Baccarat

Baccarat is a simple and fun online casino game, so don’t be put off by the mystique that surrounds it. Far from being reserved for high rollers and super-smooth James Bond characters, it’s an intriguing game anyone can play, making for an enjoyable alternative to blackjack or roulette.

Better still, you don’t have to do much, and there’s no difficult strategy to master. Your only decision is whether to bet on the Player, the Banker or a Tie at the start of each hand.

Baccarat is a card comparison game with only three outcomes – a Player win, Banker win or a tie. Ties payout handsomely, which is why high rollers enjoy the action.

• How to Play Baccarat
• Baccarat Professional Series
• Live Dealer Baccarat with Dragon Bonus

How to Play Baccarat

You bet on the Player, Banker or Tie before the cards are dealt. Two cards are then dealt face up to the Player and the Banker. The aim is to get a total closest to 9, with 9 being the best score.

Cards of two to nine are taken at face value, aces are worth one, but any ten or a picture card is valued zero.

If the two cards add up to more than nine – say you have an 8 and a 7 making 15 - the second digit of the total counts as your score, so 5 points in this case. The dealer does all the work in Baccarat, so you can sit back and relax. First, the Player hand completes. If the hand totals 8 or 9 and is ahead of the Banker, the Player wins. If the Player total is 6 or 7, the Player must stand and let the Banker hand play out. But if the Player is below six, he gets a third card to try and improve, unless the Banker has 8 or 9, in which case the Banker wins automatically.

If the hand is still active because the Player has stood at 6 or 7, or drawn a third card, the Banker hand plays out. If the Player used only two cards, the Banker must draw a third card if his total is 0-5. However, if the Player used a third card, the Banker can only do the same under certain conditions – see the in-game rules for details.

While that may look a little complicated, it’s easy to pick up once you get going.

A note on payouts. If you backed the Player and win, you get paid out 2 for 1. If you backed the Banker, it’s also a 2 for 1 payout but with a 5% casino commission reduction. If the hand is a tie, and you backed Tie with your initial bet, you get a 9 for 1 payout. If you backed Player or Banker and the hand was tied, your stake is returned.

TwinSpires Casino has two Baccarat games for you to enjoy.

Baccarat Professional Series

Head to our casino table games page and select Baccarat Professional Series, brought to you by NetEnt. With crisp graphics and smooth gameplay, relax to the sound of soothing jazz as you place your bet.

The layout is simple. All you must do is bet on the Player, Banker or Tie box and let the dealer take care of the rest. Click the spanner to change the settings, or the question mark to see the game rules, including the table determining whether the Banker must draw a third card. It’s reproduced here for your convenience.

This game is as fast as it is slick, so there’s no waiting around.

Live Dealer Baccarat with Dragon Bonus

If you prefer to play along with a live dealer using real cards, then this is the game for you. Brought to you from Atlantic City, our live- stream tables bring all the excitement of a real casino floor to your living room.

Go to the live casino page and select Dragon Bonus Baccarat. While the game itself is the same, you now have some Dragon Bonus side bet action to consider as well.

To take part, place a bet on the Dragon Bonus box next to the side you’re backing to win. You’ll win if your hand is a ‘natural’ winner (hitting a total of 8 or 9 with your two cards), or if your hand wins by more than four points. The more points you win by, the higher the payout, up to 30/1 for a nine-point margin.

Dragon Bonus wagers pay as follows: