Baccarat For Real Money: Best Baccarat Sites for South Africans

Online Baccarat captures all the excitement found in traditional offline variants, and here at Casino.com ZA, we have listed the top online casinos that provide a wide selection of these games for you to explore.

Created by the best developers in the iGaming sector, these Baccarat variants bring together all the features that make this card game popular and adds a few more to take things to another level.

To discover more about playing online Baccarat in South Africa, keep reading. To jump right in, join the best online casino in South Africa today, make a deposit, and play cards!

HISTORY AND ORIGINS OF BACCARAT

The gambling game Baccarat has a long and rich history dating back to the 15th century. It is said that the game was created by an Italian gambler, Felix Falguiere. The name Baccarat comes from the Italian word ‘Baccara’ which means zero. That’s because the cards 10, J, Q and K are given a zero value in baccarat.

The game later spread to different parts of the world, and became popular in France in the late 1800s when French nobility enjoyed playing the game. Shortly after, Baccarat made its way to England, America and even the Caribbean being adopted by different people and evolving to various versions. 

Today, Baccarat is one of the most popular casino table games and you can play it in many versions in online casinos. 

HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST ONLINE BACCARAT CASINOS

Playing baccarat online starts by choosing the perfect casino site. A casino that ticks all the right boxes and understands what players want. Below is a list of factors our experts consider whenever they recommend a baccarat casino to you.

Licensing: All our top baccarat casinos are licensed and regulated by credible authorities like the Gambling Commission and Malta Gaming Authority. This means they are safe and secure for players.

Bonuses: Promotions and bonuses are incentives we look for in a casino. Claiming bonuses gives you free money to play baccarat online with. 

User Experience: How organized is the site and can you easily access games? These are some of the little things that contribute to the overall gaming experience. 

Games: Baccarat has many variants, so it’s only fair we recommend sites that will have a wide variety of games. Whether it’s Punto Banco or Chemin De Fer, you’ll find many baccarat games to play.

Banking: Your deposits and withdrawals will be fast and secure in our top online baccarat casinos. Not only do they support popular banking options in South Africa, they also have favorable limits.

Customer Support: In case of any issue, you need to seek assistance and get it promptly. That’s why our casinos have various customer support channels and the staff is friendly. 

POPULAR VARIATIONS OF CASINO BACCARAT

Baccarat has several variations, and yet, some are more popular than others. As a player, this means there’s a baccarat game that meets your preference. Whether you want to play a baccarat game that has simple rules, or are looking for a challenge, all you have to do is choose the version you want.

Here are some of the most popular baccarat variations:

Punto Banco

Most baccarat players enjoy playing Punto Banco. Punto means player and Banco means banker. In this version, players play against the banker and the aim of the game is to get your hand as close as possible to nine without going over, and having a hand that’s higher than the banker’s.

The game is played with eight decks of cards, and bets can be placed on either the player, banker or a tie. Two cards are drawn and given to the player and banker twice, so that each has two in total. Players can have an extra card if their hand total is less than five. For the wagers, player bets pay out 1:1, banker bets pay out 95:100 and a tie bet will pay out 8:1.

Chemin De Fer

Chemin De Fer is a slightly different version where players bet against each other and not the banker. Instead of having a casino dealer as a banker, players take turns being the banker, moving in an anticlockwise direction.

With every round, two cards are dealt to the player and the banker. Again, if the player’s hand is less than five, they can have another card. The game is played using six decks of cards and pay outs are also different. Player bets have a payout of 1:1, and if the banker wins, all lost bets are collected by them. In case of a tie, the bets remain on the table.

Mini Baccarat

More players get to play Mini Baccarat because the stakes are lower. The version is similar to the original game only that it’s smaller and fast paced. There’s no drawing or standing, and the dealer simply shuffles the cards, deals them out and players place bets.

Player bets give you a 1:1 payout, while bets on the banker pay out 95:100. If it’s a tie, you’ll get a payout of 8:1.

UNDERSTANDING THE HOUSE EDGE IN BACCARAT

Baccarat has one of the lowest house edges so that means you actually have an upper hand against the casino. And with a few bet options, you can easily know what house edge you can expect.

Banker Bet

Out of all baccarat bets, the banker bet has the lowest house edge at 1.06%. That means your chances of winning are about 46%. Casinos usually charge a 5% commission on all banker bet wins to at least make a profit.

Player Bet

The player bet is the second-best wager you can make when playing online baccarat. Player bets have a house edge of 1.24% giving you a win probability of about 44%.

Tie Bet

If you are feeling lucky, you can choose to place a tie bet. It’s a risky bet because it has a high house edge of 14.36% but rewards a high payout of 8:1.

Side Bets

Some versions of baccarat allow you to place side bets that make the game more interesting. A side bet option like betting on pairs for either the player or banker has a house edge of 10 to 12%.

Baccarat is a little more complicated than Blackjack, but it’s infinitely less complicated than Poker and there are only a few basic rules to learn. Take a look at the following Baccarat rules to understand how this game works.

• Table Layout: In every game of Baccarat, players are given several betting options, all of which are laid out neatly on the table in front of them. In front of these betting options, the player can see the cards and the dealer. Next to them, they can see places for other players (when playing Live Casino games).
• Player, Banker, Tie: You have three options when placing a bet in a game of online baccarat. The ultimate goal is to bet on the winning hand, which is essentially the hand with the highest single-digit score. You can bet on the Banker or the Player and you can also opt for the Tie if you think the scores will be equal.
• Card Values: Baccarat hand values are different from most other card games, so prior experience won’t help you much here. All Aces count as 1, all cards from 2 through to 9 counts for their face value, and all 10s and picture cards are zero.

Card Value Example:

• 3^rd Card Rule: The Player or Banker wins if their hand scores an 8 or 9 with the first two cards. This is known as a “natural” and no additional cards are drawn. If the player scores less than 5, they will draw an additional card, while the Banker will draw if they have a score of 2 or less. The Banker can also draw a card if they score a 4, but only if the Player does not have a “natural” or a score of 0 or 1.

In addition to the aforementioned betting options, many games of online Baccarat also have side bets that add a couple of extra features. Known as Banker Pair and Player Pair, these bets have a pay rate of 12 to 1 and payout when the Banker’s or Player’s hand pairs-up.

For example, if a bet is placed on a Banker Pair and the banker’s two cards are the Three of Diamonds and the Three of Hearts, the bet will settle as a win. This bet only applies to the first two cards and all side bets can be placed in addition to a traditional bet.

In such cases, the side bet will be settled first and then the game will continue as normal. It is possible to win the side bet and lose the main game and vice versa. It’s also possible to place just one of these bets. If you like the idea of the side bet but aren’t interested in actually betting on the Player, Banker or Tie, then stick with the only side bet options.

Card Values

• Aces count as one (1)
• Two through nine score their face value (2 to 9)
• 10s and picture cards count as zero (0)

Example:

In a game of Baccarat, there are three important numbers you need to know: 14.4%, 1.35%, and 1.06%. These are the odds for each possible bet. The first, the highest, is the house edge for a Tie bet. The second is for the Player bet, while the third, the lowest of all, is for the Banker.

The easiest way to understand this is to imagine that if you play 100 of each and bet RSA1 each hand, you can expect to lose RSA14.40 for Tie bets, RSA1.35 for Player bets, and RSA1.06 for Banker bets.

Baccarat Payout Table

For more information on payouts and odds, take a look at the Help section below.

Baccarat is a game of chance and there is no way to guarantee success. However, there are a few tips and tricks to increase your chances of getting a return. Having a baccarat strategy will ensure you get the most out of the game.

1. Place Your Bets on the Banker - The Banker bet offers the lowest house edge of all Baccarat bets, which is why many Baccarat players choose to bet only on this outcome. Of course, many players will get pretty tired of making the same bet game after game, but if you want to keep the odds firmly in your favour, this is the way to do it.

The Banker house edge is one of the lowest of any card game. To put that 1.06% into perspective, the house edge for a game of American Roulette is over 5%, and the house edge for many slot machines doesn’t get lower than 3%.

2. Avoid Betting on a Tie - While the Banker bet offers the lowest house edge and therefore the greatest chance, the Tie is the complete opposite and should be avoided. There’s no harm in betting on the occasional Tie but doing it consistently game after game will significantly reduce your chances of winning.

The problem with the Tie bet is that it’s the most appealing bet to the majority of inexperienced players. Rather than focusing on the bets that have the highest chance of success, they focus on the bets that offer the biggest potential payouts, so the Tie is very tempting to them, even though experienced players avoid it at all costs.

3. Bankroll Carefully - Proper bankroll management is at the heart of every gambling strategy and something that all professional baccarat players swear by.

Your bankroll is your gambling budget. It’s a sum of money that you put aside every week or month for the sole purposes of gambling. You should refrain from depositing more money to increase this balance and should only add to it when you win or when the month/week is over.

The size of your bankroll will depend on your disposable income. You should only bet with a sum of money that you can afford to lose. Your first priority is to pay the bills, cover your living costs, put money aside for a rainy day, and then use a small amount of the leftover cash to create your bankroll.

All South African casino players are entitled to a host of bonuses and promotions, including Welcome Bonuses, Loyalty Bonuses, and a VIP Loyalty Scheme. These bonuses are available to all players, new and old, and you can find more information by visiting our Bonuses and Promotions pages.

One of the most common bonuses we feature is something known as a Matched Deposit Bonus. This will essentially double your first deposit up to a specific amount, and it occasionally comes with a bundle of Free Spins, which can be used on our many real money slot machines.

Every game listed on Casino.com ZA can be played on your mobile device. There is full support for iOS and Android and all games are designed with smaller screens and touchscreen capability in mind. This means that you don’t need to worry about buttons that are too small to be clicked or so big that they fill the entire screen. Everything is neat, compact, crisp, clean, and just the way it should be.

We recommend throwing on a pair of headphones to complete the experience, especially when playing Live Dealer games. It’ll be like you’re sitting in a real casino, with the sounds of the cards being turned and the dealer making calls.

GLOSSARY OF BACCARAT TERMS

Banco: Refers to the banker’s hand. It’s a Spanish word meaning bank or banker.

Punto: Refers to the player’s hand. Spanish word for player.

Natural: Is the best hand in baccarat and happens when the first two cards dealt give a total of eight or nine.

Standoff: A word showing that the player and banker have the same totals for their hands, so it’s a tie.

Upcard: A card turned face up.

Action: The total amount of money wagered by a player as a bet in a game or across a baccarat gaming session.

Bankroll: The amount of money a player has set aside to play a game of baccarat.

Now that you know more about Baccarat, the only thing left to do is find a site that ticks your boxes, sign up, make a deposit, and start playing. We have a wide range of top online casinos with great Baccarat titles for you to explore and if you sign up now you can also collect the new member Welcome Bonus.

Baccarat is a relatively easy game to pick up and play, and once you read through this guide, you should be ready to try it for yourself. But if you encounter some issues and need a little help, take a look at the following options:

• In-Game-Support: All games recommended at Casino.com ZA have help files that can be accessed via the menu icon. This will tell you all that you need to know about your chosen game, from the payouts to the rules and any bonus features. We recommend taking a look at this menu before playing any of our games.
• Live Dealer Support: If you’re playing a Live Dealer game, you can use the Chat Box to ask a question and request support. The other players may offer their assistance and, if not, the dealer will. Just remember, the dealer is there to shuffle/deal cards and answer a few basic questions, not to deal with account queries.
• Customer Support: If you have any questions about your account or a specific game, you can contact the site’s dedicated Customer Support team. Our list of top online baccarat casino sites have professional team members who are available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, and you can reach them by phone, email or Live Chat.