Online baccarat

You don’t need a fancy tuxedo, a taste for shaken martinis, or an inexhaustible bankroll to play real money baccarat online. Our trusted Internet casinos offer flexible betting limits to suit every kind of Australian gambler, from the casual punter to the VIP high roller.

We at BestOnlineCasinos.net.au will show you how and where to play the best online baccarat titles for real money, including leading digital versions and real-time live dealer tables. We’ll also cover important topics such as the rules of baccarat, house edge percentages, how to play on mobile and which bets to avoid.

Best online casinos

Best online baccarat casinos for Australians

The most important part of playing Internet baccarat is choosing the right casino website. We only recommend operators which use top-ranked software brands such as Microgaming and Net Entertainment, and which run the most reliable live dealer platforms.

Each one of our approved Australian baccarat sites is fully licensed and regulated by a recognised government authority and uses certified SSL (Secure Socket Layer) technology to protect its customers’ personal information. Best of all, every one of them accepts Australian players and supports a number of safe transaction methods for AUD deposits and withdrawals.

• Guts.com
• RoyalVegasCasino.com
• Thrills.com
• 32Red.com
• GdayCasino.com

Digital baccarat games

Most Web-based baccarat is fully digital, featuring animated graphics, easy-to-use interfaces and a much faster rate of play than traditional baccarat tables. These titles are powered by sophisticated algorithms known as RNGs (random number generators), which ensure that the shuffle and deal is just as unbiased and unpredictable as any baccarat game at a brick-and-mortar casino.

The best Australian gambling sites offer numerous RNG baccarat releases, all of which can be played for free (practice mode) or for real cash credits. We especially like Microgaming’s Baccarat Gold Series, which oozes the kind of class you would expect to find in the private parlours of Monaco and Macau. Big bettors should also try NetEnt’s Professional Series, which allows wagers up to AUD $1000 per hand on both punto banco and classic European baccarat.

BetSoft

• BetSoft Baccarat

Microgaming

• Microgaming Baccarat
• Baccarat Gold Series
• High Limit Baccarat

Net Entertainment

• Baccarat Professional Series
• Punto Banco Professional Series

Applejack Gaming

• Baccpo
• Baccarat Star

Live dealer baccarat

As convenient and speedy as virtual baccarat games are, some folks miss the tactile, interactive nature of real-time table games. That’s where live dealer casinos come in, combining digital betting interfaces with HD video streaming so you can play real, hand-dealt baccarat games from the comfort of your own home.

• Evolution Gaming – EG is Europe’s largest provider of live online casino games, covering everything from blackjack to casino hold’em to three card poker to roulette. Evolution’s Baccarat Live tables are available on both desktop and mobile at Guts oline casino, while the super-sleek Baccarat VIP takes real money bets up to $1k.
• Microgaming – Although better known for its digital tables games and online pokies, MG also runs one of the very best live casino platforms for Aussie players. Standard live baccarat games are available in several bet levels, from $2/$50 up to $10/$200, while Baccarat Turbo offers the fastest live dealer gameplay going around. Be sure to check out the Playboy Live baccarat options, which feature fetching croupiers clad in very little besides those signature bunny ears.
• Ezugi – Another leading European developer, Ezugi offers real-time baccarat as part of a diverse collection that also includes real money roulette, blackjack, keno and lotto. The G’day Casino live baccarat tables are managed by fun, friendly dealers and cater for all sorts with generous yet highly accessible $1/$500 table limits.

High-stakes betting options in baccarat

Ever since the European aristocracy began frequenting the Monte Carlo Casino in the 19th century, baccarat has come to be known as the most elitist of all table games. These days, however, you don’t need noble blood or a license to kill to play high-stakes baccarat – just some cash and an account at one of our top real money casinos.

• Baccarat Pro: Net Entertainment’s hi-stakes version comes with a very liberal $10/$1000 bet limit, which is also available on Punto Banco Pro.
• VIP Baccarat: Available at Thrills, and Guts.com, Evolution Gaming’s premium baccarat tables accept wagers up to $1000 – that’s $750 more than the standard Baccarat Live games.
• Baccarat Gold: A $500 maximum bet, superb visual layout and an interactive card-handling feature makes this Microgaming Gold Series gem ideal for those chasing the Monte Carlo experience in a quick and easy digital package.

How to play real money baccarat

As elegant and sophisticated as it may seem, baccarat is one of the simplest games on the casino floor. Far and away the most common format is punto banco baccarat, which is played at land-based casinos in Australia, New Zealand, North America, Macau and the United Kingdom.

Unlike chemin de fer (James Bond’s variant of choice), this is purely a game of chance which requires no particular strategy. It is played with four, six, or eight standard decks, and each card carries a point value:

• Ace counts as one point
• Two through Nine all score at face value (e.g. Four = four points)
• 10, Jack, Queen and King are each worth zero points

The croupier deals two hands: one for the ‘player’, one for the ‘banker’. You can bet on either, as well as the tie (although that is not recommended, for reasons we will explain below).

Once all wagers are placed, the player and the banker receive two cards each. Scores are calculated using only the last digit of a hand’s points total – so if the player has an Eight and a Nine, for instance, the tally is seven points rather than 17. This unique scoring system means neither hand can bust, as all totals are between zero and nine.

What happens next depends on each hand’s score. If either has a total of eight or nine points (aka, a natural), both hands stand and no further cards a dealt. If the player’s score is five or less, a third and final card is dealt; otherwise, the player stands.

The banker’s actions are more complex. If the player stands, the banker must hit on a score of five or less. Otherwise, the banker hand’s move is determined by the value of the player’s third card.

We could bore you with a more detailed explanation, but gamblers don’t really need to know the specific drawing rules for either hand. Once we place our bets, everything else is the dealer’s concern.

Punto banco payouts

After the croupier makes all the required moves, the scores of both hands are compared. The winner is whichever hand has the higher score – so if banker has seven points and player has five, for instance, the banker wins.

Player bets are paid out at even money, while banker bets pay the same odds less a 5% commission. If both hands score the same, tie bets pay 8 to 1 (sometimes 9 to 1) while all player/banker wagers are pushed.

So, for example:

• If we bet $100 on the player and win, we get $200 back (original bet + $100 win)
• If we bet $100 on the banker and win, we get $195 back (original bet + $100 win – $5 commission)
• If we bet $100 on the tie and win, we get $900 back (original bet + $800 win)
• If we bet $100 on player or banker and they tie, we keep our original bet

Baccarat house edge

In standard eight-deck baccarat, the player bet (1.24%) and the banker bet (1.06%) offer a very low house edge compared to most casino games. These figures, combined with the easy gameplay rules, are key in making baccarat such a big attraction for high-stakes casino players. The 8 to 1 tie bet, on the other hand, favours the croupier by 14.36%, which is why we suggest steering clear of it.

Many online punto banco games also offer an optional bonus bet on whether the banker or the player will draw a specific pair (e.g. pair of Nines) on the initial deal. These wagers usually pay 11 to 1, which puts the casino edge at 10.36% – another bad bet.

The chart below shows how the number of decks affects the house advantage for each type of baccarat bet.