Live Dealer Baccarat Casinos

Baccarat is an age-old classic card game found in many top-rated UK online casinos. Our MansionCasino guide explores how to play the live baccarat game online including rules, strategies and tips, plus we will share with you the best live baccarat casinos to register with.  

With such a wide choice of live baccarat casinos, selecting the one that suits you best can prove somewhat of a dilemma. However, our team of gambling experts have listed their top four below along with the live baccarat games you can expect to find at each site.

Live baccarat online is the perfect game for beginners due to its simplicity and easy to grasp rules. The aim of baccarat is to predict which hand will be the closest to the value of 9 from the Banker or Player. All face cards and tens have a value of 0, aces count as 1, and cards 2 through to 9 display their point value. 

How to Play Live Casino Baccarat

Here’s a quick-step guide to get you started: 

• Choose from one of our recommended live baccarat casino sites 
• Head to the live casino section and choose an online live baccarat game 
• Select your chip size and place your bets on the Player hand, Banker hand and/or Tie 
• The professional host will announce “no more bets” and the cards are dealt 
• Payouts are awarded to winning bets and the betting window re-opens for the next round. 

There are three basic table layouts for live baccarat which includes a mini, midi and big. As the table size increases so do the number of seats and in many cases, the higher the bet limits become. There will be spots for Banker bets, Player bets and Tie bets plus a betting area for side bets where applicable. 

The most common version of live baccarat online is Punto Banco (American Baccarat) and is the ideal game for newbies. Payouts are easy to understand and the best odds come from betting on the Banker (45.86%) or Player (44.62%) hands to win. The chances of winning from a Tie bet are slim at just 9.52%. 

Payouts 

When looking at the house edge for the three main bets in live baccarat online, the Tie bet has a much larger edge than the Banker or Player bets, however, the difference between what you win and what you take home can be significantly different. Player and Banker bets payout 1:1 minus 5% commission for the Banker’s bet with the Tie bet paying 8:1. 

Let’s take a look at what happens if you place a winning wager of £10 on each spot:

• Banker’s bet: £20 (win) - 5% (house commission) = £19 minus the 1.06% house edge = £17.94 (take home)
• Player’s Bet: £20 (win) minus the 1.24% house edge = £18.86 (take home)
• Tie Bet: £80 (win) minus the 14.36% house edge = £65.64 (take home)

Wagering on the Player or Banker hand in the live baccarat game online is the best strategy to use, especially for beginners. If the game results in a Tie, bets placed on either the Player or Banker’s hands will be returned.  

Game Rules 

To play live baccarat online is as simple as 1, 2, 3. Two cards are dealt to both the Banker and Player. If the two cards total more than 10 you simply subtract 10 or drop the 1 to calculate the total points held in one hand. For example, 6 + 8 is dealt which equals 14, drop the 1 or minus 10 to score a total of 4.  

Using the basic online live baccarat strategy, a third card may be drawn. This is a fairly simple action for the Player, but when it comes to the Banker, the decision will be determined by the Player’s action and value drawn as seen below: 

Player Strategy

Banker Strategy

Bet Types 

• Player Bet: Place a bet on the Player’s hand to win
• Banker Bet: A wager placed on the Banker’s hand
• Tie Bet: Place a bet on the result being a Tie
• Player Pair: A wager placed on the Player to draw a pair
• Banker Pair: A wager placed on the Banker to draw a pair
• Perfect Pair: A wager placed on the Player or Banker to draw a suited pair
• Either Pair: A bet placed on the first cards to be dealt to both player and banker will match
• Big Bet: Place a bet on the total of both the Banker and Player hands equal 5 or 6 points
• Small Bet: A bet on the Player’s and Banker’s first four cards equal 4 points exactly
• Double 8: A wager placed on the Banker and Player hands will total 8
• Royal Match: Place a bet on either the Banker or Player drawing a King and Queen on the first two cards dealt
• Super 6: A wager placed on the Banker hand totaling 6 

Common Terms

• Baccarat: derives from the Italian word for ‘zero’ which is the worst hand you could have
• Banker Bet: one of three core betting options
• Commission: the house takes a percentage from a winning bet
• Flat Bet: when a player sticks to the same bet amount for each hand
• House Edge: the percentage a casino claws back on wins
• Natural Win: the first two cards equal 8 or 9
• Player Bet: a bet placed on the Player’s hand to win
• Push: a bet that is carried over to the next round as it is neither a win nor loss
• Shoe: the machine that the cards are dealt from
• Standoff: when the round results in a tie
• Tie Bet: a bet placed on the outcome of the round to result in a tie  

In real money casinos, American Baccarat or Punto Banco as it’s also known, is the most common version of this popular casino game. However, in the live baccarat casino lobby you will find several exciting variants also popular amongst players. Here are some examples:

• Progressive Baccarat: Offers a side bet for the progressive jackpot which is placed on the Banker and Player revealing the same suit ace plus an eight
• No Commission Baccarat: This version takes away the pesky 5% commission on a winning Banker’s hand
• Multi-Hand Baccarat: Live baccarat which offers up to eight hands to bet on in one single round
• Speed Baccarat: The time of each round is reduced from approx. 50 to 30 seconds so more hands can be played within a given time frame
• Lightning Baccarat: This live baccarat online variant from Evolution adds up to 5 win multipliers on each round to give boosted payouts
• Baccarat Squeeze: Normal rules apply except the live dealer controls the speed in which the face-down cards are revealed, mounting the suspense
• Baccarat Controlled Squeeze: In this version, instead of the dealer, you get to be in control of the action 

Although the general rules of baccarat apply to both online baccarat and live dealer baccarat, there are some significant differences to look out for: 

The best way to understand and learn the rules for any online casino games is by playing them for free. Many of the top-rated casinos will offer free-play baccarat where you can practice at your own pace without risking a penny of your own money.  

Of course, the only downside is that when practicing, you can only win free credits whereas when you play for real money, you may be fortunate enough to accumulate real money winnings. Check out our list of highly recommended live baccarat casinos. 

Once you’ve tested the game for free, selected your preferred live baccarat casino and chosen a live baccarat game from the extensive lobby, it’s time to start playing. Here’s a few helpful tips and strategies for enriched gameplay: 

• Register at a recommended live baccarat casino 
• Play online baccarat for free prior to real money 
• Learn the rules and basic strategy for playing 
• Begin with low stakes and gradually build  
• Avoid the Tie bet, it has too big a house edge 
• Stick to betting on Player or Banker hands (1:1) 
• Side bets are more suited to advanced players 

Many of the top casino sites will offer exciting online casino bonuses, these may not be available for the live casino but you still have an opportunity to win real money from them so they are worth claiming to give you a head start. 

We’ve already discussed the basic live baccarat gameplay strategy, but here are a couple of other strategies that more advanced baccarat players may employ: 

• Martingale Strategy: A negative progression strategy - for every win you stick to the same base bet but for every loss you double your next bet, only returning to your original base bet amount once you win again. So, bet £5 and win, bet £5 and win, bet £5 and lose, bet £10 and lose, bet £20 and win, bet £5 and so on.
• Paroli System: A positive progression strategy - for every loss you keep the bet at the same amount, but for every win you double the bet. So, bet £5 and win, bet £10 and win, bet £20 and lose, bet £5 and so on. 

Why Play Live Dealer Baccarat? 

There are many plus points for playing live baccarat online, not least of which is the simplicity and ease in which you can grasp an understanding of how to play. The beauty of registering with a top-rated live baccarat casino is that you can expect immersive gameplay hosted by professional dealers.  

Live baccarat games offer a chat box where you can converse with both the dealer and other real-time players. The action is live and the dealer will control the speed of play. Other advantages of playing online live baccarat are the higher betting limits and exciting win boosters found in game variants such as Lightning Baccarat.

The MansionCasino team adhere to strict criteria when ranking the top live baccarat casinos. Nothing goes unnoticed and only the best will make it onto our recommended list. Here’s what we look for:  

• License & Regulation: All reputable live baccarat casino sites must be licensed and regulated by a trusted authority such as the UK Gambling Commission.
• Safety & Security: The best live baccarat casinos must offer trusted payment methods, SSL encryption for transactions and a range of responsible gambling tools such as time-outs, deposit limits and self-exclusion.
• Games & Software: Top online live baccarat sites should offer a variety of games including a live casino from top software suppliers such as Evolution. All games must be tested for fairness by third party auditors like eCOGRA.
• Modern Variants: Some of the best live baccarat casinos will offer several variants of the game including popular titles like Baccarat Squeeze, Peek Baccarat and Lightning Baccarat.
• Mobile Compatibility: We expect a top live baccarat casino site to offer a fully optimised mobile platform for instant play on the go and in some cases, a dedicated mobile app for both iOS and Android devices.
• Payment methods: All reputable sites will only offer trusted and reliable payment options such as Visa, PayPal and Apple Pay. Plus, all transactions will be encrypted to protect sensitive data.
• Fees & Processing: The best UK live baccarat online casinos will offer fee-free transactions, instant deposits and rapid withdrawals with no cap on the amount you can cash out.
• Customer Support: If you need help, we expect the top live baccarat casino sites to offer 24/7 support through live chat, email and occasionally, telephone. The team must be professional, responsive and helpful.
• Bonuses & Promotions: We are always on the lookout for generous bonuses and promotions which can benefit both new players and old. A good mix can be expected at many of the top live baccarat casinos

Even though live baccarat is one of the easiest live dealer games to play, a lot more goes into presenting this experience than you would think. For instance, live baccarat casinos require purpose built studios, professional hosts, multiple cameras, superb audio equipment, a special interface for betting, the baccarat table and players.   

The pace of the game is controlled by the dealer who opens and closes the betting windows and deals the cards. Results are based on luck and most live baccarat casino sites will use 6-8 decks of cards to deter card-counters. In comparison, online casino baccarat is a computer simulated game, ideal for beginners with outcomes determined by Random Number Generators (RNG). 

Top software suppliers Evolution and Playtech are renowned for offering live baccarat and many exciting variants including those with a progressive jackpot and boosted win multipliers.