Going Live!
Have you ever tried to play in online live casinos? Most new gamblers tend to be too shy and hesitant to test their luck gambling live. And that is regrettable, as live casino experience is one of the most striking in online gambling. A live casino is a casino where all the games are live streamed from a studio. It is basically an old-fashioned land-based casino with a table and a real human dealer, but it is brought to your home.
What can you play at a live casino? Most games are well-known to everyone: the good-old blackjack, poker or roulette. Let’s look at Baccarat to see how it is played live.
Baccarat is one of the most popular card games of all time. Probably, it’s because it is very simple and very fast. It takes no time to learn to play it. Some players think Baccarat requires no skills at all. But we are not sure about that. Baccarat is usually played with a 6-deck or 8-deck shoe, each deck starting with a 2 and all the way up to the Ace. Each card has a value. All cards from 2 to 9 worth from 2 to 9 points each, respectively. All the face cards are worth 0 points. And as for the Ace it is worth 1 point.
The game features two main bets: on the banker and on the player. You have to predict who of them will get the combination of cards worth 9 points or the closest to it. Also, or you may bet on a tie. The latter means you predict the hands of both sides to be equal in value. So, place your wager and see what the dealing shows. It usually takes two cards to figure out who wins, but sometimes there is a third card used. It usually happens when the player’s hand has the low total value, under 5.
If you have guessed right and won on either a player or a banker, you will be paid even money. Except for the 5% commission that is being withheld from your win, if you have won the Banker’s. If you guessed the tie, then the payout will be 8:1, but the house edge is over 14% for this bet. So run the numbers! And that is basically it. All you have to know about baccarat to play it!
Is online baccarat any different from the original game? Frankly, not really! There are so many versions of Baccarat online, but their basic rules are the same. Most online Baccarat tables share the same standard features. They offer unlimited access to the table. At the tables with limited seats, there will be 7 seats only.
Don’t be confused, they will be numbered from 1 to 8, and the seat number 4 would be missing. It was made intentionally for bettors from Asia, where the number 4 is unlucky and number 8, on the other hand, is extremely lucky!
Another trick online casinos use is the scanners. The cards are usually put on them face down; the results are read by the scanner and after you will get visual information on what cards have won either on the screen or on the users’ interface widget. Scanners definitely help to make the game more agile, also despite all the efforts even bigger cards are sometimes hard to see on the screen. It never happens with scanners, though.
All the online baccarat versions are played with an 8 deck shoe. All the wagers are standard, but there are some interesting extras like the so-called side bets. The most popular side bet has different variations. There are three main variants: Banker/ Player, Either and a Perfect Pair. These wagers predict a pair dealt to any hand. The payouts vary from 5:1 to 25:1, depending on which type of bet won.
Another popular side bat is the Big/Small one. The idea is to predict the total number of the cards dealt. It may be big, from 5 to 6, or small, 4. The last one is Egalite. With it, you try to predict the total value of the hands. The payouts are different. They depend largely on the total value. This bet is awesome as it can be placed independently of the regular hand bet.
Actually, the user’s interface may also come as a shock to newbies! User’s interface usually is a very comfortable tool. Check it for all the necessary statistics, odds and wagers. It’s at the bottom of the screen and here you may choose the value of the chips, make a bet and suchlike. So what is so scary about Baccarat’s interface? There is one more mind-blowing extra feature in it. It may be hidden or it might be displayed on the screen the entire game.
It looks like a terribly complex chart full of symbols and icons. Plenty of bettors get spooked off by the sight of this device! It is officially called the Baccarat Roadmap, and it is used to record the game’s statistics so you can predict what might happen next.
We’ve seen so many gamblers so scared of this strange and complicated tool, they just left the game with no intention to return to it ever. We’ll tell you one thing about the roadmap. You are free not to use it if you don’t know how. It is useful when the gamblers are experienced, or they use some sort of strategy. But if you don’t want to use it, you are free not to. Just close the damn thing and heck with it! If you can, of course.
Older interface versions have the damn table fixed so there is no chance to close it. So, either get used to it or choose a table with the new interface. The updated version is much more pleasant to look at.
If you visit a live casino for the first time, then you might be taken aback by the variety of baccarat tables. May seem too many for this simple game. You will definitely come across Squeeze Baccarat. It’s a simple Baccarat where the last card of the deal is squeezed to prolong the excitement. There is a Mini Baccarat. It’s identical to the original one, but usually features a limited number of seats.
As for Speed Baccarat, obviously, they are very fast. Usually the betting is done within less than 15-20 seconds, and the full round takes no more than 40 seconds.
The Progressive Baccarat speaks for itself, it features a progressive jackpot you may win if both hands will have matching suited Aces and 8’s in the same round. The payouts for this jackpot is 10,000:1. Though the chances to hit one are next to impossible. There are some other card combos that get paid according to the progressive jackpot rules, like an Ace and an 8, paid 1,000:1, or a Natural, paid 25:1, and some other variants for lesser hands. The jackpot amount is seeded 7% of each bet to create the pot.
Also, there is a No Commission Baccarat. It is said this type of Baccarat doesn't charge you a 5% commission on the Banker’s win. Well, it’s true, they don't, instead they charge you a 50% commission when Banker wins with a 6.
Whatever Baccarat you choose to play online will be a great experiment. The best thing about online live casinos is that you can switch tables as often as you want, try different types of the same game. You may log in any time you wish and have a nice little game for as long as you want and you don’t have to wait for a free seat by the table. You don’t have to play some game you don't like while waiting, either.
At a live casino it is all you want as soon as you want it! So take your time to choose your perfect Baccarat! Remember, it’s the road, not the destination that matters, so let’s have fun on the way!
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