Online Baccarat

The game of baccarat has an intriguing history. Like blackjack and so many other card games of this type, modern baccarat is based on a game that first became popular among the French nobility back in the 1800s. By the mid 20th century it was a mainstay of the casinos, and in the 1950s it gained an even wider following, as it formed the essential plot points to Casino Royale. 

As the 20th century drew to a close, baccarat had gone out of fashion. The world was more interested in poker, and baccarat was seen as a game belonging to the stuffy, leather upholstered gaming rooms of the 1950s. All that changed again as we entered the free spins, online gaming era brought about by the internet revolution. Today, online baccarat is one of the most popular real money games, second only to online blackjack in terms of card games. It is incredibly easy to play, and involves less strategy than blackjack, so baccarat appeals especially to beginners. 

If you want to join them and play baccarat online, Mount Gold online casino is the perfect place to do so. 

Introduction to baccarat 

If your only exposure to baccarat has been that famous novel from 1953, you probably think the game is terribly complicated. The opposite is actually the case, and new players are often surprised at how simple baccarat rules are. The game bears conceptual similarities to blackjack in that it pits player against dealer and the winner is whoever’s score is closest to a specific number without going over. 

That, however, is where the similarities end. In baccarat, the target is 9, and there is no concept of going bust. This is because in online baccarat, you operate in a single-digit numbering system. In other words, if the score goes above 9, you just ignore the first digit. So a 7 and an 8 gives you a total of 5. This also means 10s and face cards have a value of zero. 

Baccarat is also played completely differently to blackjack. In the latter, your main concern is whether to hit or stand. There are no decisions like this in baccarat, as it is all dictated by a set of rules governed by the cards that have been dealt. This means the dealer will not deal cards for each player around the table. Instead, a hand will be dealt for a nominal Banker and a nominal Player. When you play online baccarat, all you need to do is place your bet on either a Banker win, a Player win or a tie, then sit back and watch the action unfold. 

So there is no real decision-making to be done in baccarat, it is just a case of placing bets on what you think will happen. In that respect, the game is a little like roulette. Nevertheless, while outcomes are based on luck as opposed to skill, there are still aspects of baccarat strategy you can adopt to get the most out of your game.

Online baccarat variations

Even though baccarat is a basically simple game, the online age has presented opportunities for the developers we work with at Mount Gold casino to come up with a variety of ways to play. You can see this by scrolling through more than 20 different baccarat games we have available. 

The first decision you need to make is whether to play an automated game where the cards are dealt by computer software or in a live dealer environment. Here, you can really get a taste of the authentic casino experience, with one of our experienced dealers running the game via webcam. You can even say hello via the chat facility if you want to! 

Beyond that, there are also some special versions of online baccarat that just would not have been possible in the pre-internet age. For example, lighting baccarat, created by Evolution Gaming, features special “lightning cards.” These appear at random along with a dramatic lightning strike and if you win with a hand containing one of these, you also collect a generous bonus. 

Evolution has also brought us variations called Speed Baccarat and First Person baccarat. In the former, the card are dealt face-up for faster gameplay, while in the latter, the dealer is taken out of the equation and you get to design your own table, shuffle the shoe and deal the cards yourself. 

Mount Gold – the best place to play online baccarat

Over the past decade, baccarat has enjoyed a real renaissance and it is now one of the most popular casino games. At Mount Gold, we have the best range of baccarat games. We also offer a simplified payment process, meaning there is no need to part with sensitive personal data, and a weekly 10 percent cashback system to any player who has sustained a net loss.

There really is no better place to play baccarat than Mount Gold – so come on in and choose a table!