Baccarat

Everything You Must Know About Baccarat at Indian Casinos

Playing baccarat at online casinos is possible in India. In fact, Indian casinos are home to some of the most popular baccarat games of all. This shouldn’t come as a total surprise to you. After all, baccarat does have a place in the heart of many Asian bettors. If you are new to baccarat, though, what do you need to know? Where can you play baccarat in India, and how does the game work? We’re glad you asked.

In this Indian gambling guide, we’re going to look at the ins and outs of baccarat. We’ll introduce you to the tricky Third Card Rule and easily explain it to you. We’ll showcase a few baccarat variants, and we’ll discuss bonuses you can use on the game. First, though, we should introduce you to some top Indian casinos offering baccarat.

Join Our Top Indian Casinos Offering Baccarat

Our team has worked tirelessly to find baccarat casinos that every Indian player will want to join. Each of our trusted and recommended sites is safe, offers great baccarat games and is India-friendly. Don’t hesitate to explore these casinos and our reviews to find a top place to play today.

How to Play Baccarat at Indian Casinos

Baccarat is one of the older gambling games that has a clear-cut history. We can trace it back to the Nineteenth Century, where it was popular with the French aristocracy. In fact, it has origins which precede that. It is believed that the game was founded in Italy during the Middle Ages, going by the name baccara. Some historians speculate that it may be even older, stretching back to the Roman Empire. Speculation aside, we know that baccarat or Punto Banco is a fun game to play. We also know that it is immensely popular in Asian resorts like Macao. It has a bit of a following in India, and that’s what has tweaked our interest.

Punto Banco literally means “Player, Bank”. This is because the baccarat game allows you to bet on the banker’s hand or the player’s hand winning. What makes baccarat different from other games is that you don’t control the action. All you are required to do is predict which hand will win. You won’t have to make any decisions whatsoever save for that. Unlike blackjack or poker games, you don’t actually have a hand of your own. The “player’s hand” is controlled by the dealer/banker, too.

Banker’s Hand or Player’s Hand

After betting on either the banker’s hand or the player’s, two cards are dealt to each hand. In baccarat, each card is worth its numerical value. However, aces and worth one, and face cards and tens are all worth zero. Despite this, they aren’t removed from the deck. The total of the two cards cannot exceed nine. Therefore, if the total of a hand does go over nine, the first digit (or ten) is subtracted. This gives the hand a new value.

The value of the two hands is compared, and the hand that gets closest to nine wins. There may be occasions when a third card is used. Known as the Third Card Rule, this is tricky to understand. Fortunately for Indian bettors, you don’t have to. Indian casinos will automatically take control of this for you. Even so, we’ll cover it briefly below. First, though, let’s talk about odds and prizes.

Your Odds of Success and Prizes in Baccarat

There is a slight discrepancy between the player and banker’s hands. There is a mild edge to the house, so the banker’s hand is more likely to win. As a result, if you bet on the banker’s hand, and it wins, you must pay a commission to the house. This commission is set to 5%. It is worth noting that some variants do away with the commission. However, they will alter the payments to compensate for that.

Here is how it works:

• Player/Punto: The player or “punto” hand has a larger house edge of 1.24%. Because of that, if you win on the player’s hand, you will receive even money winnings of 1:1.
• Banker/Banco: The banker or “banco” hand has a slight house edge of 1.06%. Therefore, if you win with this hand, you will pay a 5% commission. In short, your winnings will consist of 0.95:1.
• Tied Hand: The house edge on tied hands is huge, and at 14.36%, draws aren’t likely to happen often. Betting on a tied hand is adventurous at best, crazy at worst. Of course, if you’re prepared to risk it, you can win 8:1, sometimes even 9:1. The payout can vary depending on which Indian casino you are playing at and the variant you are playing.

The Third Card Rule – Explained

If the hand shown is a nine, then it is deemed to be a natural and wins straight away. Hands of eight sometimes indicate a straightforward win, too. However, there are times when a third baccarat card must be taken. We want to stress the importance of this again below.

The Third Card Rule is messy and tricky to understand. However, Indian players do not have to worry about this. Live dealers and RNG baccarat games will automatically take control of this, so you don’t have to remember anything. If you are interested in learning, though, here is what you need to know:

• A third card is taken and added to the player’s hand when the hand totals zero to five points. Player hand totals of six or seven on the first two cards don’t receive a third card. A hand worth eight or nine is a natural and doesn’t receive a third card.

Whether or not the banker’s hand takes a third is entirely dependent on what happens with the player’s hand.

For instance:

• The baccarat banker will draw a card if they have 0-4, and the player’s card was 2 or 3. The banker will stand on a five to seven.
• The baccarat banker will draw a card if they have 0-5, and the player’s third card was 4-5. The banker will stand on a six or seven total.
• The banker would draw a third card on totals of 0-6 if the player’s card was 6 or 7. The banker will stand on sevens.
• The banker will take a card if they have 0-2, but only if the player’s third card was 8. The baccarat banker will stand on a total of three to seven.
• The banker will always draw a third card if their hand is worth 0-3. However, this is only if the player’s third card was a 9, 10, Ace or Face. The banker will stand on 4s to 7s.

Baccarat Variants You May Wish to Try at Indian Casinos

There are a couple of baccarat variants out there at Indian casinos that you may wish to try. Not all of them offer a revolutionary style of gameplay. Some are only subtly different. Even so, they are worth considering. Allow us to introduce you to the top baccarat variants at Indian casinos below. They include:

• Super Six: In this game, there is a Super Six side-bet. You can win 12:1 if the banker’s hand wins with a total of six. There is no commission paid out on wins on the banker’s hand, either.
• No Commission: As its name suggests, there is no commission on the banker’s hands here. You will receive 1:1. However, you will only win 0.5:1 if the banker wins with a six-point total.
• Chemin de Fer: A high-roller game of baccarat. This French game has up to fourteen players and isn’t for the faint-hearted, with high table limits.
• Mini Baccarat: This seven-seat game is notable for being fast. Consider it the baccarat equivalent of Speed Roulette or Auto Roulette.
• Baccarat Squeeze: Asian bettors often “squeeze” baccarat cards for luck. This game lets them do that digitally, using clever cameras.
• Lightning Baccarat: Lightning Baccarat works multipliers into the mix. Using Lightning Cards, it is possible for Indians to win up to 262,144:1 in this game.

Top Tips for Betting on Baccarat Online

To be fair, we consider baccarat a game of luck. Unlike most card games, you have absolutely no influence on what happens, save for which hand you bet on. The dealer controls both the banker and player’s hands, so there is nothing you can do. For this reason, there aren’t many baccarat tips out there. However, we’ve played for years, and we do have some wisdom to offer you. For instance:

• The baccarat banker’s hand is more likely to win, so wagering on it is usually worthwhile in overall.
• Don’t worry about remembering the third card rule – you don’t need to.
• Avoid the tied hand. Yes, it pays out handsome winnings, but it isn’t likely to do so often. The RTP for tied hands is a disastrous 85.64%.
• Play baccarat for free with demo games. This will give you a good idea of what to expect when you play for real money.
• Avoid betting strategies like the Martingale System. They are disastrous if you go on a losing streak. This is a game of chance, so that’s a realistic possibility.
• Short betting windows in baccarat are not as big a deal as they are in other games. You only have two (okay, three) choices before you. It’s tough to feel the pressure in these games.

Claim Baccarat Bonuses at Indian Casinos

Most of the very best casinos in India will have a welcome bonus that can be used on table games. For the most part, this means baccarat games, too. Don’t expect to see too many table games bonuses or dedicated baccarat bonuses, though. It is worth pointing out that some Indian casinos also support Drops & Wins tournaments.

These are live dealer tournaments, and live baccarat games are very much a part of that. Also, be warned that betting with bonus funds on baccarat may see different wagering contributions. They often contribute less towards clearing wagering requirements than, say, slot machines.

Join India’s Best Baccarat Casinos and Betting Sites Today

Now that you know how to play online baccarat, it is worth joining an Indian casino. As touched on above, we’ve got plenty of top sites for you to choose from. Scroll up to our casino list and check out our reviews. Each of the sites is trustworthy, certified and amongst the best venues offering baccarat games to Indians.

FAQS – We Answer Your Baccarat Questions

Before you start betting, check out this brief FAQ for a final bit of guidance on playing baccarat in India.