What if you could enjoy the glamour of a traditional baccarat game, but turn the excitement up a notch?
That’s exactly what you’ll experience when playing speed baccarat – same old rules, supercharged gameplay.
Let’s go over all you need to know:
- Rules
- Example round
- Rewards and side plays
What is Speed Baccarat?
Speed baccarat aims to up the pace by reducing the length of each game. Rounds in regular baccarat games last 40-50 seconds. Speed baccarat chops that down to just 26 seconds.
As a quick summary of the standard rules, baccarat has three outcomes to make plays on – a player win, a banker win, or a tie. The same is true of speed baccarat.
Speed baccarat is best suited for intermediate players as you’ll have limited time to consider your hand or even look at the results screen. It’s also the perfect game for speed demons looking to squeeze in a few rounds during commercial breaks.
Most versions of speed baccarat are played live, which means the action is guided by a human dealer rather than a computer.
How to Play Speed Baccarat
Given the similarities between speed baccarat and regular baccarat games, we might as well remind you of the rules of the latter. If you know how to play baccarat, you can play speed baccarat. It’s almost the same rules-wise as the Punto Banco version of the game.
Let’s start with the card values. Baccarat has an unusual way of ranking its cards. All cards from 2 to 9 are worth whatever is written on them, while aces are worth 1 (there’s no concept of “hard” and “soft” hands in baccarat, unlike in blackjack). The remaining cards, 10, J, Q, and K, have a value of zero.
Baccarat is only ever played in single digits, which means that hands worth more than 9 (e.g., an 8 and a 7) lose the first digit. A 15 becomes a 5. A 12 becomes a 2, and so forth. The objective is to get as close to 9 as possible.
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Cards are dealt face-up in speed baccarat, and each player gets two cards. Luckily, there’s not much to think about at this point. The next move is made according to a pre-established list of rules. You might see this referred to as either the third card rule or the house drawing rules:
- If anybody at the table has a hand worth 8 or 9 (a “natural”), the game ends. This is baccarat’s “blackjack”.
- A player hand worth less than 5 receives a third card.
- Players must stand on 6 or 7.
The banker has a set of rules to follow, too. These are informed by the player’s hand, and they’re a bit more complicated. For example, if the banker has a 3 and the player has a third card of any value but 8, the banker draws a card.
Try not to worry too much about these more advanced rules. In live casino lobbies and some computer games, the decision is made for you.
So, to summarise, baccarat and speed baccarat are about getting as close to 9 as possible with two or three cards. You’ll make a play on the banker, player, or the tie at the outset of the game. The rest is down to luck.
One final note: the “shoe” that holds the cards (usually eight decks) passes around the table whenever a player’s hand wins. This gives everybody a chance to deal the cards.
An Example Round
Here’s an example round of speed baccarat in 6 quick steps:
- A play is made on the banker or player to win or the tie.
- Two cards each are dealt to the players and the banker.
- The total value of each hand is announced.
- The drawing rules determine who gets a third card (if anyone).
- The hand closest to 9 wins (8 if it’s a natural).
- Winnings are distributed.
Speed Baccarat Rewards and Odds
Speed baccarat has a return to player (RTP) value of 98.94%. This percentage refers to how much of your play you can expect to get back over time. The potential rewards for each play are as follows:
| Player | Banker | Tie |
|---|---|---|
| 1:1 | 0.95:1 | 8:1 |
Making a play on the banker to win incurs a 5% commission fee, hence the strange ratio. If you’d like to avoid that, try no commission baccarat.
The tied game is the most rewarding because it’s one of the rarest outcomes in baccarat. You have about a 9.52% chance of winning the tie play with eight decks in the shoe.
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Side Plays in Speed Baccarat
In this golden age of developer creativity, even the more traditional, conservative games (like baccarat, blackjack, and roulette) aren’t immune to experimentation – although, what we’re about to talk about now, side plays, aren’t exactly what you’d call “new”.
Brick and mortar casinos have been inventing their own side plays for decades. Now, they’re online.
Side plays are a guess that certain things will happen in a game. While that does sound like the usual play on the banker or player winning, side plays exist outside the normal rules of baccarat. Speed baccarat has the following side plays:
- Player/Banker Pair – rewards 11:1 for a pair in the first two cards.
- Perfect Pair – rewards at 25:1 for a pair of identical cards
- Either Pair – rewards at 5:1 if either player or banker has a pair
- Player/Banker Bonus – rewards at 30:1 for a natural.
Conclusion
Speed baccarat is an ideal baccarat variant for players used to the standard game but who find it too slow. There’s no waiting around at this table.
In a hurry to enjoy the best baccarat games at McLuck.com? Don’t forget to come back for more social casino game guides that will make your gaming easier and more exciting.
