Different Baccarat Games: Which Version Should You Play?
Baccarat is one of the most popular games at land-based and online casinos. There are several reasons why players widely accept this game, baccarat. Some of them include simple rules, great odds, and exciting variations.
You will find different baccarat games on the internet with varying rules. Knowing these variations can help you make the right choice and maximize your bets while playing baccarat. Find the most common baccarat versions and the best one to play in this article.
What are the different types of baccarat?
There are several baccarat variations online. While the objective is still the same- bet that either the player or banker’s hand would be closest to nine- their unique rules and additional side bets distinguish them. Below are some of the most popular types you will come across when you play live baccarat online.
3-card baccarat: This game is usually played with a single 52-card deck. All scoring rules are similar to the standard blackjack, e.g., cards are worth their numerical value, and face cards are worth 0. However, in this variation, a hand with three face cards gives the highest payout only, followed by a score of 9, which is usually the best hand in traditional variations. If a game ends in a tie, the player with the highest number of face cards wins.
Punto Banco: Punto Banco shares the same rules, features, and betting options as traditional blackjack. In some jurisdictions, players even refer to baccarat as “Punto Banco.” The game requires six standard decks of 52 cards.
Baccarat Banque: This variation is mainly common in casinos across Europe. It uses three decks and allows you to act as the banker. The player that acts as the bank doesn’t necessarily play against other gamblers. Instead, they can only wager on the banker side to win.
Chemin de Fer: Chemin de Fer is also highly popular in Europe, especially in France. Like the Baccarat Banque, this version allows you to act as the bank. Here, the player who accepts the banker role play against other gamblers at the table.
Mini Baccarat: Mini Baccarat shares similar rules and objectives with regular baccarat. However, as the name implies, mini baccarat is a smaller version of the game. Its small table could only sit up to seven gamblers in land-based casinos. Online, mini baccarat usually comes with the lowest betting limits. The game is highly popular for its simplicity.
What is the best baccarat strategy?
The best move you can make while playing baccarat is to bet with the Banker always. This is because the Banker has the most favorable house edge in baccarat at 1.06%. The worst bet every player should avoid in this game is the tie bet. Mainly referred to as a sucker bet, it features a high house advantage of 14.36%.
What is the difference between Midi and Mini baccarat?
Midi and Mini baccarat share identical rules. However, the Midi version has a unique twist that makes the game thrilling.
In this game, the dealer awards the player with the highest bet at the table with the Player cards and gives the Banker cards to the player with the highest banker wager, both face down.
The two players with the Player and Banker cards can play the hands without revealing the cards until the round ends. The other gamblers on the table can either wager on the player or the banker and hope the player representing their wagers wins.
This extra feature does not affect the basic rules of games; rather, it makes it more interesting to play. The only drawback is that it makes the game slower than standard baccarat gameplay.
Conclusion
You will find several baccarat tables at your chosen casino. All these versions are rewarding to play, and they come with unique features that make the game more interesting.
You can’t go wrong by choosing one of these baccarat variations to play at an online casino. However, if you are an average player on a small budget, you should go for Mini baccarat to maximize your bets. Whichever type you choose, the basic baccarat strategy remains the same; wager on the Banker and avoid the tie bet.
Final Word
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Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.
