Baccarat Pro
The Baccarat Pro tables, provided by Net Entertainment, are meant to be the definitive version of classic Punto Banco-style Baccarat rules. It’s designed to have a particularly regal feel to the tables and gameplay, and things move along quickly to allow a lot of action in a short period of time.
Casinos with Baccarat Pro
An Introduction to Baccarat Pro
Back before Internet casinos were around, Baccarat was a very protected game. Generally speaking, it was only played at high stakes in areas where ropes kept non-players quite a distance from the tables. It was a social affair as well, and the games were generally only populated by people with a lot of money to throw around.
The Baccarat Pro game from Net Entertainment set out to recapture this exclusive feel without the exclusive stakes.
Everything this game set out to do is all about this high-class style of play. While it’s a classic game that has been remade by a variety of software providers, it’s hard to beat the quality of the presentation here. The darker felt is something we don’t see all that often. Additionally, detail put into the chips, cards and wooden rail can make you think you’re playing a live game (you’re not).
In terms of the play style, it’s largely about the classic question that Baccarat poses: player or banker? Along with that, you get better odds than usual for the tie side bet. However, they didn’t pack a bunch of extra distractions into this game. We think that’s a good choice because most players who are really into this genre really focus on studying the trends and trying to guess which of the two hands in front of them will win next.
Basic Rules, Game Procedures and Scoring
Baccarat is a game that watches two hands play out against each other to see what the result is. You’re ultimately betting on which of the two hands will win in a scoring-based duel. While it looks a lot like blackjack in superficial sense, it’s nothing like blackjack in terms of gameplay.
Here we’ll break down the basic rules for the Baccarat Pro tables. This includes the play procedure, how the cards are scored and how the hands are played. We’ll also cover your betting options and what sets them apart from each other down below.
The Scoring System for NetEnt’s Baccarat Pro
In this title, every single card has a certain value assigned to it. Additionally, the score for each hand is based on the values of the individual cards added together. However, you don’t use the full value of that total. Instead, you only use the “ones” digit. This means that the lowest score a hand can have is 0 while the highest is 9.
Each card gives its face value for twos through nines. However, 10s, jacks, queens and kings can be worth 0 or 10 because they don’t affect the end result either way. Additionally, aces are always worth one point in Baccarat.
Two hands are faced against each other in this title. They are called the “banker” and “player” hands. However, those are just labels, and you don’t actually have one assigned to you like in blackjack. Instead, you can wager on either of them, and they are handled by a house rules-based procedure for adding extra cards and so on.
Play Procedure of a Basic Hand
The procedure for playing through a single betting round at the Baccarat Pro tables is really easy to follow as long as you look at it from a “big picture” perspective. However, once you start to look at all of the detailed particulars, it can get a little more complicated.
In any case, here are the basics you need to know to start off. We’ll get more into the detail and complication further down.
- You place your bets on the table before any cards are dealt.
- From there, two cards are dealt face-up to each hand, player and banker.
- If either hand starts with eight or nine points, the hand is immediately evaluated and ended.
- Otherwise, the player hand will receive a third card if its total is five points or fewer.
- If the player hand does not receive a third card, then the banker gets a third card with five points or fewer.
- However, if the player hand does get a third card, things get complicated. Whether the banker pulls a third card depends on a “house way” of deciding based on the value of the third card dealt to the player and the banker’s total. You don’t need to know the details of this to play, but we’ll break it down further down below.
- After this, the scores of the two hands are compared to determine if the banker or player hand wins. Additionally, if they have the same score, it’s a tie.
This isn’t particularly complicated, especially from the player’s end. That’s because you don’t have to remember any of the rules about when the hands receive different cards. We’re only including that here so that you understand the play procedure and that it’s not random.
The Banker’s Third Card Issues
When the player is dealt a third card, the banker has a chance to receive one with totals of seven and lower. However, it’s based on two different factors. These factors are the score for the banker and the value of the third card dealt to the player. It’s critical to understand that the player’s total score doesn’t affect this decision.
With that said, here’s an overview of whether the banker will “hit” to receive another card or “stand” to stay with just two.
- 7 Banker Total – Always stand
- 6 Banker Total – Only hit when the player’s third card is a 6 or 7
- 5 Banker Total – Only hit when the player’s third card is a 4-7
- 4 Banker Total – Only stand on a 0, 1, 8 or 9 for the player’s third
- 3 Banker Total – Only stand if the player’s third card is 8
- 0-2 Banker Total – Always hit
Again, you don’t have to remember all of this off of the top of your head. The house will automatically play the cards out this way immediately when the situation arises.
Betting Options and Payouts
Players get to choose between the two hands to bet on. Additionally, a wager on the two hands being a tie is available. However, the payout rates for these three potential bets are all different.
For the tie bet, the payout is always 9:1 with no exceptions. Additionally, the player bet always wins at a rate of 1:1. Again, both of these wagers are really easy to remember.
However, with the banker bet, things are slightly different. You’ll be paid out at 5 percent less than 1:1. That’s because you have a better chance of winning with the banker bet than the player wager by more than a full percentage point. In other terms, you’re paid out at 0.95:1. For example, if you were to wager €10 and win, your profit on the bet would be €9.50.
How to Win at Baccarat Pro
The tie bet is really the only bet you should worry about the payout rate with. The payout is 9:1, which is better than the normal payout for the tie in Baccarat of 8:1. However, even with the 9:1 increased payout rate, the house edge is still about 4.84 percent. That isn’t bad as a side bet overall, but it’s worth knowing about the higher house advantage.
For the player bet, the house edge is 1.24 percent. That’s much smaller than the tie, but it’s still not the best wager available in the game as a whole. That honor goes to the banker bet, which pays a slightly lower 1.06 percent.
To have the lowest house advantage, you should always play with the banker bet. However, in practice, most people alternate between both the player and banker wagers. A lot of it has to do with trying to guess which will be the winner next based on the previous outcomes.
Overview
Baccarat Pro by Net Entertainment is one of the defining non-live dealer table games of the industry. It really shows how the basic format of Baccarat should be enjoyed on both desktop and mobile. From a presentation standpoint, it has absolutely no weaknesses whatsoever. Even the sound effects are crisp and perfect for the setting.
The only complaint we can see players having is that it doesn’t have a lot of extra side bets. However, that’s not what this particular style of Baccarat is meant for. Instead, this is more optimized toward the banker/player decision aspect of play.
FAQ
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