Return to player
98.76%
Min bet size
1
Game type
Baccarat
Variance
High
Reels
–
Progressive Jackpot
No
Popularity
Max bet size
2,400
Game provider
Evolution Gaming
Bonus Features
No
Paylines
–
Theme
Baccarat
Lightning Baccarat
Evolution Gaming provides players with Lightning Baccarat, a variation of the game with the same standard rules but also some unique Lightning Card multipliers that could lead you to win thousands of times your original stake.
Table Layout
Lightning Baccarat features a small table with a dealer. To the dealers left is the shoe containing the playing cards and in front are the two areas (Player & Banker) where the dealer will place the cards. That is all that is required as the betting areas are all provided digitally on your screen.
Graphics, Sounds, and Animations
Graphics are minimal as this is essentially just a graphical overlay that allows you to place your bets. There are no animations either as Lightning Baccarat is a live dealer game involving a fully-trained dealer and a table only. Evolution Gaming is renowned for the high quality that they provide in terms of their set-up, the studio, and the technology that they use.
All of their tables use cutting edge HD webcams that stream the action live from the Lightning Baccarat studio to that of your desktop or mobile device. As for the audio, on this live dealer game, you will be able to hear the dealer make announcements as the hand plays out. You will also hear dramatic sound effects as the cards are pulled from the shoe by the dealer.
Also, players have the ability to chat with the dealer via a chatbox. If they are lucky, they will have their questions or remarks answered verbally by the dealer in question.
- High Definition webcam technology
- Ability to chat with the dealer
- Betting options are provided digitally
- Clear audio
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Gameplay Options
Lightning Baccarat offers the same standard rules as the original variation of the game. There are, however, some quite big differences between the two. The major difference is with the addition of some serious multipliers that have the potential to land you some huge wins. Before we take you through those multipliers and the other differences, you should first understand the basic rules.
Your main objective is to bet on who will win or whether you think the hand will be tied. We will take you through those bets and their odds in the next section. For now, we will focus on how the game works.
The objective is to get a hand value as close to 9 as possible – the winning hand is the one that does. Cards 2-9 have their own face value, the Ace is 1 and the 10 and all face cards are worth 0. Where Baccarat differs from blackjack, is in the points system. The card values are added up but if the value is higher than 10, the first digit is removed. An example would be the 9 and 6 which is 15 when added up. The 1 is removed to leave a hand value of 5.
If either the player or banker gets a hand value of 8 or 9, they win with a Natural Win. If both hands are the same value it is a tie.
Then there is the three-card rule which as standard works out like this:
Third Card Rule for Player
- Player receives no additional card if a value of 8-9
- Player will stand with a hand value of 6 or 7
- Player will receive a third card if the hand value is 0-5 (unless banker has 8 or 9).
Third Card Rule for Banker
- Player has third card of 9,10, face or ace: Banker will draw with anything between 0-3 and stays with all else.
- Player has third card of 8: Banker will draw with anything between 0-2 and stay with all else.
- Player has third card of 6 or 7: Banker will draw with anything between 0-6 and stays with 7.
- Player has third card of 4 or 5: Banker will draw with anything between 0-5 and stays with 6-7.
- Player has third card of 2 or 3: Banker will draw with anything between 0-4 and stays with 5-7.
So to sum up, this is the shortened version on how a baccarat hand is played out:
- Bets are placed before the hand starts.
- The player and the banker are then both dealt two cards face up.
- Depending on hand values, third card rule is applied.
- Winner is announced and bets paid out.
Now for the differences on Lightning Baccarat:
- Lightning Card Multipliers – before each hand is played, between 1 and 5 cards are randomly selected by the interface and given multipliers of either 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x or 8x. If you wagered correctly and one of these cards is in the hand that you backed, that multiplier will be added to your payout.
- There is a 20% commission – to pay for all this extra potential and the additional action and entertainment the multipliers provide, there is a 20% commission on each hand.
- The Tie Bet pays 6x your stake instead of 9x – Again, to provide these multipliers, they have to reduce the payouts from somewhere. Huge multipliers can be won on this bet to make up for it.
As you can see, the three differences above have made a huge difference to the dynamics of each hand. There is the potential to win a lot more, especially if you play the tie bet (despite it having a huge house edge).
Betting Options
There are three bets a player can make and those are:
- Bet on the Player (1.24% house edge)
- Bet on the Dealer (1.06% house edge)
- Bet on a Tie (14.36% house edge)
In Lightning Baccarat, as standard (without multipliers involved), this is what will happen depending on the bet you placed and the result that occurs:
If you bet on player -
And the player wins: You win 2x your stake
And it’s a tie: You get your stake back
And the banker wins: You lose
If you bet on banker -
And the banker wins: You win 1.5x your stake
And it’s a tie: You get your stake back
And the player wins: You lose
If you bet on tie -
And it’s a tie: You win 6 times your stake (9 times in original rules)
And the player or banker wins: You lose
Bet sizes, RTP and Variance
Baccarat has always been known as the table game for high rollers and that is why you will generally find that the lowest limit tables are around 1.00 per bet. This is a lot higher than most other table games. The max bet is also much higher with Lightning Baccarat allowing as much as 2,400.00 per spin.
Baccarat as standard is a fairly low odds game unless you bet on the tie. In Lightning Baccarat, that bet has now been amplified once again thanks to the multipliers. While you can only win 6x your stake compared to the original 9x your stake, this bet could bring you 1,310,720x your bet. That would require both the dealer and player tieing the hand, requiring the three-card rule and all of their cards both have a multiplier of 8x. Essentially that means you are awarded 8x8x8x8x8x8x8x8x5 times your stake.
Conclusion
Evolution Gaming has followed on from the success of transforming other popular casino games like Blackjack and Roulette in their Lightning series to bring you Lightning Baccarat. This live dealer game is essentially Baccarat on steroids thanks to the excellent introduction of multipliers. Throw in the high-quality production that Evolution Gaming is renowned for and you have a top-class LIVE casino game that will no doubt provide endless hours of fun.
James is a casino games expert on the Playcasino.com editorial team. With many years of professional experience at a leading casino game development company and a passion for playing casino games, James has become a true expert in slots, blackjack, roulette, baccarat, and other games.
James uses this expertise to provide reliable, insider advice through his reviews and guides, breaking down the game rules and offering tips to help you win more often. Rely on James's extensive experience for expert advice on your casino play.
