentially a baccarat video game.

On a live table, players typically watch a stream of a real person dealing the cards. Depending on the provider, a larger or smaller number of players can connect to each table and play with that dealer at the same time, bringing a social element to this typically solitary online experience.

RNG baccarat is great for beginners as we can take as much time as we want, while live dealer versions are faster and more immersive. Each option has its upsides and downsides, so give each a try to figure out which one is best for you.

In order to maximize your bankroll and try to curb the unpredictability of this game of chance it’s important to have a solid strategy. Here you can find some strategies that some people swear by, while others curse. When all is said and done, it’s really important to remember that baccarat is a game of chance - at the end of the day it’s all up to the gods of fortune.

Back the Banker Strategy

In classic baccarat, the Banker has a slight advantage - it’s slightly more likely for the Banker to win (45.86% chance of winning) than for the Player (44.62% chance of winning). In order to balance this out, Banker winning bets pay out 0.95:1 as opposed to the 1:1 for the Player.

Backing the Banker simply means you keep betting on the Banker, no matter what. Simple, clear and straightforward - but remember, this is a game of chance. The winning or losing streaks are unpredictable!

Martingale Strategy

This is a betting strategy where you double down on your losing bet. Each time you lose, you double that amount for the next round’s bet to ensure that you will make up the money you lost so far and make a profit to boot.

It doesn’t take too much to see that you would need seriously deep pockets to keep up with such a strategy and not blow through your whole budget. Not to mention, it is not a foolproof strategy, as baccarat is a game of chance - even if you track trends there is no guarantee that you can accurately predict the next round’s outcome.

This betting strategy can be applied to a number of casino games, but beware - it’s not for the faint of heart, or the shallow of pocket.

Paroli Strategy

The Paroli Strategy is kind of the opposite of the Martingale Strategy. Where Martingale is all about the losses, the Paroli System is all about the winnings - and specifically, winning streaks. The basic principle is this: whenever you hit a win, you double down in the next round, betting all of the previous round’s winnings. The idea behind this is to take advantage of the winning trends and ride the highs.

Just like with the Martingale Strategy though, it is based on luck so a potential loss after a streak of winnings has the potential for absolute destruction! For this reason, make sure to set budget limits and stick to them.

It’s no wonder there are so many different variations of baccarat - it’s simple and it’s been popular around the world for centuries.The rules are straightforward: the player and the banker compete against each other to see whose hand will be closer to a 9. Each player places bets on the side which she thinks will win. The dealer will deal two cards from the shoe for each side and place them face down on the table, until the betting is concluded. Then the cards are revealed and the hand is calculated based on the values seen on the table below:

Punto Banco

By far the most popular variation, it is also known as North American Baccarat. It follows the classic Baccarat rules and uses 6-8 decks of 52 cards. The goal is to speculate which hand’s score will be closest to 9.

Speed Baccarat

Speed Baccarat is offered exclusively online. It also follows the main rules of baccarat, with the significant difference that each round is faster, leveraging 27 seconds per round. Players have a short amount of time to place bets on the next round, which can be a great excitement for some.

No Commission Baccarat

The main difference in this version is that the 0.05% house commission isn’t taken, so winning bets on the Banker pay 1:1 instead of the customary 0.95:1.

Baccarat Squeeze

In addition to the classic rules, the dealer does what is known as “squeezing the cards” - meaning, they slowly reveal the value of the playing cards, adding some tension and upping the suspense in the game.

Baccarat has been a favorite among gamblers for centuries, not only because of its simplicity but also because of its fun factor. It can provide hours of fun, but beware - the house edge is real and it can quickly catch up to you. Here are some tips for responsible gaming that you can apply to make sure that you enjoy the game without taking too many unnecessary risks:

• Try to find games with as few decks as possible. Depending on the game, this may reduce the house edge. Make sure you always read the rules - providers may do things differently.
• Set a budget and stick to it. Do not go over the betting budget, no matter where your total sits. Whether you win or you lose, walk away when your betting budget is reached.
• Set a timer for quick sessions. The longer you play, the more the likelihood for the house edge to level the score.
• Don’t forget about the house commission paid for Banker bets - a 5% will be retained even if you win.
• Never play with money you can’t afford to lose.
• Most importantly, baccarat is a game of chance - no strategy guarantees beating the odds.

If you want to find a good place to play baccarat, check out our crypto casino list - you’ll find a ton of casinos that not only offer a host of games for you to try, but also bonuses and promos for new players. Beware though, as bonuses are usually reserved for slot games, not baccarat.