Online Baccarat in NZ

Both the land-based and online version of the game have a reputation as a complex game with high stakes. After all, the game has earned the nickname, “the gentleman’s game”. It also became famous as the favorite casino game of the fictional spy character, James Bond. In the scenes of Bond movies, many of the gamblers and spectators around the table dress in sophisticated black tie attire. This has only added to the game’s reputation as a game exclusively for high rollers and well-experienced games.

As one of the world’s oldest games, throughout history, the game remained popular among royalty and the aristocracy. However, the popularity of online casinos and gambling around the world has brought baccarat to the masses. In fact, it has become one of the most popular casino games, particularly in casinos in Asia and Las Vegas. Statistics show that about 91% of the total income from Macau casinos come from punto banco baccarat.

Actually, many who play baccarat online find it a very straightforward, fun game. In land-based casinos and online casinos alike, baccarat games attract all kinds of players. Baccarat games have a range of betting limits. Players also enjoy baccarat because this game happens to have a smaller house edge compared to other table games, meaning the player has a better chance of winning.

Players in New Zealand can easily play online baccarat right from their computer or mobile devices by signing up at gambling sites. New Zealand gamblers have plenty of sites to choose from to play baccarat online.

Basic Rules

If you have never played baccarat before or just need a refresher course, then we’ve got you covered with the rules of how to play baccarat online. The first thing you should know about it is that in baccarat, each player aims to get a hand with a value equal to or closest to 9.

How do you value the cards? In baccarat, each card has a point value. The cards two through nine are valued according to their face value in points. In other words, a two is worth two, three is worth three, and so forth. The tens, queens, jacks, queens, and kings have no point value meaning they are worth zero. Aces count as one point. Baccarat does not include jokers. Unlike with blackjack, players cannot bust in baccarat. That means that the highest possible hand value is nine.

Hands are valued according to the rightmost digit of the sum of the cards. Let’s say you have a hand consisting of two and three. Then the hand is worth five. However, a hand of six and seven is worth three. When you add six and seven, you get 13, but, as we mentioned, the hands are valued according to the rightmost number. That means that you use the 3 in 13 to value the card.

In other words, another way to calculate the points is that all you have to do is add the card totals and drop the 10 value. For instance, let’s say you have a hand of Q+7+8=15. The Q, as we mentioned, has a value of zero. If you remove the 10, then the hand equals 5 points. That’s just another way of looking at it.

In a game of baccarat, you can bet on either the banker’s hand or the dealer’s hand. A winning bet placed on the banker’s hand results in an even money payout on the initial bet minus 5%, which goes to the house. Meanwhile, a winning bet placed on the player’s hand results in an even money payout on the initial bet, with no percentage deducted to go toward the house.

If neither the player nor banker receives cards that total 8 or 9 in the first two cards (called a natural), then they consult the tableau, first for the player, then for the banker according to the following:

Player’s rule

If a player has an initial total of 0-5, then the player draws a third card. If the player has a hand totaling 6 or 7, then he stands.

Banker’s rule

The banker only refers to his own hand and acts according to the same rules as the player if the player only has two cards (stood pat). In other words, the banker draws a third card if he holds a value of 0-5 and stands with a 6 or 7.

In the event that the player draws a third card, then the banker acts according to the following more complex rules:

• If the player drew a 2 or 3, then the banker draws with 0–4 and stands with 5–7
• If the player drew a 4 or 5, then the banker draws with 0–5 and stands with 6–7
• If the player drew a 6 or 7, then the banker draws with 0–6 and stands with 7
• If the player drew an 8, then the banker draws with 0–2 and stands with 3–7.
• If the player drew an ace, 9, 10, or face-card, then the banker draws with 0–3 and stands with 4–7

Don’t get too overwhelmed with these detailed rules! After all, it takes time to learn any game, but you’ll get it once you get the hang of it. Fortunately, many versions of online baccarat have much less complex rules and etiquette for playing. For example, playing in a land-based casino requires you to know these 3-card tableau rules. However, with online baccarat, the computer automatically plays out the results. Still it’s good to understand the tableau when playing online baccarat, even if you don’t have it completely memorized.

Not to mention, casinos have created an easier way to remember these rules.

• If the banker total is 2 or less, then the banker draws a card, regardless of what the player’s third card is.
• If the banker total is 3, then the bank draws a third card unless the player’s third card was an 8. If the banker total is 4, then the bank draws a third card if the player’s third card was 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.
• If the banker’s total hand value is 5, then the bank draws a third card if the player’s third card was 4, 5, 6, or 7.
• When the banker’s total value is 6, then the bank draws a third card if the player’s third card was a 6 or 7.
• If the banker’s total is 7, then the banker stands.

Different Varieties

You can find several different variations of baccarat. In most parts of North America, they call it punto banco. In punto banco games, the casino banks the game at all times entirely and plays out both hands according to fixed drawing rules, known as the “tableau”, the French for board.

Meanwhile, you can also find versions like baccarat chemin de fer (or chemmy) and baccarat banque. Chemin de fer and baccarat banque tend to be more popular among European casinos and gambling sites. With these games, the role of banker rotates among the players.

For the most part, casinos in certain areas of the world like the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Sweden, Finland, and Macau call baccarat punto banco. Punto means player and banco means banker. The name refers to the two hands dealt in each coup.

In a live casino, the croupier uses a shoe of 6 or 8 decks of cards shuffled together. Casinos more commonly use 8 decks. The croupier typically uses a yellow plastic card to shuffle. For each coup, two cards are dealt face up to each hand starting with the player and then alternating between the hands. The croupier may announce the total of the hands at this point. If either the player or the banker has achieved a total of 8 or 9, the coup has ended with the winner announced.

Different online playing options

As we mentioned earlier, baccarat in the land-based casinos have become immensely popular. Whether you call it punto banco or baccarat, you can find these games at casinos worldwide. The game has become particularly popular among Asian gamblers in Asia and in Las Vegas. As a matter of fact, baccarat has overtaken blackjack as the most popular table game in Vegas. High rollers from Asia flock to Vegas to play baccarat at the casinos, giving a big boost the revenue for Vegas gambling establishments.

Due to the growing popularity of the game in casinos throughout the world, online casinos have caught onto the trend by introducing online baccarat to their gambling sites. Gamblers in New Zealand and around the world have their choice of baccarat with all kinds of variations. Meanwhile, live baccarat games give players the chance to enjoy the real tables and interactions with a croupier and other players streaming from a casino table to their computer or mobile device.

Baccarat Odds

Perhaps one of the reasons that baccarat and online baccarat have become so popular is because the game has a relatively low house edge of around 1.06% for the banker and 1.24% for the player. A tie has a house edge of 14.36%. Keep in mind that when betting on the banker, you must pay out an extra percentage toward the house if you win the bet.

Punto banco is considered a game of chance with each player’s outcome completely based on luck. That being said, knowing different odds and developing habits can improve your punto banco strategy. However, in games like baccarat chemin de fer and baccarat banque, players can use skill to affect the outcome of the game.

Conclusion

So whether you prefer to bet on the banker or the dealer, play a round of baccarat, chemin de fer, or baccarat banque, you can find all kinds of options at online casinos. Online baccarat continues to grow in popularity among gamblers, and it’s easy to see why. You don’t have to be James Bond to love the game. Try your luck and see if you’ll choose the winning bet when you play online baccarat. Good luck!