Play Baccarat Online in Canada

• Player wins
• banker wins
• Tie

Betting on baccarat is as simple as that at the most base level. There are three possible outcomes when it comes to a game of baccarat which means that it is nice and easy to bet on. You are also able to place some side bets which payout at bigger odds which denote which cards are going to be dealt. These are naturally much harder bets to win but with the odds being higher, they always make plenty of appeal for players who want to take more of a gamble.

• Bet on a result
• Deal the hands
• Know the worth of the cards
• How to win
• Playing side bets online

Bet on a result

As we have mentioned above, there are only three possible results of a hand, you bet on either the banker winning or the player or for those who like to take more of a risk, you are able to bet on the hand being a tie. 

There is a slightly different payout for each of these with a payout of 1-1 on the player, a 19-20 on the banker and 8-1 on the tie. It is important to note that the house edge varies with the three returns as well. On the player winning, the house edge is 1.1%, on the banker winning, the edge is 1.3% and on a tie, the house edge is 14.4%.

The hands are dealt

All bets must be made before the cards are dealt. Most live casinos online will use a shoe that contains either six or eight decks of cards. That makes it very hard for anyone to try and count them as the game progresses and try to keep it as fair as they can across the board.

In contrast to a lot of card games that are played at casino tables, in baccarat, the cards are dealt face up so that they are visible to all. Two cards are all that are dealt to both the player and the banker hands with a third given if the numbers are low. We will go into more detail on this below. 

The value of the cards

Cards with a physical number on them, so two to nine, are all worth what is written on the card. The 10 and picture cards are worth 0 and an ace is worth one. This is the one thing that can be slightly confusing at first for new baccarat players, that the picture cards that are worth the most in both poker and blackjack do not have a big value here. 

How the game is won

The aim of playing baccarat is for your cards to total as close to nine as possible. If the cards that you are dealt go over nine, it is the right-hand number of the total that is used. For example, if you are dealt a pair of nines, the total is 18, therefore your hand is worth eight.

In baccarat, the player’s hand is completed first and then the banker’s hand afterwards. A third card is dealt to the player if their hand has anywhere from zero to five points. From six upwards, the player will stand. The only time that a player will not get a third card when they have zero to five points is if the banker’s hand totals eight or nine. In this case, the banker’s hand is the winner and that is the end. 

A hand with eight or nine points in is called a natural win and will end that hand. It is possible to get a natural win on an eight and not win the hand if the other player or banker has a natural win of a nine which instead is the winning hand. If both have the same number then it is a tie.

There are strict rules around the drawing of a third card by the banker hand which need to be understood before you start to play the game. These are relevant for when a player has drawn a third card themselves first.

If the player’s third card is a nine, a ten, a picture card or an ace, the banker will draw a card if their hand is a number anywhere from zero to three and will stand on anything from four up to seven. 

If the third card that the player draws is an eight then the banker will draw a third card if they have zero to two and stand from three to seven. If the player’s third card is a six or a seven, the banker will draw a third card if they have zero to six and will only stand if they have a seven.

When the player’s third card is a four or a five, the banker will draw if their hand is anywhere from zero to five and will stand on a six or a seven. Finally, if the player draws a two or a three with their third card, the banker will draw if they have a zero to a four and stand on a five to seven.

This might seem a little complex to start with but once you have played a few hands it is easy enough to remember. There is nothing to say that you can not have the rules open on another tab on your laptop or phone while you play at first so that you can follow exactly what is going on with each hand until you get used to playing baccarat online.

Playing side bets online

Some online casinos will up the ante and allow for some side bets which pay out at much bigger odds but are harder to win than predicting which hand will win. The aim is to guess what cards are going to be dealt in a hand.

If you are playing at a casino that does offer side bets then these are the normal ones that will be offered and the odds that go with them. There are some other side bets which can be placed but they are less common. You might still be able to find them so it can be worth doing some more research into side bets if they interest you.

• Perfect Pair 25-1
• Player/banker pair 11-1
• Either pair 5-1
• Big 2-1
• Small 3-2

A perfect pair is two cards of the same value and suit. So if either the player or the banker is dealt two cards that are both the eight of clubs for example then a perfect pair bet is a winner. If both the banker and player get a perfect pair at the same time then the bet will pay an enormous 250-1.

A banker pair or player pair will pay 11-1. This is any pair of matching numbers, the four of clubs and the four of spades for example. If the first two cards that are dealt in turn to the player and banker make up a pair then this bet is a 5-1 winner. 

The other two main side bets that are worth knowing are big and small. These are based on the total of the banker and player hands put together. If they total five or six then the big bet is a winner, if they total four then the small bet is a winner. 

As we have mentioned above, there are other things like all red or all black cards, three of a kind which can be all of the same suit or not. All of these are side bets that you might be able to find so keep an eye open for these extra options when playing baccarat online.

Baccarat is one of the most often found games at any online casino in Canada. There are two main forms of the game which you can play, either live banker baccarat or video baccarat. Given that baccarat is a very hard game to try to count cards with either six or eight decks are used, it is a game where the luck of the cards drawn has far more of an impact than any skill playing cards.

That means that, unlike some casino games, playing baccarat on a video is not such a bad thing but there is still a preference for playing it in a live banker setting rather than relying on a casino-based algorithm. There is always much more of a proper feel to a live banker casino online, even when sitting at home than there is to a video game where you are unable to interact with anyone. 

Check with each casino’s rules and regulations before you play what they pay for a tie. In most North American casinos it is paid out at 8-1 which gives the house edge of more than 14%. In Europe, it tends to be paid out at a higher 9-1 which reduces the house edge to under 5% and makes it a better place to play. If you can find a casino in Canada that pays 9-1 the tie, then that should be your preferred choice.

It is also worth noting how many decks of cards are put into the shoe at the start of the game as the odds can be slightly different at a casino that only puts six decks in compared to a casino that is playing eight decks per shoe. Our odds and payouts mentioned in this guide are all relevant for the standard eight decks per shoe.  

As we have mentioned above, the house edge on either the player or banker winning is only a small one which helps with the popularity of the game. There is a touch over a 1% house edge on either of the hands dealt winning which means that baccarat is a great game to play as the chances of having some returns are higher than it is when compared to the majority of games that you would play at an online casino.

There are many online casinos in Canada that will allow you to play free games of Baccarat. This is ideal if you are new to the game so that you can learn how to play and gain some experience before you part with any money playing the game for real.

It is also to the benefit of the casino as they would rather have players on the site, even if they are not spending money at that particular time, than not have any traffic at all. They know that those who are playing for free will look to play for money later down the line and can potentially become good and loyal customers.

You still have the potential of talking to other players in the free games which helps to add to a community feel on the site which is another plus point for any casino. Making players feel like they are wanted there. When you do start to move on from the free games and play baccarat for money, please always gamble responsibly and never bet more than you can afford to lose.