Play Online Baccarat in New Zealand

Baccarat is an elegant card-based casino table game associated with high rollers, especially in the glamorous casinos of Macau. It’s also famous in popular culture as the favourite gambling game of James Bond, a frequent visitor to some of the world’s best baccarat casinos.

In baccarat, the player bets blind on two different hands of cards: the Player hand and the Banker hand. Which one will be the higher hand? Or will it be a tie? Those are the questions you have to ask yourself before placing your bet. The drama is intense as the dealer reveals the outcome – and then it’s time for another hand! The combination of suspense, simple game-play and a low house edge makes it one of the most compelling table games out there. To play baccarat in New Zealand, simply register with Spin Casino, familiarise yourself with the baccarat rules and get going on desktop or mobile.

Baccarat rules are quite different from familiar card-based games like blackjack. You aren’t playing against other players or a dealer. Instead, you’re backing one of two horses called Player and Dealer. A typical round goes like this. Without seeing any cards, the player puts their money on one of the aforementioned positions. It’s also possible to bet on a tie. Any number of players can bet at the same time.

Once the bets are in, the dealer then deals out two hands of two cards from an eight-deck shoe and places them in the Player and Banker positions on the dealer. The cards are revealed and their values are calculated. Tens and face cards score zero, aces score 1 and all other cards score face value. The hand that’s closer to 9 is the highest hand.

If either Player or Banker scores 8 or 9 in the first two cards dealt, it’s a natural win and the game comes to an end. Otherwise it continues as follows: If Player scores 0-5, then Player draws an extra card, otherwise Player stands on 6-7. Once Player is done, Banker draws on 0-5 or stands on 6-7.

Further play is dictated by Player’s third card.

If it’s 9, 10, face-card or Ace, Banker draws on 0-3 and stands on 4-7.

If it’s 8, Banker draws on 0-2 and stands on 3-7.

If it’s 6 or 7, Banker draws on 0-6 and stands on 7.

If it’s 4 or 5, Banker draws on 0-5 and stands on 6-7.

If it’s 2 or 3, Banker draws on 0-4 and stands on 5-7.

Once all cards have been dealt, the hand that’s closer to 9 wins.

Baccarat betting options are fairly straightforward: you put your money on Player, Banker or Tie. Banker has a house edge of 1.06%, Player’s house edge is 1.24% and the house edge on a Tie is 14.36%. Winning Player and Banker bets pay out 1:1, with a commission payable on winning Banker bets because of the slightly better odds of Banker winning. A successful Tie bet pays out 8:1.

Part of the fun of playing baccarat is the traditions of the game. Have you ever heard of the baccarat squeeze? In the traditional version of the game, the player who has the biggest bet on Player and Banker has the right to squeeze the cards, peeling, pulling, rotating and flipping them until the outcomes are revealed. The squeeze has no impact on the game whatsoever but it’s a fantastic way to heighten suspense at the gaming table!

Another tradition is the use of so-called baccarat roads: Bead Plate, Big Road, Big Eye Boy, Small Road and Cockroach Pig. They’re basically statistical grids set up to reveal various trends in the hands dealt from a specific shoe.

With its more or less 50-50 odds, baccarat isn’t the most strategic of casino games. Effectively, apart from the Tie option, it’s a bit like betting on black or red every time the wheel spins in roulette. But that doesn’t mean you can’t play with a strategic mindset. The simplest strategy is to bet on Banker every time, as you have a decent chance of winning your money back on average. If you don’t want to pay a commission on your wins, bet on Player – the odds are only slightly less favourable. A Tie bet is generally a pure gamble and is best avoided unless you’re happy with the risk.

More advanced betting strategies that you can apply to online baccarat in casinos include the Martingale and Fibonacci strategies. The Martingale strategy consists of doubling down on your bet every time you lose, in the expectation that you will eventually win big. If you bet and lose 1, 2, 4 and 8 but win 16, you’ve made a profit of 3. It goes without saying that the Martingale strategy is strictly for players with the bankroll to match. The Fibonacci strategy applies the famous Fibonacci sequence where each number is the sum of the two previous numbers: 1-1-2-3-5-8-13-21-34-55, etc. According to Fibonacci strategy, every time you lose a hand, you raise the stakes in line with the sequence. If you win, start again from the beginning.

Whatever strategy you adopt, be sure to play responsibly. Baccarat is a fast-paced, high-drama game where the bets flow thick and fast, so keep an eye on your bankroll. Set a budget and never bet more than you can afford. If you need help to maintain a healthy balance, Spin Casino’s responsible gaming programme has a number of tools that you can use. Contact our helpdesk for any further queries or assistance.

The first versions of online baccarat were developed by Microgaming, the pioneering software company that still sets the standard for quality and innovation in online casino games. Today, Microgaming’s baccarat titles are effectively hyper-realistic video games that use cutting-edge graphics and sounds to provide an authentic single-player experience. The use of RNG (Random Number Generator) software ensures fair outcomes. One popular Microgaming variant is Switch Baccarat, which comes with a sleek design, strong colours and a player-controlled Card Squeeze mechanic, plus a customisable Scorecard feature, Advanced Road Statistics and Turbo Mode.

If you’d rather play at a table operated by a human being than an RNG machine, live dealer baccarat is just the thing! Take a seat at the gaming table and bet on Player or Banker live as the action is streamed to your device in real time. Spin Casino has a range of live baccarat options by different developers for you to enjoy.

Pragmatic Play’s Fortune 6 Baccarat is classic baccarat with a unique side bet that offers great payouts if a 6 is drawn in the first three cards. Their Super 8 Baccarat has another special side bet that pays out when the first two cards drawn form a natural eight, with bonuses if they’re in the same colour or suit.

Evolution Gaming’s innovative variants give you the chance to take out Pairs side bets, enjoy the classic squeeze or even do the squeeze yourself with Baccarat Controlled Squeeze. For added entertainment, Lightning Baccarat awards randomly generated win multipliers.

Ezugi’s Live Baccarat features unlimited players playing in real time and no fewer than 6 side bets, while OnAir’s Lotus Speed Baccarat speeds up the action with fast-paced game rounds for maximum fun.

All live baccarat variants include baccarat roads and social chat for a great time online.

Do you like the idea of baccarat but the unfamiliar game-play is off-putting? Our live baccarat casino has an easier version of the game called Dragon Tiger. This fun variant has simplified baccarat rules where instead of Player and Banker, you bet on just one card to win: the Dragon or the Tiger. It’s basically the same idea as traditional baccarat but a whole lot less complicated! Dragon Tiger also serves as a great introduction to the baccarat concept in general.

Whether live baccarat or RNG play suits you better, it’s good to know that you can play all of the baccarat variants you love best on your mobile device of choice. Mobile baccarat play is reliable and intuitive, as the gaming interface switches to the most optimal settings for your screen size and internet connection speed. You can also switch between desktop and mobile from the same Spin Casino account, for the best of both worlds.