In spite of the reputation that it has acquired for being a game of high stakes and complexity, online and mobile baccarat is actually a fairly straightforward and enjoyable game.

In the past it has been limited to appearing in land-based casinos, where it is treated as an exclusive game with prohibitive limits in terms of betting, and with New Zealand also only home to 6 brick and mortar casinos, it is fairly hard for many punters to enjoy. This is not the case with online and mobile baccarat, however, with the game now accessible to the vast majority of New Zealanders and not simply those that appear to be straight out of a James Bond film.

While there may be only one online casino operating from within the borders of the country, there is a plethora of offshore mobile casinos that offer fantastic baccarat entertainment to Kiwi punters.

Mobile Baccarat Fundamentals

When new to mobile baccarat, it is important for Kiwi punters to make themselves aware of the fundamentals of the game, from the game rules to many variations that are now available online.

Simply put, baccarat requires a player to bet on which hand they think will get a value closest or equal to 9 and the bets are essentially placed on the banker’s hand, the player’s hand or a tie between both the banker’s and the player’s hand. Cards are counted according to face value except for 10s, Jacks, Queens and Kings which are counted as 0 and Ace that is worth 1, and unlike blackjack it is not possible to bust.

In mobile baccarat, the punter’s hand is not actually the player’s hand, nor is the banker’s hand the dealer’s hand. They are rather labels merely used to differentiate between the 2 hands that are competing, which means players can bet on either to win.

Baccarat Variations

With the game being around for a long period of time, there is no doubt that mobile baccarat was on the cards, but it has also lead to more and more variations appearing in the gambling world.

The variation that is typically offered to players around the globe, and is available to New Zealand punters too, is Punto Banco which requires the casino to back all bets, while Chemin de Fer and Baccarat Banque will rotate the role of the banker.

Baccarat’s popularity has ultimately lead to the introduction progressive online baccarat in Canada as well as Platinum Play, where the stakes will increase over time much like online pokies NZ games.

Playing Mobile Baccarat

There is a range of rules and etiquette that is required in the baccarat that takes place in land-based casinos, however, mobile baccarat fortunately bypasses all of these rules and allows for easy, enjoyable gameplay.

This can be seen when dealing with the third card rule, as mobile baccarat automatically deals a third card if it is allowed or needed. In this way mobile baccarat is very similar to playing online or mobile pokies, where players place their bets and wait to see just how it plays out without any additional decision making from the player.