What Are The Side Bets In Baccarat?

Part of what makes baccarat so popular is the side bets for each variant. These wagers really up the ante and can pay out well if you’re right. However, you should know how these bets work before you bet.

Baccarat side bets are also not commonly offered at online casinos, but many land-based casinos add them to the table. Most of the time, baccarat side bets are similar to the wagers on a roulette table, with some variations for each version.

In this guide, we’ll be going through the most popular side bets from almost every version of baccarat. And, we’ll let you know how much each pays out so you can make more educated guesses.

What Are Side Bets in Baccarat?

Like most table games, baccarat side bets are stakes for other outcomes during the game you can place. These include card combinations, the colors, and which numbers you get alongside the regular wagers.

Since the most common bets are on the player’s hand, banker’s hand, or a tie, side bets can boost your winnings if you predict correctly. But, these bets won’t be offered universally, so we highly recommend doing some research beforehand.

Types Of Side Bets

Thanks to the popularity of baccarat, there are dozens of side bets you can make, depending on the version you play. These are some of the most popularly offered wagers we’ve found for online and live dealer games:

All Red/All Black

In most baccarat games, this refers to the player’s hand having both red (diamonds and hearts) suits or black (spades and clovers) suits to make their total. Generally, a winning bet for red pays out 22 to one, and black pays 24 to one.

Bellagio Match Side Bets

This is a popular side bet on whether the player or banker will receive three of a kind (three cards from the same rank). If the player is dealt these cards, the payout is 75 to one; but if the banker gets it, the payout is 68 to one.

Big and Small / 4-5-6

These side bets depend on the combined number of cards the banker and player’s hands will end the round with. A winning bet on four cards usually pays out three to two, and five or six cards will pay out two to one.

Combined Value Bets

These bonus bets focus on the combined total of the dealer and player hands, which need to be over or under 9.5. Successful wagers on over 9.5 will pay out 1.66 to one, while under bets will payout 2.23 to one. These are the payouts based on the total being over or under 9.5:

Double 8

In baccarat, this is a stake predicting that the player and banker will both get a total of eight. Generally, this side bet pays out 15 to one for a successful wager.

Dragon Bonus Side Bets

These are common wagers in EZ baccarat based on the difference between the player and banker hand totals. Depending on the margin, your payout will work as follows:

Dragon 7/Tiger 7

In EZ Baccarat, this side bet wins if the banker gets a winning hand with three cards worth a total of seven and pays out 40 to one.

Egalite Side Bets

This side bet depends on the round being tied with the banker and player’s hands being worth a specific value, paying out as follows:

Lucky Bonus/Super 6

In Super 6 Baccarat, this bet is based on the banker winning the round with a hand value of six. Generally, this pays out 12 to one, but some casinos will add a Lucky Bonus and raise it to 18 to one. Also, you’ll have to place the Banker bet to win this bonus wager.

Lucky/Unlucky 8 Side Bets

Like the above bet, Lucky 8 is a side bet on the player or banker winning on a value of eight. Generally, this pays out four to one, while the opposite wager needs the player or banker to lose with eight and pays eight to one.

Matching Dragon

These bets depend on how many cards from a certain rank are dealt to the player and banker, which payout as follows:

Panda 8

Only in EZ Baccarat, Panda 8 is a side bet on the outcome of a player winning a hand of eight using three cards that pay 25 to one.

Perfect Pair Side Bets

This is a wager that the player or banker’s opening hand will be a pair of the same rank, which pays differently for suits. For cards of two suits, it pays five to one but pays 25 to one for the same suit.

Royal Match

This side bet predicts that the banker or player will receive a king or queen in their opening hand. Typically, it pays 30 to one for the players and 75 to one for the banker.

Same Suit Opening Side Bets

For this bet, you predict that either the player or banker’s hand will start with two cards of the same suit. When this bet wins, you can expect 2.87 to one on the players, and 2.86 to one on the banker.

Suited Three Card 8

This is a unique bet that the banker or player will get a three-card hand worth eight, which pays 25 to one. But, if both get a suited three-card 8, it pays 200 to one (which is extremely rare).

Three Card 6

Similarly, this side bet only pays if the player or banker gets a three-card hand worth six that pays out eight to one, or 100 to one for both.

Are Baccarat Side Bets Worth It?

Generally, they can be worthwhile, but these bonus wagers are incredibly dependent on particular outcomes. So, you might wind up spending more than you think while trying to win. Of course, if you like a little side action, taking one or two options won’t hurt.

Just remember that the house edge will apply as you play baccarat, which will eat into your winnings.