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Always 8 Baccarat is a live casino variant of the classic card game with an unusual set of rules on which the Banker hand always starts with an 8 card. This change changes a lot about how the game works compared to other baccarat tables, offering different gameplay and a unique payout structure. However, this comes at a price – the rewards are generally lower than usual, and the RTP is not as strong as in classic baccarat. It was released by Evolution in 2024 and is available on every live casino that features this provider’s software.
This unusual variation of baccarat certainly stands out from the crowd. However, it can be argued that the changes are actually a downgrade because they reduce profits. Of course, experienced players might find Always 8 Baccarat interesting purely for the novelty, and it’s as well-made and enjoyable as any Evolution-made game. This review takes a close look at what this live dealer game has to offer, where you can find it, and how to get the most out of your time with it.
Players from United States accepted!
United States
Rated :
2.7/5
| Game Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Game name | Always 8 Baccarat |
| Game provider | Evolution |
| Game type | Baccarat |
| Streaming from | |
| RTP | 98.29% |
| Bet range | €0.10 - €5,000 |
| Max win | 11:1 |
| Side bets | Yes |
| Supported platforms |
|
| Supported OS |
|
| Languages |
Chinese
Danish
Dutch
English
Finnish
French
+14
All supported languages
|
At first glance, the Always 8 Baccarat casino game seems like any other live casino baccarat game out there. It shares most of its rules and basic features with standard variants, and it generally appeals to the classic Punto Banco fan. However, its defining feature means that the Banker’s hand always starts with 8 on the table. This means that Banker hands are much more likely to win than Player bets – even more so than usual. The odds have also been changed to reflect this fact, offering non-standard payouts that heavily favour the Player side.
This has several effects on how Always 8 Baccarat is played compared to more classic rule setups. Usually, Player and Banker bets have only slight differences between them, and choosing whether to bet on one or the other is a matter of going with your gut more than anything else. Here, however, the two bets are much different in terms of risk and reward which adds a new layer to the usual strategies. We’ll explore the rules of Always 8 Baccarat in more detail below.
Presentation-wise, it looks like pretty much any baccarat table offered by Evolution, such as the famous Super Speed Baccarat or Control Squeeze Baccarat. This is pretty much a compliment from us since Evo’s tables are some of the best-looking in the industry. It also means that you’ll easily figure out where things are and how they fit together, especially if you ever tried your hand at live baccarat before.
Beyond that, we’ll also note that the game works great from a technical standpoint as well. We encountered no glitches or issues during testing, which was hardly unexpected considering Evolution’s experience and reputation. Still, it helps knowing that we’re dealing with a top-notch product even though we’re not that impressed with innovations that the game brings to the table.
As far as moment-to-moment gameplay is concerned, Always 8 Baccarat operates pretty much the same as traditional baccarat tables and follows standard rules. If you need a refresher on how it all works, make sure to check out our tutorial.
The objective, as with all baccarat games, is to predict whether the Player or Banker will draw cards with a total value closer to 9, or if the round will end in a Tie.
Each side draws two cards, with the option for a third card based on baccarat third card rules. Most cards count as their face value, though all cards 10 or stronger simply count as a 10. Additionally, any hand total exceeding 10 only counts as its first digit. For example, a total hand value of 16 counts as a score of 6.
As you’ve probably gathered by now, the Banker side of the table always starts with an 8. Considering the likelihood of drawing a 0-value card, this gives it a huge advantage and a much bigger chance of winning than the Player. However, Banker betys in Always 8 Baccarat only pay 0.62:1, which is a considerable drop from the usual 0.95:1.
On the flip side, the Player hand has to draw cards the usual way. It’s less likely to win than usual but pays 1.48:1 to compensate.
To place a bet, use the chips located at the bottom of the screen and select either Player, Banker, Tie, or any side wagers. Once you confirm, the bet will be active for the earliest upcoming new round.
Once the card dealing stage is complete, the Player and Banker’s hands are compared. The total that is closer to 9 wins, and all players with the corresponding bet receive a payout as per the game’s paytable.
Importantly, this rule change means that there is no usual 5% commission on Banker bets.
The game features two side bets, though they can be more realistically described as a single side bet with two options. They’re called Pairs, and they’re some of the most common types of side bets in online baccarat. The changes Always 8 Baccarat introduces to the main game do not impact side bets in any meaningful way, which is why they work as usual.
As the name implies, Pair bets are all about predicting that Player or Banker will draw two cards of the same rank.
For instance, the Player Pair bet wins if both cards drawn on the Player side of the table are of the same value. Due to the special rules of Always 8 Baccarat, this means that the Banker Pair bet wins if the card drawn for the Banker pile is an 8.
The special Always 8 rule means that the Player and Banker bets are not equally likely to win, and the game’s paytable reflects that fact. You can find all of the possible payouts on the table below, including the Pair side bets.
The table also contains a comparative list of how every bet’s RTP rate. Since the bets all have different return-to-player rates, you can use this information to form your own Always 8 Baccarat strategy.
| Bet | Payout | RTP | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Always 8 Baccarat Payouts | |||
| Player | 1.48 : 1 | 98.02% | |
| Banker | 0.62 : 1 | 98.29% | |
| Tie | 9:1 | 95.89% | |
| Player Pair | 11:1 | 89.64% | |
| Banker Pair | 10:1 | 84.62% | |
The optimal RTP in Always 8 Bacccarat is 98.29%, which can be reached through the Banker bet. This is in line with most other Baccarat tables on which the Banker bet is also your best option.
However, the overall return-to-player rate of the game is a considerable downgrade compared to those with classic rules. As a reminder, the Banker bet in standard roulette offers 98.94% while the Banker boasts 98.76%. In other words, pretty much any bet on a classic table offers better long-term returns that any bet in Always 8 Baccarat, which is one of the game’s biggest weaknesses.
Make sure to choose the game that suits your taste and budget. For more extensive guides on live baccarat basics, read this article.
It seems that with this release, Evolution was focused on innovating and re-tooling the standard game of baccarat. They wanted to switch things up without truly changing how the game works at heart, which is a solid idea.
However, the actual result is somewhat questionable. Although the first impression is that making Banker and Player so much different would fundamentally change the game’s nature, the truth is that you’ll still play it the same way. Most bets will be on Banker, which wins more often than usual but doesn’t pay as much.
This would have been fine if it didn’t also come with a significant cut to the game’s RTP. Ultimately, this is the main issue with Always 8 Baccarat – it’s hard to convince us that winning less on average is worth the novelty.
As such, Always 8 Baccarat is not likely to become anything more than exactly that – a novelty. It can be interesting for a few rounds just to switch things up, but it’s not a great game to play in the long run.
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