Baccarat is an enjoyable card game. Although it traces its origins in Italy and France, the game is big in the UK, America, and other parts of the world. For the past thirty years, the game’s rise has seen it become one of the most popular casino games. Casinos in Macau, for instance, make up to 88 percent of their revenue from baccarat. Online casinos have also taken up the game, and it is a huge success.
European baccarat is one of the variants of the game. However, the rules of the game are not different from those of the original baccarat. You can play the game for free or for real money online. All you need is the best casino for European baccarat.
Top Online Casinos for European Baccarat
The European baccarat, as with other card games, is more enjoyable when you play live. Casinos with a live dealer game will deliver more fun. However, that doesn’t mean that we recommend all casinos offering live games. With hundreds of casinos to choose from, we consider a host of features and factors before recommending the best.
We consider the reliability and safety of a casino first. We then check the reputation of the casino from reviews. From there, we check the range of games. To do that, we create an online account with different casinos and compare the casinos with each other.
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How Do We Pick the Best Casino Sites for European Baccarat?
We create a playing account in different casinos and check the following factors:
Bonuses & Promotions
Most casinos have bonuses and promotions. Some have more tempting deals than others. However, you have to be careful when choosing casinos based on bonuses. Some of the common bonuses include free welcome bonus, first deposit bonus, free spins, risk-free bets, and many more. There are also loyalty bonus and occasional promotions. In most casinos, you do not have to deposit to get a bonus.
The best bonuses will help you get started in a casino without risking your money. However, you need to check the wagering requirements. Wagering requirement refers to the number of times you play through the value of the bonus before a casino allows you to withdraw your winnings. For instance, 1x wagering requirement means you have to play for the amount of the bonus once. If you receive $20 as a bonus with 1x wagering requirement, you will need to bet $20 of your own before the casino allows you to withdraw your winnings.
Security and Safety
There are so many risks involved in online transactions. You can lose your money and your identity to cybercriminals if you play in an unsafe casino. The best casinos bear a license from credible jurisdiction such as Malta, Isle of Man, and the United Kingdom. Such casinos have to go through a thorough audit to maintain their license. During the audit, the regulatory authority ensures that a casino is safe and secure and offers fair games.
Further, safe online casinos offer security measures such as two-step verification, SSL, account verification, and many more. Such casinos also go through audits from third parties such as eCogra.
Selection of Casino Games
While your interest may only be in European baccarat, you still need to check other games the casino offers. If you love playing games for fun, you may need other enjoyable games such as slots, blackjack, bingo, craps, poker, and many more. We ensure that a casino has a wide variety of games to accommodate the needs of every player.
Device Optimization
Do you travel a lot? If you do, you need a casino that allows you to play on your laptop, tablet, and your mobile device. Most casinos today have a responsive design that allows you to play on different screen sizes. When comparing casinos, we check the speed of games on different devices. We also check whether a casino offers games through an app or the web based version of the game.
Mobile apps offer more advanced features and allow fast gaming. However, web-based games are easy and fast to access. A casino that offers these two is better.
Banking Options and Fast Payouts
There are a host of online casino banking options. They include credit cards, debit cards, prepaid cards, eWallets, wire transfer, cryptocurrency, and mobile money transfer among others. When picking casinos with the best banking options, we consider the reputation of the casino first. Other factors we consider include accessibility of the payment method, ease of use, fees involved, time frames, and security. Different players have different experiences using different banking methods. However, we still consider the accessibility of the customer support with each banking option.
Customer Support
A casino should treat you like royalty, seeing that you are their customer. Customer support is one way a casino shows that they value you as a customer. The casino should guide you every step of the way to ensure that you are never lost when playing or making deposits and withdrawals.
When picking the best casinos, we check whether they offers live chat support, 24/7 customer support, and how well their support team handles customers. We also check the existing player resources such as FAQ pages and player forums.
Playing European Baccarat for Free vs Real Money
Playing for Free
1. You will not risk your money when playing for free. However, you also do not stand a chance to win any money.
2. You will have a great chance to learn the rules of the game and try different strategies before playing for real money.
3. You will have more fun as you do not have a strict gaming formula.
4. Some casinos allow you to play free games without creating an account. Here, you do not risk your personal information online.
5. In most casinos, you will have access to bonuses such as welcome bonus without depositing any money.
Playing for Real Money
1. You stand a chance to win big if you apply your strategies right. However, this also means you stand to lose some money.
2. You will have access to more bonuses and promotions as a real money player.
3. Some casinos offer premium support to real money players.
4. You will enjoy the game more as you follow different strategies and anticipate big wins.
5. You can play with other players.
The History of European Baccarat
The first written account of baccarat was in the 19th century in Italy. It has been in casinos and the streets since 1330, but with no written evidence to show how the game began. France was among the first countries to pick up baccarat. Later, the game spread to other parts of Europe and America.
European baccarat is not different from other variations of the game. In the UK, players still use French terms when playing baccarat. With the inception of online casinos, the popularity of European baccarat has only increased.
Rules of European Baccarat
Like in other variants of baccarat, the aim of European baccarat is to guess who gets a higher score between the player and the banker. You can also get a tie. Each of the cards in the game have different values. Ace is worth one point, cards between two and nine have a value worth their number, and 10 and all face cards are worth zero.
The maximum score is nine points. If the total points scored exceed nine, then only the last digit will count. This means that scores of four and nine, which will give you a total of 13 points, are equal to three.
When you choose whether to place the bet on the player, the banker, or a tie, the dealer gives two cards facing up. If the total value of the cards is eight or nine (or 18 and 19), then the highest hand wins. If the total is less than five, the player can choose to draw a third card or retain their total. This is one of the rules that make European Baccarat unique.
Our Top Strategies to Win European Baccarat
Baccarat is a game of chance. As such, your chances of winning will depend on your luck. Below are our winning strategies.
1. Avoid the tie bet as its chances of showing up are only ten to one. It also pays out only eight to one and is not worth risking your money over.
2. Your bankroll management is important. You need to set the amount you are willing to lose in a casino.
3. If you cannot seem to win after many tries, consider walking away or enjoying free games instead of going over your budget.
4. In most cases, the odds favour the banker. While you will pay a commission for betting on the banker, you have a higher chance of winning.
FAQ
Can I play European baccarat for free?
Yes. There are many casinos offering baccarat for free, and all you have to do is pick the right casino for that. The free game has the same layout and the same rules. Granted, you will enjoy as much as if playing for real money.
Can I play live dealer baccarat online?
There are many casinos that offer live dealer card games online. Check the casinos that offer such games from our recommendations and start playing today. Check whether the casinos offer live dealer games on mobile or just on PC before you sign up.