Baccarat is a card game in which you bet on whether the player hand, the banker hand or a tie ends up closest to nine. You make no decisions about the cards, because every draw follows fixed rules. This page covers how the game works so you know what to look for at Virgin Bet.
Common baccarat variants
Baccarat is offered in several forms. The common variants are Punto Banco, Speed Baccarat, Lightning Baccarat, No Commission Baccarat and Mini Baccarat. Punto Banco is the standard version and the one most people mean when they say baccarat. Speed Baccarat shortens the gap between rounds, Lightning Baccarat adds random multipliers to some results, No Commission Baccarat changes how banker wins are paid, and Mini Baccarat is a smaller, faster-paced table.
Providers that supply baccarat to online casinos include Evolution, Pragmatic Play, Playtech and NetEnt. Before you plan to play at Virgin Bet, check which of these games the casino actually lists, and read the rules shown for the table you choose. Table limits and side bets differ between variants, so compare them before you join a table.
Baccarat rules in short
Each round starts with two cards for the player hand and two for the banker hand. Cards from two to nine are worth their face value, aces count as one, and tens and picture cards count as zero. A hand's value is the last digit of its total: a total of fourteen is worth four.
If either hand starts on eight or nine, the round ends. Otherwise a fixed set of drawing rules decides whether a third card is dealt. You place your bet on player, banker or tie before the cards come out. Banker bets usually carry a commission when they win, and tie bets pay more but come up far less often.
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RNG baccarat versus live dealer
An RNG table deals virtual cards generated by software, and rounds start as soon as you place a bet. A live dealer table streams a real dealer and physical cards, and rounds follow a betting timer shared with other players. The rules are the same, but the pace differs, and the live casino page explains how live games work.
Practical points
Learn the scoring and the commission rules before you place a bet. Baccarat results are random, and no betting pattern changes the odds, so patterns shown on a scoreboard are no guide to the next hand. Set a deposit limit first and choose a stake you are comfortable losing. If you play on a phone, the mobile version page covers how the site works on smaller screens.
