Playing Baccarat Online in Canada for Real Money

Baccarat is a very popular game among top or frequent casino players. However, most newbies hardly know about it. Blackjack, poker and roulette are more popular casino games among newbies. One casino enthusiast that was a fan of baccarat was John Fairfax.

In 2012, the New York Times published the obituary of John Fairfax of Henderson and that was when people started discovering the game. He was an adventurer who loved to explore and also a great lover of the game of baccarat. According to John Fairfax, “Baccarat is equal parts skill and chance.” Read on to find out more.

How to Play Baccarat?

It is rather obvious that John Fairfax’s love for the game of baccarat played a role in his judgment. Even the “best” baccarat players know that there are literally no skills to be employed when playing baccarat. The only skill you can use is knowledge of the game itself. How then is baccarat played?

The game of baccarat is played at a table consisting of twelve to fourteen players. These types of tables are mostly found in high limit casino rooms. You can now understand why the game is considered the game of “high rollers.” The shoes from where the cards are dealt contain eight decks of cards.

Each player gets the opportunity to deal the cards. The current dealer issues two cards to himself. This is called the “banker hand.” The dealer also issues two other cards, these cards are called the “player hand.” The banker hand is sometimes called “Hand A” while the player hand is also called “Hand B.”

Players are not limited to playing the player hand. Also, you may not always win when the player wins. Despite this seemingly confusing statement, baccarat is a very simple game. Once a game starts, it is up to luck and the only thing players do is place bets.

Aces offer one point. Number cards 2–9 contain the same value points as shown on the card. Face cards like kings, queens and jokers offer zero points. Players are not limited to playing the player hand. Also, you may not always win when the player wins.

Unlike most other casino games, baccarat only counts the second digit when the sum of the cards equal to double digits. For example, if the cards are 5 and 7, the sum will be 12. However, only the second digit “2” is picked and your end score is 2.

If you look closely, baccarat does share some similarities with Blackjack. While 21 is a sure win in blackjack, a natural win in baccarat is a score of either 8 or 9. If a player scores a natural win, he or she wins that round and no further cards are dealt. In a case where no one scores a natural win, you can draw a third card.

​​​​​​Most people who term baccarat as a complex game are often those who do not understand how to play with third cards. When no one scores a natural win, the Player who stands on a total of 6 or 7 will need one more card on a 0–5 score. If the player does not need to draw a third card, the banker with a 6–7 score draws a card of 0–5.

The player is the first to draw a card. The banker can only draw a card when the player does not need to draw a card. After drawing these additional, the scores are summed up. The rule stated earlier is applied and the winner takes the money staked at the start of the game.

Sometimes, the game can also end in a tie. This occurs when neither the player nor the banker wins, as both of them score the same sum of points. In this case, only those who staked for the game to end in a tie are paid. The winnings of tie bets vary between 8:1 to 9:1.

Baccarat Odds

Every game presents an opportunity for the players of such a game to win. Considering that baccarat is a game of luck, it is even more important that you know the chances of winning at all. You should also know the odds of a particular event occurring.

Baccarat is the casino game with the lowest house edge. While other games of luck offer good RTP value, baccarat reduces the house edge. This is particularly important as baccarat players are trying to beat the house. This is besides the fact that players have to pay a 5% commission of their bets.

As stated earlier, there are three outcomes to a game of baccarat. These include the player winning, the banker winning and the game ending as a tie. These three different outcomes have their different chances of occurring.

The Odds of the Banker Winning

The banker has the highest odds of winning. Without calculating the chances of a tie, he has 51% win odds. The house edge for the banker bet is a miserly 1.06%. This is one major reason most players opt for staking on a banker. Despite the 5% commission, you still get to win some money.

The Odds of the Player Winning

After the odds of the banker winning, the odds of the player winning is the next in terms of returns. The player stands to win 49.32% of all bets. The house edge for the player winning is 1.36%. Although, it is not as big as the odds of the banker winning, it is still a good avenue to win. Besides, the house edge is also small.

The Odds of a Tie

The odds of a game of baccarat ending in a tie is almost nonexistent. It is so rare that most players do not even take it into consideration. However, this is a mouthwatering opportunity for players with guts to win money. The odds of a game ending as a tie is 9.53%. The house edge of a tie is an overwhelming 14.4%.

One thing to note, however, is that the higher the odds of an outcome, the lower the returns on winning via that outcome. While the banker may rank very high in terms of odds, it ranks the lowest in terms of returns on stakes. Tie bets have the biggest payouts.

Baccarat Strategy

Although baccarat is a game of luck, it is not totally void of tactics. As a matter of fact, there is no casino game that does not require any form of strategy. One of the major strategies for playing every casino game including baccarat is the strategy of basic bankroll management.

There are many other strategies that can be employed before and when playing baccarat. However, most review sites only talk about staking on the banker like it is the only method of winning.

Here are details on strategies to employ when playing baccarat:

• Show discipline

You need to learn to discipline yourself and set some cash aside for playing the game. Never use all the money you have at hand.

• Follow your gut

Asians have long since taken over the game of baccarat. This is because they believe in fate and luck. Often times, you have to do the same. Despite the claim that tie results are almost impossible, tie games actually happen. You should listen to and follow your intuition when playing the game of baccarat.

• Take the low risk approach

If you are new to the game of baccarat, it is best you do so. Although the winnings may be small, it is advisable to always bet on the banker.

• Know when to call it quits

Many casino players can tell from experience that casino events often occur in cycles. Knowing the crest and when to bow out is very necessary.

Most players often rush to start playing baccarat because they have basic knowledge of the game. Although this not exactly a strategy, you should get as much in depth knowledge of the game before playing. The game of baccarat is not one-sided. It has three possible outcomes. You should consider a strategy that will incorporate the chances of these three outcomes.

Baccarat Bonuses

Although it is popular among Asians, not many people like to play baccarat. Most Canadians prefer the idea of having a “real shot” at winning money from a casino game. Canadians are not comfortable leaving everything to luck. To endear more players to playing baccarat, online casinos in Canada offer special bonuses to Canadian players who play baccarat at a casino online.

These bonuses range from the sign-up bonuses to the baccarat special bonuses. There are also opportunities of playing baccarat online in Canada for real money without having to make a deposit. Some of these bonuses include:

• Sign Up Bonus

It is usually the first bonus players receive. It often has a link with the amount they deposit for the first time upon signing up. It is similar to a money doubling scheme.

• Game Bonus

This bonus is specifically for playing baccarat. It can sometimes be linked to any of the other bonuses listed in this section. Some online casinos give you a percentage of the money you fund your wallet with to play baccarat. For example, if you fund your Casimoose account with 100CAD, you get 30CAD to play baccarat at Casimoose.

• Top Up Bonus

This refers to when players receive a percentage of the amount spent to fund their online casino wallets. Unlike sign up bonuses, top up bonuses are available to existing users.

• Payment Options Bonuses

This bonus is often to encourage players to use a particular payment method. The most recent one is the cryptocurrency bonus. This involves giving players who fund their accounts using cryptocurrencies an additional percentage.

• No Deposit Bonus

This bonus is also specific to baccarat games. While roulette and other luck games offer free spins, baccarat no deposit bonus offer an amount of money to play baccarat and win real time money.

Although not all bonuses are specific to baccarat, all of them can be used to play baccarat as long as the casino offers online baccarat.