Baccarat is one of the most popular casino games, renowned for simplicity. It is this simplicity that leads players to place side bets. Let’s look at the different side bets baccarat offers and what they mean for the player advantage.
WHAT ARE BACCARAT SIDE BETS?
Baccarat side bets are bets made in addition to your main bet in a game of baccarat. The Player bet, Banker bet and Tie bet are the three standard betting options you’ll have in a round, and side bets can be placed alongside your original wager.
The type of baccarat side bets you make affects both the rules and the expected payout. The list of available bets varies between online casinos, but we’ve included a definitive list of baccarat side bets found in most online casinos, as well as live casinos, to help you be prepared for anything!
ALL BACCARAT SIDE BETS EXPLAINED
One interesting thing about these baccarat side bets is they may be similar to blackjack side bets. As you go through each baccarat side bet in this list, pay close attention to the third card factor. It’s important to keep in mind not every Player or Banker hand will see the third card, which may cause some side bets to be impractical.
BELLAGIO MATCH
At a generous 75:1 payout and 5.27% house edge, the Bellagio Match side bet requires the Player hand to score a three-of-a-kind. When applying this to the Banker’s hand, the payout sits at 68:1 with 8.57% house edge.
SUPER
Here, the winning Banker hand will total six, for a payout of 12:1 against the biggest house edge of almost 30%!
3-CARD SIX
Getting a six with a three-card hand rewards both the Player and Banker a 100:1 payout. If only one hand gets six the payout sits at 8:1. The house edge comes in at 13%.
4-5-6
Three bets are available on the total value of each hand: four pays 3:2, and five and six pay 2:1.
ROYAL MATCH
With the Royal Match side bet, either the Banker or Player grab a king and queen as their first two cards. If they are suited, the bet pays 75:1, while unsuited pays 30:1. The low house edge sits at 2.13%, making this one of the more popular baccarat side bets.
PERFECT PAIR
Similar to blackjack, the Perfect Pair in baccarat relates to the Player or the Banker drawing a suited pair at a 25:1 payout.
EITHER PAIR
Unlike the matching suit of the Perfect Pair, here the Player or Banker needs to catch a pair of the same rank with their first two cards. The payout is 5:1.
RABBIT PLAY
Rabbit Play consists of side bets, with a 8.07% house edge for the Player, and a 9.31% for the Banker. In descending order, the payouts for these bonus bets range as follows:
- Three-of-a-kind (same suit) — 500:1
- Unsuited three-of-a-kind (different suits) — 50:1
- Suited Pair — 15:1
- Unsuited Pair — 7:1
ALL RED/BLACK
This bet relates to the colour of the cards dealt to the Player or Banker. If red, the payout is 22:1, and if black, the payout is 24:1.
LUCKY 8
This bet is on whether your chosen hand wins with eight points. No matter whether you bet on the Banker or Player, the payout is 4:1 for both, but the Banker bet offers a lower house edge of 13.65% against the 16.60% house edge for the Player.
UNLUCKY 8
Similar to a Lucky 8 but here you bet that your chosen hand loses by eight. The payout is 8:1.
DOUBLE 8
Doubling down on eight points, where both the Banker and Player end up with eight. The payout is 15:1 on a successful bet.
DRAGON BET
The Dragon Bet wagers that the hand is a natural winner, and pays out 30:1.
DRAGON 7
This side bet is available only on the Banker’s hand on EZ Baccarat tables. If the hand is a three-card hand totalling seven, the payout is 40:1.
DRAGON BONUS
The Dragon Bonus side bet pays out 30:1, and pays for a natural win. The Dragon Bonus also pays out a certain margin between the total points for the Player and Banker hands:
- Natural win (a hand with eight or nine points) — 1:1
- Natural tie (both hands have eight or nine points) — push
- Nine points — 30:1
- Eight points — 10:1
- Seven points — 6:1
- Six points — 4:1
- Five points — 2:1
- Four points — 1:1
PANDA 8
The Panda 8 is another side bet found in EZ Baccarat, but this applies to the Player. If the Player’s hand has a three-card combo of eight, it pays out 25:1.
MATCHING DRAGON
Matching Dragon features 13 side bets, and each bet affects the payout based on the number of cards that will be in the next hand. The house edge sits at 16.99%:
- Six Cards — 100:1
- Five Cards — 60:1
- Four Cards — 40:1
- Three Cards — 20:1
- Two Cards — 3:1
- One Card — 1:1
- Zero Cards — Loss
GOLDEN FROG
Golden Frog consists of four side bets that pay between 25:1 and 150:1:
- Any eight beats any six — 25:1
- Two-card nine & two-card seven — 50:1
- Three-card nine beats three-card one — 150:1
FIRST TWO BANKER/PLAYERS CARDS SAME SUIT
If either the Player or the Banker’s opening hand lands its initial cards in the same suit, there is a payout of 2.87:1 for the Player and 2.86:1 for the Banker hand.
BIG AND SMALL
These bets deal with the number of cards on a table. The big bet wins when there are five cards on the table. The small bet wins if neither the Player or the Banker has a third card, with the total number of cards resting at four. Four cards give a payout of 3:2 and five or six cards pay out 2:1, against a 5.27% house edge.
TOTAL POINTS ODD/EVEN
This side bet deals with the combined points of the two hands, being either odd or even. This bet has a 0.92:1 payout.
QUIK
A Quik side bet deals with the final hand totals of each hand, as opposed to the end game score. Therefore, the combined value of Player and Banker hands pays out as follows:
- Zero — 50:1
- 18 — 25:1
- One through three, 15 through 17 — 1:1
- Four through 14 — loss.
HOW TO PLACE A SIDE BET IN BACCARAT?
Once you understand the gameplay in a game of baccarat, everything else is left up to the dealer. Any other bets made on the table, in addition to a side wager, are made at the beginning. Online, the steps for placing a baccarat side bet look like this:
- Load up your chosen game of baccarat.
- Set your bet value and place your main wager by selecting one of the available chips.
- In due time, you will be provided an option to place a side bet.
- Select the option and place your virtual chips.
- Watch and wait to see if your bets are successful.
Regardless of whether it’s Three-Card Baccarat, Mini Baccarat, No Commission Baccarat, Bad Bet Baccarat or Baccarat Banque, the same rules apply to all.
WHY ARE SIDE BETS IMPORTANT IN BACCARAT?
Because of baccarat’s simple nature, side bets are quite popular around the world as added points of interest in a regular game.
Side bets in any casino table game may come with a higher house edge than the house edge in the main game, but this is generally offset with a higher payout. Therefore, it’s recommended that you carefully pursue any side bets and keep them in line with your original wager to avoid depleting your bankroll after just a few rounds.
THE BEST BACCARAT SIDE BETS
Like all others, baccarat is a chance-based game involving critical thinking. Therefore, there is no such thing as the best baccarat side bet to take. It all comes down to the choices available, and making an informed decision based on the house edge in comparison to the payout rate for every side bet.
ARE SIDE BETS BAD IN BACCARAT?
You’ll find side bets may enhance enjoyment when playing baccarat but do not necessarily help your chances to win big with a successful bet. Thus, it is not helpful to describe a baccarat side bet as good or bad, as one might do with a blackjack side bet, for example. If you enjoy multiple bets in a single round in addition to regular bets, then side bets will appeal to you. They also offer better payouts when compared to the standard bets in a multiplayer game.
BACCARAT BETTING STRATEGY
Some popular betting strategies in baccarat include:
- Baccarat attack strategy — This is a variant of the Martingale betting strategy which calls for increasing your bet only when winning. When you begin to lose, retreat to lower wagers.
- Martingale baccarat strategy — With this technique, you double your bet amount when you lose until you win. The win should recoup any previous losses.
- 1324 baccarat strategy — One of the more popular strategies, your bet increases by a specific amount when you win, and drops down to your original stake when you lose. The amount you increase by depends on the sequence 1-3-2-4.
PLAY LIVE GAMES AND ONLINE BACCARAT AT ENERGYCASINO
Now that you understand the different side bets in baccarat, you can use that knowledge next time you play baccarat — be it at land-based casinos in Las Vegas or online, with EnergyCasino! We offer some of the most exciting baccarat tables on the market. If that doesn’t tickle your fancy, EnergyCasino has a whole host of other sensational casino games, like roulette, blackjack and poker, in all sorts of crazy, colourful themes.