The best online casinos in Canada allow you to enjoy the thrill of the baccarat table without leaving home. They provide a wide range of virtual baccarat games and live dealer options, which come with simple rules, sharp graphics and a low house edge. This highlights the best online baccarat casinos in Canada. We explain how to create an account, claim welcome casino bonuses and how to play baccarat online in Canada. 

Our experts conduct in-depth reviews of the various of the best Canadian casinos for online Baccarat. They focus on the quality and variety of the baccarat games, the user experience, the bonuses, payout speeds, customer support and other essential criteria. 

We sign up for an account with each online baccarat casino to obtain first-hand experience of the site and mobile casino apps. Our reviewers make deposits, claim promos, play all the available online baccarat games – including virtual and live dealer options – and request payouts. They make detailed notes throughout.

That allows us to rank the various online casinos offering baccarat in descending order of their overall quality. These are some of the most important considerations we focus on:

• Safety, Support and Licensing | We only recommend safe, legit online baccarat casinos that hold licenses from leading regulators. The best online casinos also offer 24/7 customer support over the phone, via live chat or through email.
• Quality of Game Selection | We look out for online casinos that offer a diverse mix of high-quality baccarat games from reputable suppliers. They should offer excellent graphics, smooth animations, fast-paced gameplay, auto features and high RTP levels.
• Variety of Payment Options | The best baccarat sites and apps offer a wide variety of secure and convenient deposit and withdrawal options. They provide broad payment limits, instant deposits and very quick payouts, with no banking fees charged.

The best online casinos provide new customers with a compelling welcome bonus. They then issue a variety of recurring promos for all customers. Many of these casino bonuses can be used on baccarat games. You just need to check the wagering requirements, which are discussed in the next section.

These are some of the bonuses and promos to claim at online baccarat sites:

• Match Deposit Welcome Bonus | The online baccarat casino matches a percentage of your first deposit – typically 100% – with bonus funds. The bonus funds come with a rollover requirement, which must be completed before the funds convert to cash.
• No Deposit Bonus | The no deposit bonus awards you casino credits or free spins without the need to make a qualifying deposit. Once again, you must roll over the bonus funds (or free spin winnings) a certain number of times before cashing out.
• Reload Bonus | A bonus offered to existing customers when they top up their accounts. The site matches a percentage of each deposit you make with casino credits.
• Leaderboard Tournaments | These promos reward players that place a large volume of wagers within a particular timeframe. They mainly focus on slots, but some allow you to accrue points by playing baccarat and other table games. The top players receive prizes.
• Loyalty Rewards | You will earn loyalty points by playing casino games at most casinos, and they are redeemable for bonus credits and other rewards.

You can check the terms and conditions attached to a casino bonus to see if baccarat is included. These are the key points to consider when scanning the T&Cs:

• Baccarat game contributions to wagering requirements
• Whether table games or live games are excluded from the casino bonus
• Whether any payment options are excluded
• Time limits to claim the bonus and satisfy the requirements

Slots typically count 100% towards satisfying the wagering requirements on bonus credits. However, table games such as baccarat will normally only count 20% or 10%. It means that only $0.20 or $0.10 of every $1 you wager counts towards the requirements.

For example, if there is a 10x wagering requirement and baccarat only counts 20%, you will need to play your bonus credits through 50x before they convert to withdrawable cash. All game contribution rates should be clearly displayed. If you cannot find the information, contact customer service via live chat.

The best online casino operators make it easy for you to play baccarat on your iPhone or Android device. Some of them have a native mobile casino app, which you can quickly download via the App Store or Google Play. It will sit on your home screen, making it quick and easy to access.

Other operators do not have an app, but they provide a mobile-optimized website. In that case, you can access the best mobile casinos via any browser on your device. It will not take up any storage space, and you can still access your chosen site easily by creating a shortcut on your home screen. 

Editor's Pick: Best Mobile Casinos In Canada (Excluding Ontario)

Editor's Pick: Best Mobile Casinos For Baccarat Players In Ontario)

It is easy to start playing baccarat online. Just follow these steps to get started at one of the best online baccarat casinos today:

1. Click the link we have provided alongside any of the baccarat casinos featured on this page. It will take you to the site and ensure you receive the best available welcome bonus.
2. Open the registration form and fill in your personal details and contact information. Create a password and agree to the terms.
3. Some online casinos will require you to verify your account. If so, upload scanned copies of the documents requested. You may also need to verify your email address and/or phone number by clicking a link or entering a code sent via email or SMS.
4. When your account has been approved, navigate to the cashier and make a deposit via one of the methods provided. If the casino is offering a deposit match bonus, it will release the bonus funds immediately.
5. You can now either navigate to the “Table Games” section to find virtual baccarat games or the live casino section to find baccarat games run by a professional dealer.

You have two clear options when playing baccarat at an online casino: virtual baccarat or live dealer baccarat. If you opt for virtual baccarat, the game will be powered by a Random Number Generator (RNG). This software is also used to power slots and other virtual table games, and other industries use it too.

The RNG produces a huge volume of long-chain numbers each second. The number showing at the precise time you click the “Deal” button will determine the result. The virtual baccarat games at the top online casinos are independently tested by labs such as eCOGRA and iTech. The labs ensure the RNG software works correctly and delivers fair, accurate results in line with the Return to Player (RTP) rate of the game. When playing baccarat, the RTP rate of a banker bet is 98.9%, the RTP on a player bet is 98.7% and the RTP on a tie is 85.6%.

Alternatively, you can play live dealer baccarat. In that case, you will not need to rely on RNG tools. You will be connected with a dealer in a studio, who will deal the cards from a six-deck or eight-deck shoe. You can talk to the dealer while playing, making it a more sociable experience. The dealers are professionally trained and personable at the leading live casino sites. 

Editor's Pick: One Of The Best Live Dealer Baccarat Casinos In Canada (Excluding Ontario)

There are a few different baccarat variants on offer at the top online casinos in Canada. These are the main versions of the game:

• Punto Banco | This is by far and away the most popular baccarat variant. It was established in 1950s Argentina and exported across the globe. As you may be aware, “Punto” means player and “Banco” means bank, as players take on the banker in this game. There are three possible outcomes: player bet wins, tie or banker bet wins. Each participant’s moves are forced by the cards dealt in Punto Banco.
• Baccarat Banque | This is a less common version of the game, whereby players can make choices about the cards dealt. The role of banker is put up for auction at the start of the game, and it goes to the individual willing to place the largest wager. That individual remains the dealer throughout. He or she can only bet on the banker hand, and the other players – known as punters – can only bet on player hands.
• Baccarat Chemin De Fer | This is a multiplayer game, which is rarely featured at online casinos. The role of banker rotates anti-clockwise around the table throughout the game, and individuals at the table compete against one another. The house takes a 5% commission on winning banker bets, which is its fee for hosting the game, also known as Chemmy.
• EZ Baccarat | EZ Baccarat is a Punto Banco variant with a few slight changes. In this case, winning banker bets pay 1:1 rather than the usual 19:20, and if the banker hand wins with a three-card total of seven, it will be graded as a push. It also includes two side bets: Dragon 7 and Panda 8.
• Mini Baccarat | Mini Baccarat is almost identical to Punto Banco, but it has different methods of dealing to speed up the gameplay. At land-based casinos, it is played on smaller tables with fewer participants than regular baccarat.

The overwhelming majority of baccarat games at online casinos in Canada follow the Punto Banco format. Two cards will be dealt to the player and two cards will be dealt to the banker from a six-card or eight-card shoe. To be clear, this does not mean that you are the player and the house is the banker. These are simply names used to describe each hand. You can bet on the banker hand to win, a tie or the player hand to win.

These are the basic rules:

• The hand closest to 9 wins. If both hands are ultimately the same, the result is a tie.
• An ace is worth 1 point and a 10, jack, queen or king are all worth zero.
• If any hand totals 8 or 9, no further cards are dealt. If neither hand totals an 8 or a 9, additional cards will be dealt.
• If a hand reaches 10 in the first round, the score reverts to 0. When the cards are greater than 9, you add them together and slash the first digit to arrive at the value. For instance, a 7 and a 9 would result in 16, and you cut out the first digit to leave a total of 6.
• If the player’s total is 5 or less, the player gets another card. If it is 6 or 7, the player stands. This is known as the player’s rule.
• The dealer receives a third card based upon the third card the player draws. This is known as the banker’s rule.

Some variants have slightly different rules and side bets. Everything should be clearly explained in the information section and paytable accompanying a game. You can play virtual baccarat games in demo mode to learn the mechanics before playing for real money.

There are three main baccarat bets: player hand to win, tie or banker hand to win. A player bet pays 1:1 and it has an RTP rate of 98.7%. The banker bet pays 19:20, so a $100 bet would pay $95. It wins slightly more frequently than the player bet, so the RTP is higher at 98.9%, despite only paying 19:20. The tie bet pays 14:1, but the RTP on a tie is 85.6%.

There are some additional side bets that you can make on certain baccarat games. One of the most popular options is Super 6, which awards you a 12:1 payout if the banker hand wins with a 6. However, it has a huge house edge of 29.98%, Additional side bets include Lucky 8 (4:1), Double 8 (15:1), Perfect Pair (25:1), Bellagio Match (75:1) and Royal Match (75:1). There are various others, but they vary from one game to the next. Once again, they should be clearly explained in the paytable when you select a baccarat game.

The player bet pays out at 1:1 on a baccarat table, and it has a high RTP, so it is perfect for anyone pursuing progression strategies. You can also use a dealer bet, although it is not quite as neat due to the 19:20 payout.

You will need to come up with a base unit, which is a percentage of your bankroll. For instance, if you have $1,000 to play with and make your base unit 2%, you start by placing $20 wagers. These are some popular strategies to consider:

• Martingale | A negative progression strategy that requires you to double the size of your bet after each loss. Whenever you win, you go back to the start and wager 1 unit again. In theory, you eventually wipe out all previous losses with a single win, but you need a large bankroll and a table with very broad limits to make it work.
• D’Alembert | This is a less aggressive negative progression strategy. You start by wagering 1 unit, and you only increase it to 2 units after a loss. Increase by 1 unit when you lose and decrease by 1 unit if you win. Negative progression strategies are designed to chase losses and grind out small wins.
• Paroli | A positive progression strategy that requires you to increase your bet amount by 1 unit after a win and keep it the same after a loss. The aim is to rack up three consecutive wins and then return to betting a single unit again. Positive progression strategies aim to capitalize on winning streaks and do not chase losses.
• 1-3-2-6 | Bet 1 unit, and if you win, move up the sequence. Place a 3-unit bet, a 2-unit bet and a 6-unit bet, and go back to the beginning if you win four in a row. If you lose, go back to the start. 

No system is guaranteed to work, but these strategies can help you retain greater control of your bankroll.

The origins of this popular table game are fiercely disputed. The French claim it as their own, but so do the Italians. One theory claims that baccarat was invented in the 1400s in Italy by a man named Felix Falguiere, who used a deck of tarot cards to create the game. Another theory is that the game was based on a legend where a virgin had to roll a nine-sided die - if she rolled 8 or 9, she would become a priestess, but lower than 6 would see her cast into the sea. Some say it was introduced to France by soldiers returning from the Italian wars towards the end of the 15^th century. Others say it stems from Macao, a similar game played with two decks that became popular in the 17^th century.

Either way, the French nobility popularized baccarat in the 19^th century, and it was almost ubiquitous during the Napoleonic era. The French played Baccarat Banque and Chemin de Fer, but the Argentinians invented Punto Banco. From there it travelled to Havana, where Cuban casinos turned it into a banked game, paving the way for the format we all know and love today.

Baccarat was James Bond’s game of choice – he played Chemin de Fer against the villainous Le Chiffre in Ian Fleming’s debut novel, Casino Royale, and it also popped up in Dr. No and Thunderball – and famous players such as Akio Kashiwagi, John W. Gates, and Kerry Packer have become renowned for their extravagant baccarat wagers in the modern era. It is now available at all good online casinos in Canada, where it is one of the most popular table games.