All About Baccarat

Baccarat is an ancient gambling game that dates back to at least the 15th century. The exact history of baccarat isn’t well documented, but historians are fairly certain that the game is of Italian descent.

Regardless of where it’s from, Baccarat today is a popular casino game at both live and online casinos.

Few people realize it, but baccarat actually has one of the lowest house advantages in the casino. A typical baccarat player can often play for a long time on a limited bankroll. All it takes is a little baccarat strategy and you’ll be at the table all night long barring any catastrophically bad luck.

Baccarat is a fun game and all, but it’s almost all show. The odd traditions the players ascribe to, the complicated rules the dealer must follow and the dedicated tracking of past results are all there to give the game an air of intimidation and superiority. It is for these reasons that many gamblers never even get to know how much fun baccarat truly can be.

For the most part, baccarat is perceived as a game for high rollers only. If you visit a live casino, you will often find the baccarat tables separated from the games, inside a special high limits section. In the past, this was a legitimate barrier to most gamblers, but online casinos have changed all that. Today, any average Joe can hop right on and place $1.00 bets at the baccarat table.

Live casinos still keep fairly high table limits on the Baccarat table because the rounds are slow and the house advantage is tiny. If you also factor in the costs of paying the dealer and the space the table occupies, you really can’t blame live casinos for keeping baccarat as a high limit game.

Online Baccarat

Online baccarat has completely changed the way the game is played. Where live casinos enforce high table limits, online casinos let you place bets for as little as $1.00. This is great news for all us normal mortals out there who don’t have an extra $1,000 a pop to bet on baccarat.

Mini Baccarat

In an effort to make baccarat more accessible to gamblers of all incomes, many casinos have introduced a game called “mini baccarat.” This game plays with the same rules as regular baccarat except the dealer handles all the cards and keeps the game going at a fast pace.

Thanks to the faster pace of the game, live casinos are actually willing to place mini baccarat tables in the normal casino area with much lower table limits. This game is even easier to learn than normal baccarat because once you place your bet, the dealer quickly takes care of all the rest. If you’re new to baccarat and still aren’t entirely sure about the game, mini baccarat is always a safe bet.

Midi Baccarat

Midi baccarat is just another variation of mini baccarat. The only difference is that this form of the game is played on a slightly larger table that resembles an oversized blackjack table. At most midi baccarat tables, the dealer handles everything from the paying of the bets to the handling of the cards. Every once in a while, you will find a casino that lets the players handle the cards as if they were playing regular baccarat.

Other than the size of the table, midi baccarat and mini baccarat both share the same rules, bets and house advantage. If you visit any of the best online casinos, you’ll probably find one or the other. Some casinos keep midi baccarat as a high roller game in the same fashion as traditional baccarat.