Baccarat Variations in Live Casinos

Peek baccarat is one of the newest innovations to live casino baccarat, and arguably one of the most impactful. Player Peek Baccarat rules have existed in some brick-and-mortar casinos for some time, but it’s still an exceedingly rare live baccarat variant. In 2022, Evolution adapted it to a live casino format, which is great news for anyone willing to try something new.

So how does Peek Baccarat work? The big change is that the Peek baccarat variation allows you to change your bet after some of the cards have been revealed. Before you can do that, however, you’ll need to pay 20% of your stake as a fee. After the 14-second betting period, between 1 and 4 cards are revealed, starting with the Player’s hand. You can thus see one Player card at least, or 3 Player cards and one Banker card at most. After this reveal, players who opted into the Peak bet can adjust their stakes. They can double or triple the stake or choose to fold and accept a push. In the last case, you get your base stake back but forfeit the 20% commission.

This feature adds a whole new layer to baccarat strategy. It means that there are perfect times to double or fold your hand – something like a basic strategy in blackjack. The Peek Baccarat variation is still new to the market, however. It will need to be around for a while before players really get into the ins and outs of this special feature.

Bet on Baccarat

The Bet on Baccarat live casino game combines classic casino excitement with the dynamic betting odds of an online sportsbook. Some of the options also remind us of Peek Baccarat.

We’ll walk you through a typical Bet on Baccarat round to explain. The game starts as usual, with players being able to choose between the main Player/Banker/Tie options. You can also occasionally place common baccarat side bets. However, cards are revealed one at a time and you can place new bets after each reveal.

However, any winnings depend on the context in which you make the bets. For instance, if a Player win seems likely after both hands receive a card, the payout for Player bets is reduced. Payouts can vary depending on the probability of each possible outcome at the time the bet is placed. This live baccarat variation adds a whole new level of gameplay, with excitement mounting until the end of each round.

While the fun factor is increased, the RTP sadly takes a small hit with these rules implemented. Betgames’ version comes with 96.4% optimal RTP. It is also the only take on the Bet on Baccarat game variant currently playable at live dealer casinos. However, we might see the idea spread like its Bet on Poker cousin did.

Squeeze Baccarat

The Live Baccarat Squeeze variation has also picked up some steam among live dealer players. However, it’s tough to call this feature a full variation for baccarat rules. In short, squeezing in baccarat does not directly impact the core rules, bets, or payouts. It’s simply a stylistic choice added to add perceived excitement to games.

So what is squeezing in baccarat? In short, squeezing is a sort of “flair” action some croupiers perform while flipping the cards. Instead of simply turning them over, the dealers peek under or slowly reveal cards to build tension.

As you can see, this doesn’t have much bearing on how your baccarat game will turn out. Some players seem to enjoy it, however, as evident by the success of Squeeze Baccarat variants.

Conclusion

That covers the most common baccarat variations at live casinos in 2022. There are other slightly modified rulesets, of course. However, most are either a slight change to one of the above ideas or minor additions such as side bets.

It’s still worth noting that none of these innovations truly alter the core concepts of how to play baccarat. That’s why a firm grasp of the basics of baccarat strategy can go a long way in earning more with any of these games.

Where Can I Play Different Versions of Baccarat?

Which baccarat variants are available to you largely depends on the software providers the casino relies on. The best casinos to play live baccarat boast diverse portfolios with plenty of options for even the pickiest of players. You likely won’t be able to find every possible punto banco table around, but some casino sites still excell in their baccarat offers. Here are some quick suggestions if you want to play right now: