Baccarat has often been touted as a sophisticated game for the elite as it has grown in popularity through pop culture in the likes of James Bond. A lot of casinos had fallen into this same way of thinking, offering baccarat only as a high roller table, requiring massive buy ins, beyond what the average casino goer can afford.
Thanks to the rise of online and live gaming, baccarat has somewhat lost its elite only status and is becoming more and more accessible to average players. Online buy ins are always the most affordable due to the lesser operation costs, but it seems that a lot of live and physical casinos are following suit. Now is the best time ever to play baccarat online, live or in person.
Baccarat Vs Blackjack
Most people have assumed baccarat to be an exotic for of blackjack, while there are comparisons to be made, they are completely different games. Baccarat may be the game of the high rollers, but it actually favours beginners, being much easier to play than blackjack.
To come close to the 1.5% house edge in blackjack, you need to repeatedly play the perfect game with basic strategy. Any small mistakes or missteps in blackjack could see the house edge turning against you by as much as 20%. To get the 1.17% house edge of baccarat, all you need to do is make one bet. Blackjack requires skill, whereas baccarat is more about luck than any skill or talent you may possess.
How Does Baccarat Work
When playing baccarat, there are a few key details you need to know. The game happens between two positions known as the player and the banker, in this case the actual players at the table do not fill the player position. The player position is just a name for a secondary position held by the house.
Both positions are played by the house, you will only be betting on the outcome, not participating in the card game itself. Think of it as betting on the outcome of a blackjack game rather than playing blackjack yourself.
To better understand your position, it's important to understand the bets available to you.
● Banker - Betting on the banker is a bet that the banker will win the hand. These bets often pay out at 95% as there is usually a 5% commission when betting on the banker. The 5% commission exists as the casino's edge, as there is no other direct edge to be had in the game. When betting on the banker, the house edge is 1.06%
● Player - Betting on the player is a bet that the player will win the hand. Player bets pay out 100% or even money. The standard house edge when betting on the banker is 1.24%, making it slightly shy of the banker bet, but still an extremely low house edge.
● Tie - Tie bets are a bet point towards the player and the banker having a tie. The odds of this happening are extremely low, and the house edge is an unfavourable 14.36%. Tie bets are best avoided all together.
If you want to give yourself the best possible house edge when using Grand Rush bonus codes, always bet on the banker. The game will play out by itself with no input from any players, all you need to do is bet on the banker in every round, it really is that simple.