Live Baccarat: What These Games Feature

Baccarat is one of the more entertaining of the online casino games available today and Live Baccarat makes the experience that much more fun, and hopefully rewarding.  Unique features like special bets and extra statistics will help you get more involved in the game and enrich your playing experience. 

Baccarat is a card game that incorporates three popular variants of the game: punto banco, baccarat chemin de fer, and baccarat banque. In Punto banco each player's moves are forced by the cards the player is dealt.

The reason for its explosion in popularity over the last decade?  There is not a whole lot of skill required and the payouts can be lucrative.

The Live Dealer Casino Experience

At the core of the live dealer online betting experience for baccarat and other casino games is a high-definition camera showcases various views.  The most common view points to the host.  There is the occasional overhead shot looking directly down on the cards.

In recent years, software providers have implemented even more fully customized camera views.  In some cases, camera views change throughout the gaming experience with close-ups of the table regularly on display.

Implementing Baccarat in This Environment

Live Baccarat Squeeze is a variation of tradition baccarat whereby the dealer 'squeezes' the playing cards and goes about slowly revealing each card's value.

Assuming you have a strong internet connection, there should be no lag or grainy images.  These games can be played on a 4G network but by far the 5G upgrade is awesome for today's live dealer casino platforms.

This squeeze can also be controlled by players with cameras strategically placed beneath the tables. The live stream of the real card faces the player.  Though obscured, VIP players can click on a section of the card to reveal it's value. 

Live Speed Baccarat is a sick variation in which cards are dealt face-up and each game round is clocked at just 27 seconds compared to the traditional 48 seconds.

In No Commission Baccarat, the 5% commission to pay on Banker wins is not present unless the Banker scores 6.  Players are paid half their original bet in this scenario (0.5:1).

No Commission Baccarat is not widely implemented in the North American casino market, so it is an excellent choice for those who play online from the region.

In the past, Alan Krigman of Casino City has suggests that casinos actually dislike the commissions in baccarat.

"Sure, they want the dough; it's the collection process they'd rather eliminate. It slows down the action, makes dealers do extra work, and causes misunderstanding and contention."

A Few More Variants and Side Bets

Other baccarat variants offered on sites worldwide include Dual Play Baccarat,  Multiplay and Red Envelope.

In Red Envelope, you can place a bet on the banker, players or on a tie.  Players will see a red envelope together with a randomly generated increased payout appearing on the bet spot.

Some of the platforms are unique in that they offer configurable side bets and live betting statistics.  The Pairs bet (PB) is a non-proprietary baccarat side bet available on some sites that pays 11-to-1 for a dealt pair. Bets can be placed on either or both of the Player or Banker side.

- B.E. Delmer, Gambling911.com