Baccarat Side Bets Explained

Although the basic structure of Baccarat is quite simple – even up to the point that it can appear extremely monotonous after a few sessions – online casinos have found the way to keep the adrenaline pumping and shake things up a bit by adding Baccarat versions with a few side bets. More methodical Baccarat players will rarely stray from the paved ways of the recommended betting systems and they will tend to maintain the conventional approach by wagering on Banker; if, however, you are a more adventurous type of player, switching between Player, Banker and Tie will soon get old and you may find yourself in need of more excitement. This is when the players turn to Baccarat variants that offer more room for betting.

Online casinos which include side bets usually make them optional, enabling the player to remove them from the table completely. The most common side bets that can be found in online Baccarat are the following:

• Progressive bet
• Pairs bet
• Small or Big bet
• Dragon Bonus bet
• Sum Bonus bet
• Tie Bonus bet
• Egalite bet

Depending on the online casino, other side bets may also be found, however, the above mentioned options and their subcategories are the most frequent Baccarat betting alternatives that you will come across.

Progressive Side Bet  –  probably the most interesting betting variation, with the constantly increasing cash award. The best thing about this bet is that it can be won with several hand combinations – seven, to be precise. The main prize is awarded for the combination of a suited Ace and 8 on both the Player’s and the Banker’s hand. With the similar combination of Player’s and Banker’s hand, where Ace and 8 have two different suits for each of the hands, the player can win x10,000 bet increase, or x1,000 bet increase for any Player-Banker Ace and 8 combo. Other payable hands are Natural 9, Natural 8, Natural 7 and Natural 6, each with its on payout rate of x25, x20, x15 and x10, respectively.

Pairs Bet – Pairs bet has several variations and the players can wager on the following outcomes:

• Perfect Pair – a hand that consists out of two cards with the same suit and number

• Player’s Pair/Banker’s Pair – a hand with the same card denomination

• Any Pair – betting that either a Player or Banker hand will be a pair

Obviously, Perfect Pair bets produce the highest payout rate, while Any Pair bet comes with the lowest payout ratio, as presented in the table below:

Small/Big – in this side bet, the player is wagering on the total number of Player and Banker cards dealt within a hand. This bet is also known as 4 – 5 – 6 bet and the payout rates are 1.5:1 for the Small and 0.54:1 for the Big side bet option.

Dragon Bonus Bet – Dragon Bonus is divided into two separate options, Dragon Bonus Player and Dragon Bonus Banker. The goal here is to predict which of the two will be a higher value hand, with the total number of points and the hand type determining the payout rate.

Sum Bonus – this is one of the side bets with the highest potential payout – no less than x50 if the value of both Player and Banker cards comes up to 18 (with at least two 8s). If the total of the two hands is 18 without any 8s, the payout rate will be 6 to 1, or twice as much for the same combined value with only one 8. All other combinations with the total over 14 are paid 1:1 or 2:1 if the combination value is less than 5.

Tie Bonus – pretty straightforward bet, which wins not only in the event of a tie but also when the tie is missed by 1. The payout rate is linked to the number of the tie and of dealt cards:

-50:1 for 5 cards tied at 3

-25:1 for 6 cards tied at 9

-20:1 for 6 cards tied at 8

-10:1 for 6 cards tied at 7

-1:1 for a tie missed by 1

Egalite – here is where the player is betting on a specific tie, for example, 9-9. Some Baccarat versions offer Low and High Tie side bets variants, which pay on 0 to 5 points for a Low Tie side bet or 6 to 9 for a High Tie side bet.

Honourable mentions

The side bets listed below may not be as frequently included in online Baccarat as the ones described above, but they are definitely known to pop up from time to time, especially in Live Dealer Baccarat:

Red/Black – betting that the hand will consist of all black/red cards

Banker Streak – betting on four consecutive Banker wins

Lucky Bonus – betting that the Banker wins on 6 (bets limited to 10% Banker bet)

3 Card Six – betting that a Player, Banker or both will get a 6 on three cards

Lucky Six (aka Super 6)-  betting the Banker will win on 6

Panda 8 – betting that the Player will win on 8 with 3 cards