Best US baccarat casinos for real money & free play 2024

What is online baccarat?

Online baccarat is a casino card game where two hands, the player and the banker, compete to score the closest to nine. Contrary to popular belief, it’s one of the easiest casino card games for new players to learn. In many ways similar to online blackjack, baccarat features a player and a banker, with each being dealt two cards.

What’s the goal of baccarat?

The goal of baccarat is to achieve a hand with the closest value to nine, beating the banker's hand. No hand can be valued above nine, so if the total of your hand exceeds this the score drops its first digit. Thus 12 becomes two, 18 becomes eight, etc. Bets are made on either the player, banker, or a tie.

• 1
  Find the best baccarat online casino and select your game
• 2
  Place a bet on either the player or banker’s side
• 3
  Two cards are dealt to both the player and the banker
• 4
  If the sum of either hand is eight or nine, no more cards are dealt
• 5
  If either hand equals 0-5, a third card is dealt
• 6
  The winning is hand is the closest to nine

• Baccarat is played using a 6 or 8-deck shoe
• The cards 2-9 carry their face value
• Aces are equal to 1
• 10, J, Q, K are equal to 0
• Suits aren’t important in hand rankings
• If your score goes over nine, you drop the first digit

• Security & fairness: Your money and data should be in safe hands when gambling online. We check that casinos use security measures such as SSL encryption to keep your information safe, and also look out for valid licenses and evidence of third-party auditing to ensure games are fair.
• Casino bonuses: A casino bonus is a great way to increase your bankroll, and offers should be available at all good casinos where you play baccarat online. Many will also offer regular promotions and even a VIP club with special rewards for returning players.
• Quality games & software: At any quality online baccarat casino, we expect to see a high number of game variants and live dealer games. A varied selection of other table games, online slots, and live dealer options from the best casino software developers is also crucial for a top rating.
• Mobile options: Playing baccarat on the go should be easy, and with the huge popularity of mobile casino games it's important that casinos are optimized for smaller screens. Baccarat sites should run smoothly on all devices, and a casino app that players can download to their preferred device is a great bonus.
• Customer care: Addressing players' needs should be a top priority at any high-quality casino, and we expect to see top-notch customer service available to players around the world, via a range of means.
• Banking & payouts: Being able to manage your funds using your preferred banking method is a huge factor when choosing an online baccarat casino, so we like to see a good range of options available. It's also important that deposits and withdrawals are made quickly, without excessive processing times.

Martingale

The Martingale system in baccarat works by doubling your bets after any losses, and making only the minimum bet after wins. The rationale behind this system is that, by continuing to double on each loss, the next winning bet will recover your losses and leave you in profit.

Obviously the Martingale system requires a large bankroll to keep doubling bets on losses, and so is not practical for every player. Also be aware of betting limits - baccarat games don’t run on indefinitely, and you could find that doubling your bets reaches the game limit before a win covers your accumulated losses.

Labouchere

In the Labouchere baccarat system, players define an amount they're looking to win and break this down into a list of numbers. These numbers determine the amounts wagered in each hand of the game in an attempt to maximize short term profit and reach the intended goal.

For example, if you wanted to win $50 on baccarat, you could split this amount using the sequence 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 (which adds up to the $50 total). To bet, you add the two end numbers together. 8+12 would make your first bet $20. If the bet wins, you cross 8 and 12 off the list and move to the next end numbers (9 and 11). If the $20 bet loses, however, you add the 20 to the number sequence. Your next bet becomes 8+20, so $28.

Similarly to Martingale, following Labouchere means betting more when you lose hands. Again be mindful of the financial outlay of this system before you decide what works for you.

1-3-2-6

In baccarat, 1-3-2-6 is a number sequence strategy for determining the size of the bets you make in each hand of the game. With each wining bet, you progress up the betting sequence. If you lose a bet, the sequence begins again.

This system is designed to maximize short winning streaks and minimize losses. However, you will incur a small loss if you lose on the first two bets.

1-3-2-4

The 1-3-2-4 baccarat strategy is similar to the 1-3-2-6 strategy, but without a hefty 6x wager. It again requires you to increase your wager each time you win a hand. After any losing hand you return to your original stake amount.

The numbers represent the increase in stake. So after a winning hand on an initial bet you'd increase the stake 3x. If that hand wins you increase the stake again 2x, and then finally 4x. Assuming no hand loses, the sequence then starts again.

One sided

The one sided baccarat strategy is very simple, and involves choosing to consistently bet on either the player or banker. The aim of this strategy is to benefit from the fluctuations of advantageous hands any one side will see over time.

The presumption is that this strategy will allow the bettor to break even through the game, and also gain a profit when their side receives favorable hands. It aims to follow the slight changes in statistical advantage both player and banker will enjoy over time. When using this strategy, it's good to have a target for how much you'd like to win so you know when to end your game.

Paroli

The baccarat Paroli strategy is one of the few positive betting systems. Positive means you increase (in this case double) your bet each time you win. The Paroli sequence of bets is 1-2-4, and after a loss you go back to 1 and restart.

It’s advisable to stop doubling after the third bet, as there’s a risk of running into the red if you push your luck too far and your winning streak ends. Simply start the sequence again. There really isn't much more to it.

Fibonacci

To use Fibonacci for baccarat strategy, your stake amount is multiplied by a number in the Fibonacci sequence (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89), where the next number is the sum of the previous two. You work up through the sequence in each hand of the baccarat game. If you start with a 1x wager, a losing hand means you’d bet 1x in the next, and the next hand would be 2x. A winning bet moves you back by two numbers in the sequence.

Again, remember that this kind of system requires you to wager more when your bets are losing. The goal is to cover losses with an eventual win, but you’ll need a bankroll big enough to fund this betting style.

d’Alembert

The d’Alembert system applies a rule of increasing bets by one unit for a loss, and decreasing by one unit on a win. To apply d’Alembert to baccarat, establish how much money one unit represents in your betting and then apply the rule.

Let’s say you’re betting $10. The sequence might play out like this:

• 1
  Bet $10 and lose
• 2
  Bet $20 and lose
• 3
  Bet $30 and win
• 4
  Bet $20 and lose
• 5
  Bet $30 and lose
• 6
  Bet $40 and win

Keep in mind that this system also requires betting more while you’re losing, so you need to be prepared for that in your bankroll calculations.

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  If you’re in a land-based casino, find a house edge below 5%: You want to know that, while you're honing your gaming skills, you are playing for the most you can get, rather than giving it all back to the casino in fees.
• 2
  Don’t bet on a tie: Despite the high payout should you win, the tie wager stings you with an astronomical house edge of 14.44%. As it's so unlikely to actually happen, you're better off saving your money and betting on the player or the banker instead.
• 3
  Try a betting strategy to mitigate some of your losses: The games will run long, so follow the patterns in the game and let your bets follow where it is headed.
• 4
  Bet on the banker: With slightly higher odds of winning at 45.8% as opposed to a bet on the player of 44.6%, betting on the banker can pay off the most in the long run. If they go on a winning streak, keep betting on the banker until they lose.

Live dealer baccarat

For many players, the betting action between player and banker has to be experienced face to face, and so live baccarat that streams the action from a table with real dealers is one of the most popular online baccarat games. Players enjoy action in real time, interact with the dealer and observe and bet on physical card play. You’ll find a choice of dealers and different baccarat varieties at our top live baccarat casinos in the US.

• Baccarat is said to be one of the world’s oldest casino games, and was allegedly created by an Italian gambler named Felix Falguiere in the middle ages.
• Although its exact origins are unclear, the first written records of the game are from the 19th century, when it was especially popular with the French nobility.
• By the end of the 19th century, the game had found its way to the USA, as Europeans made their way across the Atlantic. But it wasn't until the 1950s that it gained popularity in casinos, with the variants Punto banco, Baccarat banque, and Chemin de fer being widely offered.
• Nowadays, you'll find many different variants available both in land casinos and online. Most online casinos will offer a selection of baccarat games, with live dealer baccarat often a popular choice for players.