Best Baccarat Online Casinos with Real Money UK

The Basics of Baccarat Explained

Much like fellow casino classics roulette and blackjack, baccarat is a very simple game to learn and play. It’s a casino card game of chance with two hands – the player’s hand and the banker’s hand. The aim of the game is to successfully bet on the hand that will end up totalling closest to nine. A standard game offers three betting options: you can bet on the banker’s hand to win, the player’s hand to win or the tie. Further side bets are available on certain variants to add a little extra spice to the game.

The Rules

The objective of baccarat is to predict which hand will get a point value closest to 9 – with the scores ranging from 0 – 9. There are three betting options – the banker’s hand, the player’s hand or the tie. Once you’ve placed your bets, both the banker and player are dealt two cards. The value of the cards are:

• Ace cards are worth one point
• Face cards and tens are worth zero points
• All other cards have a value equivalent value as the card number

When adding up a card’s value, if the total is a two digit number, you remove the first digit. For example, if you have a 6 and an 8, that would equal 14 but the actual value of the hand would be 4. The objective is to get to 9, though if one of the hands gets an 8, this is also considered a natural win. If neither hand holds 8 or 9 after the first two cards are drawn, the player and banker then act depending on the value of their hand and what the other hand is holding. The maximum number of cards allowed in a hand is three. If the player and banker’s hands are of the same value, it’s a tie.

All winning wagers on banker or player hands pay even money; however, there is a five percent commission charge if you backed the banker hand. The tie pays out at either 8:1 or 9:1, depending on which casino you choose to play at.

Side Bets

As well as the main bets, baccarat has a few additional side bets. The pair bet pays out 11 to 1. To win, you require either the banker or the player’s hand’s first two cards to be a pair. Looking for even better odds? The dragon bonus pays out 30 to 1 when the hand you’ve chosen wins by a large margin or scores a natural win. Other examples of side bets include the ‘big’ and ‘small’ bets – the former pays out if the game ends with five to six cards drawn, while the latter pays out if the game ends with four cards drawn.

Understanding the Different Types of Baccarat

Baccarat comes in a few different flavours. So how do they differ? Let’s take a closer look.

Punto Banco

Punto Banco is the variation most gamblers are familiar with as it is most commonly encountered at online baccarat sites. The rules of Punto Banco are very simple, you don’t have to make any decision other than which hand to bet on, and everything comes down to chance. 

Chemin de Fer

With Chemin de Fer, players compete against each other rather than against the house, and they have more control over proceedings. Each round sees a different player act as the banker, deciding how much money is at stake, the banker then faces off against the other players at the baccarat table. Chemin de Fer has Punto Banco-like gameplay, except players can decide whether to draw a third card or stick to their original two. This spin on the gameplay provides a tactical element, in a similar fashion to blackjack.

Baccarat Banque

As with Chemin de Fer, the role of the banker in Baccarat Banque is taken by a player, specifically, the player who puts up the largest stake, making Baccarat Banque a popular option for high rollers. There are three hands in play, with the banker-player taking on two separate player hands on either side of the baccarat table. For this reason, Baccarat Banque is also known as Baccarat a Deux Tableaux –  ”on two tables”.

Get to Grips with Baccarat Strategy

With absolutely no control over the cards, baccarat is entirely a game of chance. This means there isn’t much in the way of a playing strategy. Yet, placing the right bets is essential to the long-term health of your cash balance. So, it pays to know the house edge for each and every bet available. After all, do you really want to bet on the ‘tie’ at 8 to 1 when the house edge is a whopping 14 percent?

While there’s little strategy that can be employed when playing baccarat, you can use a betting system to guide your staking pattern. The Martingale and Fibonacci systems are among the most popular in this category. It’s important to remember that no strategy can boost your chances of winning. However, they often provide good entertainment and can help you manage your bankroll in a more structured fashion.

The best baccarat casino sites will feature games by some of the industry’s top software providers. Let’s take a closer look at some of the biggest players in the market. 

NetEnt

NetEnt has been creating online games for decades now, and has developed a stellar reputation in that time. The company has produced some of the more prominent online baccarat games, including Baccarat Pro and Punto Banco. Baccarat Pro is available in standard, low-roller, high-roller and VIP versions, it follows standard baccarat rules with a 9 for 1 payout for a tie. Both the above titles boast the sleek feel and high-end graphics that we’ve come to expect from NetEnt.

Microgaming 

Microgaming is a true pioneer of online gaming software, launching its first title way back in 1994. Microgaming’s extensive portfolio includes Baccarat Gold, which features stellar visuals and uses standard baccarat rules, while incorporating additional features such as “rotate” and “squeeze”. 

Evolution 

Evolution has made its name as an industry leader in live casino games. The developer offers a range of baccarat games from the lavish VIP Salon Privé version — ideal for high rollers — to Speed Baccarat, where the dealer will whisk you through each round in under 30 seconds. There’s also Dragon Tiger, which is a modified, two-card version of baccarat — ideal if you’re after a different take on the game.

Playtech 

Playtech is almost exactly as old as the century, springing into life on 31 December 1999. That means over 20 years of experience goes into the developer’s portfolio, and  it’s one of Evolution’s main rivals when it comes to live casino games too. Playtech’s Baccarat Prestige deploys intricate camera work and action replays to ramp up the live dealer excitement, while there’s also an RNG take on the game for players who fancy a more low-key experience.

Mobile gambling is how the majority of players gamble nowadays, with virtually all online baccarat sites optimised for use through the web browser on your phone or tablet. Just navigate to the URL, login as normal, and you can start placing bets on the Player and the Banker hands just as you would on a desktop. 

Some of the best UK casino sites also offer mobile apps that you can download to your Android or Apple device. While these do take up a bit of storage space, they’re well worth it, bringing extra convenience by letting you access your favourite casino games with a few taps of your finger. Native apps also provide push notifications to keep you up to speed on the latest promos.

Claim a Top Casino Welcome Bonuses

Offering welcome bonuses is key to any online casino site looking to attract new players, and there’s certainly plenty of appealing offers out there. You’ll often be able to take advantage of matched deposit bonuses, which is where baccarat online casinos will match a min deposit up to a certain amount. You may also get free spins on top slots thrown in with these promotions, as well as the occasional no deposit bonus which won’t even require you to make an initial payment. Just remember to read the full terms and conditions and take note of wagering requirements which stipulate how much you must before you can withdraw your winnings.

How to Make Your Casino Transactions

New customers at a casino want to know they can make deposits and withdrawals through a number of trusted payment options. Here are some of the key banking methods available at the best baccarat sites right now.

Try Out the Best Free Play Blackjack Games

The best online baccarat casinos give players a chance to try out demo games without the need to make a deposit. It’s a savvy strategy if you want to try out the gameplay and get a feel for things without staking any real money. Of course, you can’t actually win any real money prizes this way, but free games are a great way to build up a bit of experience before putting cash on the line.

Time to Play!

We’ve taken you through the rules and variations of baccarat, as well as some of the perks to look out for when selecting online casino operators. So, are you ready to try out this iconic card game yourself? Check out our list of the UK’s best baccarat sites, compare the casino bonuses, and follow our links to register and start playing!

UK’s Best Casinos for Baccarat: