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All About Online Baccarat Side Bets

Extra bets sometimes bring extra fun to gambling. Are baccarat side bets worth the risk though? Which ones could be the best in baccarat?

This guide shares details about side bets in online baccarat and live baccarat casino sites.

Popular Baccarat Side Bets

Most common baccarat side bets? Well, it depends on the type of baccarat and casino you play at. Some popular side bet options include:
  • Player Pair and Banker Pair
  • Perfect Pair
  • Either Pair
  • Big and Small Bets
  • Dragon Bonus
Let’s look more closely at these baccarat side bets.

Player Pair and Banker Pair

Two well-liked side bets in baccarat are the Player Pair and Banker Pair. These bets often give you some of the best chances of a high payout.

What it means: To win with this bet, you need to guess that the first two cards in a hand will form a pair. If you place your money on the Banker Pair and the Banker Hand gets two fours, you win.

Payouts: 11 to 1

How to play: At physical casinos, counting cards might give you an advantage with this bet. Online, odds don’t change in the same way unless at a live dealer table. Steadier play comes from placing small stakes like $1 on both Player Pair and Banker Pair.

Perfect Pair

This bet also deals with pairs, but the Perfect Pair wager lets you cover both the Player and the Banker hands in one go.

What it means: This bet offers a high payout but is harder to win. The goal is for both cards to have the same value and suit, such as two kings of hearts.

Payouts: 25 to 1

How to play: Like other pair bets, this one doesn’t need much planning. Bet each time for the best chance of a match. Thankfully, unlike Player Pair and Banker Pair bets, you only need to bet once per hand.

Either Pair

Sometimes, a simple bet pays less but hits more often. The Either Pair bet has the lowest return but stands as the quickest to hit.

What it means: Like other bets about pairs, this one asks about pairs in the first hand. The difference? No need to guess whether it’s the Player or Banker hand.

Payouts: 5 to 1

How to play: Much like the others, keep betting steadily if your cash allows. Even though the payout is lower, the trade-off comes from likely hitting more times. One way to balance this is by putting more money on each bet.

 

Big and Small Bets

Big and Small bets give another type of chance in Baccarat. These bets focus on how many total cards are played in a hand, not what numbers the cards show.

What it means: Each Baccarat hand always starts with four cards, two for each side. Sometimes, extra cards are given if needed. If the hand ends with only the four starting cards, a Small bet wins. If five or six cards get played, a Big bet wins.

Rewards: Small wins give 1.5 for every 1 bet. Big wins give 0.54 for each 1 bet.

Thoughts: Small bets pay more, but the Big bet wins more often. Around two-thirds of hands use more than four cards. Big bets probably add more frequent wins.

 

Dragon Bonus

Some Baccarat games offer a special side bet called the Dragon Bonus. It’s harder to understand than others, but it may lead to higher rewards.

Explanation: The Dragon Bonus bet doesn’t depend on whether you choose Banker or Player for your main bet. You will win based on the hand’s score at the end. The top reward comes when a three-card hand scores nine points, giving 30 times what you bet. Lower scores give smaller returns.

Rewards: Up to 30 times your bet.

Thoughts: Try betting on the same hand as your main bet, or try betting on the other hand to cover both sides. Whether you pick Banker or Player, the rewards stay the same, so you’ll base your choice on how you feel about your chances.

Conclusion

With baccarat side bets can give you the chance to win extra money in each round. Picking the right side bet isn’t as easy as it seems, though. Not to mention the house edge for these bets are still high. But as long as you play it safely and enjoy the thrill of playing in live baccarat casino sites, then that’s all that matters.