Baccarat is a classic card game with a simple aim (score a hand of 9 or less for real money payouts) that anyone can play! Bet on the banker, bet on yourself, it's up to you, but one thing is for sure, you'll certainly be setting a bet on this game as it comes house edge of <2%!
If you’re looking for the top US-licensed baccarat casinos and bonuses, the hottest tables and highest payouts, or perhaps a quick top-up on the game's rules and best winning strategies, then sit back, relax and take the Cabbie tour, beginning with the best online baccarat casinos below!
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As long as you are located in a regulated gambling state, are over the age of 21, and play at a US-licensed casino, then playing online baccarat is legal.
Baccarat is a game of luck: you set a bet, wait for the cards to be drawn, and see who has won. There’s not much more to it than that, which is why anyone can signup and start playing this game, but there are a few more things to know, like how to bet and the all-important third card rule.
But how do you keep your hand under 10 when playing baccarat online? The secret is in the card values (the game software keeps a count of your hand so you won’t have to, but it’s still important to know the card values).
The player only gets a third card if they’ve got a total of 6 or 7, but this works differently for the dealer.
These rules condition the dealer’s third card, and it’s a little more complex than the player’s rules (take a look at the table).
| Bank Hand | Third Card Rule |
|---|---|
| 2 | Takes a third card. |
| 3 | Takes a third card unless the player received a third card, valued at 8. |
| 4 | Takes a third card unless the player received a third card, valued at 0,1, 8, or 9. |
| 5 | Takes a third card unless the player received a third card, valued at 4, 5, 6, or 7. |
| 6 | Takes a third card unless the player received a third card, valued at 6 or 8. |
| 7 | Dealer doesn’t take a third card but sticks. |
Decide at the start of the round if you want to bet on your hand, the bank, or a tie. You can even spread your bets across all options (although this isn’t a strategic way to bet as you’ll lose the amount you win on the cost of the two out of three placed bets that you lose). Then place your bet and click deal! The winner is the player or the bank, depending on who has the hand closest to 9.
Baccarat is an easy online game to play and win, plus with a low house edge of <2%, it pays out well.
So the key question is, who should you bet on?
The chances of the Bank or Player winning in baccarat are very similar (Bank: 45.86%, Player: 44.62%, chance of a tie: 9.52%), which gives the bank a slight advantage over the player. To balance the odds, casinos add a 5% commission on payouts for bets laid on the banker (if you won $10, the game pays $9.50).
Now you’re ready to play, let’s explore what game variants you’ll find at the best US online casinos when playing real money or free baccarat (all of the online casinos we recommend have demo play available, except on live games, either before or after you’ve registered as a player, so it's up to you whether you want to gamble with real money or risk-free without cash).
Both NetEnt and IGT supply US online casinos with RNG baccarat tables. Played with 6/8 decks of 52 cards (Jokers removed), the cards are shuffled at the start of each round, and the gameplay follows classic rules with stakes from $0.10-1,000 per hand. Either option provides players with the classic RNG playing ambience and can be played via desktop or mobile.
Live Baccarat offers more choice but is only available if you live in NJ and PA (where live dealers are currently regulated). Variants include Live, Baccarat Squeeze, and Squeeze Close-Up. The difference in the latter two variants is that cards are dealt face down, and the focus is on the Squeeze (a slower turning of the cards), increasing the excitement for players. Lastly, Evolution Gaming also offers First Person Baccarat, an RNG version of the standard live variant, but inclusive of a “go live” button that allows you to switch between the RNG and live play.
Generally, live bets start from $1, so they cost more than playing RNG variants, but equally, the upper limits can be much higher too, so are great options for high rollers. For example, Baccarat Squeeze offers bets from $5-35,000, providing big stakes and potentially huge payouts.
Live games are played in a studio, at a real table, with a human dealer. The game is filmed and streamed to the player in real-time, who plays through the casino game interface. Alternately, RNG games are not live. The game and outcomes are control by an RNG (random number generator) and no human input is required. The outcome and gameplay are automated.
Yes, you can. Like all online casino games, online baccarat presents the chance to both win and lose real money. What's more, as the game has a low house edge and average payouts of 98%, so it offers solid payout stats, and as you can bet on yourself or the bank to win, you have the freedom to leverage the odds.
Most online baccarat games offer similar winning odds (Bank: 45.86%, Player: 44.62%, Tie: 9.52% with a 5% commission charged on winning bank bets). However, different variants may alter the odds or the commission, so make sure you’ve checked the game stats, along with the paytable, before betting
It's statistically less likely for the outcome of a round to be a tie, which is why the payouts are higher (8:1). While this makes the tie bet attractive, it's better to bet on the bank or yourself as the house edge on tie bets is 14%+. Some variants may also have side bet options, like the tie bet; these are rarely worth playing.
Decide how long you want to play for and establish a bet size that will carry you through a potential run of losses without depleting your balance. What’s more, should you hit a winning streak, always quit while you’re ahead.
If you’re new to playing, try the variant you want to play in demo mode before staking real money. Demo mode offers unlimited free play and is available at all our recommended online casinos. It allows you the chance to practice and experiment with different casino games risk-free.
The more you play at the casino, the more you increase your chances of winning. The best online baccarat casinos in the US have plenty of bonuses like cash match reloads, free play deals, and loyalty clubs, all of which can boost your bankroll, meaning you can play for longer.
Claiming online casino bonuses is one of the best ways to increase your bankroll, play more and win more. Take a look at our current top casino bonuses, and compare sites for the best deals. If you want to find out more about any of the casinos or bonuses, read the full review.
We always recommend playing free online baccarat as a new player. Once you’re accustomed to the game style, bankroll management bets and outcomes, progress to real money baccarat games.
| Real Money Baccarat | Free Baccarat Games |
|---|---|
| Casinos reward real money players with bonuses so you can play and win more. | Free play is risk-free, fun, and unlimited. |
| With RTPs of 98%+ this is a high-paying casino game. | To access the highest payouts, you need to practice; free games give you space to do this and be daring with your moves as you learn. |
| Playing card games for real money is fun and thrilling - especially with Squeeze variants. | You’ll have just as much fun playing for free - go on, pick a casino and give it a shot! |
| Baccarat is a good training ground for other real money games like blackjack and poker. | The biggest downside of demo mode is that you won’t win any real money prizes, so it is limited. |
As the outcome of this card game is based on luck, playing strategies all focus on betting, which essentially tells you when and how much you should bet. We're going to cover two of the most popular baccarat betting strategies here (you can also apply them to other casino games like roulette and craps).
Note: Betting strategies are not guaranteed to provide you with more wins, and they are risky. They aim to help maximize your chances of significant wins and reduce the chance of large losses. Some betting strategies are riskier than others. We don’t recommend these for new players unless you’re experimenting in demo mode (The Martingale is an excellent example of a high-risk strategy).
The Martingale Betting System simply says you should bet the same amount after a win, but after a loss, you should double your bet until you win. For example, you bet $1 and win, so you lay a $1 bet again; this time, you lose, your next bet would be $2, you lose again, bet $4, then $8.
The idea is that by the time you hit a win, your bet is big enough to regroup all your losses. However, the inherent risk is that the bet becomes too big for your bankroll before you win (or hit the table limits), and you end up cashing out with huge losses. For example, imagine losing 10x in a row (unlikely, yes, but possible); your tenth bet in the sequence would be $544, which exceeds many player's budgets (and that's if you started at $1).
This is a much less risky strategy than the Martingale because it doesn’t encourage unrestricted doubling (you’ll still bet more when losing but not at the same rate). The Fibonacci Sequence is predominantly a roulette betting system, but it works for baccarat too and says you’ll see success if you follow this number sequence when losing:
1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377
Let’s work through this: you start betting one unit, let’s say $1 (the bet amount can be as much as you like, but it needs to be consistent, and for the sequence, that amount is one unit). You lose the first hand, so you move one place up the sequence and bet one unit again. You continue to move up the sequence with losses.
When you hit a win, simply go back two spaces in the sequence and continue betting. The series doesn’t end at 377 and can continue as long as needs be. The formula is quite simple to calculate: the next number is the sum of the two preceding it. In this case, 233+377 (610).
Although this is one of the oldest and most popular casino card games, baccarat's origin story is a mystery: some believe it was adapted from Chinese pai gow, whereas others point to the Roman Empire. Essentially, nobody knows for sure.
If we turn to the first written account, it is from the early 19th century, but baccarat was already a well-established game by this time (it doesn't help that the game has been known by many colloquial names, like Punto Banco, Chemmy). In terms of baccarat in the USA, the first records are from 1911, but it didn’t become a popular casino game until the 1950s when it first hit the Las Vegas strip, and later it was further popularised as the game of choice for Ian Fleming's 007.
Ready to take your casino adventure further? Then check out more real money casino games and start playing at the best online casinos in the USA today!
You can legally play online baccarat from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Michigan, or West Virginia as long as you are using a US-licensed online casino and are 21+.
The best online baccarat casino in your state is Borgata Casino NJ . If you’re located outside of a legal gambling state, then check out our US sweepstakes casinos.
Baccarat is a simple card game where the aim is to build a hand of 9 (or as close as possible: face cards and tens are worth zero, and if your hand hits double digits, minus 10). Both the player and bank receive two cards and, under certain conditions, a third. You can bet on the bank, player, or a tie to win. Bet correctly, and the game pays out. Incorrectly, and you lose your bet (for a thorough rule breakdown, see the how-to-play section above).
Almost all baccarat games have RTPs of 98%+, making it a high-paying casino game. The best online baccarat game to play is No Commission Baccarat (a live dealer variant) and offers even odds on the bank or player winning, eliminating the usual 5% commission on winning banker bets!
However, No Commission variants are not widely available at US casinos, so if you can’t opt for this game, we recommend that you first decide if you want to play live or RNG baccarat (RNG tables offer lower stakes and higher payout stats), then take a look at the games your casino of choice offers. And lastly, experiment and test-drive games in demo mode before picking the one you prefer and playing for real money (games from different providers have slight variants in style, ambiance, and table set up, so it's worth taking your time in picking). Remember to check the commission charged on bets placed on the bank.
Yes, you can win money playing real money casino games online; the game has an average RTP of 98%+ and a low house edge of <2%. Plenty of casino players win money every day with this game, but keep in mind that it's also possible to lose as you are gambling with real money.
As long as you play at the US state-licensed casino, then online baccarat is not rigged. US-licensed casinos must submit their games and casino software for third-party testing to ensure it’s fair and pays out. Offshore/ casinos licensed outside of the USA are not bound by these conditions, which is one of many reasons it’s essential to play at a licensed and recommended online casino.
While it is possible to find table game tournaments, they are most often run on poker, roulette, or blackjack games. Online baccarat tournaments are sadly thin-on-the-ground at this present time.
