Best baccarat online casinos in Canada 2024

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

What are third card rules for baccarat?

A third card is drawn if either the player or banker doesn't have a total of 8 or 9 (this is also known as a 'natural'). A player draws a third card if the initial two-card hand totals 0-5. However, the rules for the banker are much more complex. For example:

• If the banker's hand is 0-2, they draw a third card
• If the banker's hand is 3, they draw a third card (unless the player's third card is an 8)
• If the banker's hand is 4, they draw a third card if the player's third card is 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7
• If the banker's hand is 5, they draw a third card if the player's third card is 4, 5, 6 or 7
• If the banker's hand is 6, they draw a third card if the player's third card is 6 or 7
• If the banker's hand is 7, they must stand

Understanding baccarat card values

Nine is always the highest and 0 is always the lowest hand in baccarat. When your hand goes above 9, you need to add your cards together and only take the right-hand number. For example, if you have a 7 and 8, your score would total 15 – this would then become 5. Other card values you need to know are:

• Aces are equal to 1
• 2-9 carry their face value
• 10, J, Q, K are equal to 0

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  Martingale for baccarat

  The martingale strategy works by doubling your bets after any losses. The rationale behind the strategy 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. Also, be aware of betting limits - baccarat games don’t run indefinitely, and you could find that doubling your bets reaches the game limit before a win covers your accumulated losses.

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  Labouchere

  The Labouchere or 'cancellation' strategy requires players to increase their bet with every consecutive loss. However, once you win, you reset the stake to your original bet. Similarly to Martingale, following Labouchere means betting more when you lose hands. Again, you need to be mindful of the financial cost of this baccarat strategy before you decide what works for you.

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  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 winning 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.

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  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.

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  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.

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  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.

• Avoid the Tie bet

  Tie bets are the outcome approximately 9% of the time in baccarat. Though this bet type offers much higher payouts, it's known to be fairly rare. Your best bet is to wager on a Player or Banker bet for a higher chance of winning.

• Bet on the Bank

  Player bets have a 44.62% of winning while Banker bets have odds of 45.85%. It's a tiny fraction more, but betting on the Bank could be worth your while. That isn’t to say that making bets on the Player is a bad bet – either is still a safer choice than a Tie.

• Choose games with fewer decks

  Most online baccarat games will offer six or eight-deck games. However, some casinos will even offer four-deck games. This won't change the house's edge too significantly, but it will minorly increase your chances of winning when playing baccarat!

• Play baccarat online for free first

  If you're new to the game, try playing free baccarat games first. You can master the rules and make mistakes without risking real money. Plus, you can test out different betting strategies and see what your preferred betting style is.

• 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.