Baccarat is a card game in which you bet on the Player hand, the Banker hand or a Tie, and the hand closest to nine wins. This page covers how the game is usually played, what its common versions are, and how to look for it at The Hippodrome Online Casino.
Common baccarat variants
Baccarat has several common variants, including Punto Banco, Speed Baccarat, Lightning Baccarat, No Commission Baccarat and Mini Baccarat. The differences are mostly in the commission on Banker bets, the pace of play and the payouts. Speed and Lightning versions deal rounds faster, and the No Commission variant changes how a Banker win with a total of six is paid.
Providers that make baccarat tables include Evolution, Pragmatic Play, Playtech and NetEnt. The same variant can look and feel different depending on who supplies it.
Before you play, check what The Hippodrome Online Casino offers. Search the casino's games for baccarat or look at its other table games. Read the table rules and limits before you place any bet.
How baccarat is played
Two hands are dealt, one for the Player and one for the Banker, and you can bet on either or on a Tie. Cards from 2 to 9 count at face value, while 10, jack, queen and king count as zero and an ace counts as one. A hand's total is the last digit of the sum of its cards, so the highest possible total is nine.
A third card is drawn for either hand only under fixed rules. The game applies these rules automatically, so the player's only choice is the bet.
A Player bet pays at even money. A Banker bet also pays at even money in the No Commission variant, but in the standard version a commission is taken from the win. A Tie bet pays at higher odds, but a tie happens much less often than a Player or Banker win. In the standard game the Banker bet has a lower house edge than the Player bet, and the Tie bet has the highest.
Once a bet is placed, nothing you do changes the outcome. Betting systems such as Martingale, which double the stake after each loss, do not change the odds of any bet. They only change how losses are spread over time, and a losing run can still use up your budget.
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RNG baccarat and live dealer tables
In an RNG version, a random number generator decides every card and the round runs on screen without a dealer. Rounds are quick, and the speed and table limits are set by the software.
In a live dealer version, a real dealer shuffles and deals on camera, and you place your bets while the round is streamed. Live rounds are slower because they wait for the betting time to finish. The card rules are the same in both formats, so the odds are the same as well.
If you prefer the dealer format, the Live Casino page on this site explains how live games are organised.
Practical tips before you play
Learn the rules of the variant you choose before you bet, and check its limits first. Choose a stake you can afford to lose on each round, and decide your total budget before you start. Set a time limit for the session as well, so you know when you will stop.
Every round is independent of the ones before it. Earlier results do not make the next Player, Banker or Tie more or less likely. A budget you can afford to lose is the simplest protection you can set.
