Lightning Baccarat Guide NZ

What is Lightning Baccarat?

Put very simply, Lightning Baccarat is standard Baccarat but taken to the next level. It uses the same rules to create a delightful live dealer experience.

Evolution Gaming understands that there is a lot of competition on the market regarding live dealer games. As such, it's ensured that Lightning Baccarat is a title that instantly grabs players' attention. It has more than enough going on here to make it stand out from other versions of Baccarat.

This game launched in January 2020, joining other lightning games in the provider’s lobby. That includes Roulette, another high-flying option among live games.

Evolution Gaming added a few features to differentiate this game from the normal Baccarat. These features and differences include the following:

Multipliers and Lightning Cards

The entertaining live casino variant adds lightning cards and multipliers to the traditional game. Players have 12 seconds each to place their bets when a new round begins. Once betting is complete, the cards and their multipliers will appear in the screen’s bottom left corner.

You can have one, two, three, four, or five lightning cards in each game round. These cards can have 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, and 8x multipliers. Draw a corresponding bet to the cards, and you will win the card’s random multiplier.

Lightning Baccarat's defining features are the special cards and the random multiplier values. You won’t find them in the traditional varaint. These additions increase the payouts.

Side bets

Lightning Baccarat introduces two side bets: the player pair and the banker pair. These options bet that the first two cards dealt to the banker and the player will form a pair. Hence, a player can have a pair, and the banker can have a pair.

Other cards that you draw do not count toward this side bet. These cards include diamonds, clubs, hearts, and spades.

The payouts

There isn’t much difference in payouts with traditional Baccarat. The odds of 1:1 apply to the player bets. However, the tie and side bets have different payouts.

A tie bet pays out six times compared to the normal version, which pays out nine or ten times. The side bet rakes up the win to ten times your stake.

The design and layout

Load the game from any reputable online casino, and you’ll find crisp, live-streamed action. The dealer is central to the game’s layout as you prepare for betting. You’ll find all your controls and bets below the dealer and the table.

The banker and player are colored red and blue, respectively. Your chips sit below that, ready to fill in your player or banker bet. Click the chips and select which section to place your bet in.

A tie bet exists between the player and banker sections. Then, you have the side bets (the player or banker pairs) on the outer side of the bet area.

Your total bet and balance are displayed in the screen's bottom-left corner. You’ll find information on what other players are betting, including the top payout. Some casinos provide the option to chat with other players in real-time.

The minimum deposit for the game is shown at the top. Besides that and the information described above, Evolution Gaming treats players to stunning graphics and action.

Where can you play Lightning Baccarat?

Lightning Baccarat is available at many online casinos. All you need to do to find the game is look through our casino reviews and pick one from the table above. Then, you'll be able to find the right site for you to play at.

Considerations when selecting a casino:

• Their licenses and registration
• The security features to protect user data
• The minimum and maximum deposits for player accounts
• The minimum and maximum deposits for the game (the betting range)
• The first deposit bonuses and other promotions
• The payment options for players in the region
• The withdrawal speed

Player reviews are also essential when selecting casino sites to play Lightning Baccarat. You can learn how the operators handled player payouts. Additionally, you can learn how responsive the customer support team was to player inquiries and complaints.

Fortunately, we have a few vetted casino sites with minimum deposit requirements to get you started in the game.

How do you play Lightning Baccarat?

Playing Lightning Baccarat is easy. Your first step is to place your wagers when the game starts. As explained earlier, the game has three main betting options and two side bet options.

The main betting options are a player win, a banker win, and a tie bet. Side bets include the player pair or the banker pair. This involves betting on the player or banker to draw a pair with their first two cards.

When placing your bet, it's important to note that the game adds 20% on top of standard Baccarat bets. This is due to the lightning round, which begins after the bets have been placed. We'll explain that in more detail shortly.

When the round has been completed, the dealer will play through the game to see who wins. As mentioned, the banker or player can win, or a tie can occur. The standard bets pay out the same as standard Baccarat, and the two side bets pay out 9/1.

The round is where the fun gets started in this game. After the betting has taken place, there is a lightning round, which will draw between 1 and 5 cards. These cards will then have multipliers attached to them (between 2 and 8).

If any cards match those in the winning hand, they will apply the multiplier to your win. The payouts available to players can significantly increase in the lightning round.

Evolution Gaming doesn’t stop there. The multipliers will be stacked if you have multiple lighting cards in the winning hand. This resulting win will be higher than the maximum payout of the regular variant.

We’d like to note a few things:

• The maximum number of cards in a winning hand is three.
• All five special cards can match those in the winning hand. That happens if they repeat when being drawn.
• This is especially the case with a tie, as both hands will be considered when calculating which special cards to use.

The Winning Hand in Baccarat

This game has several cards with different values. The winning hand is the one with a total value closest to or equal to nine. When playing, the dealer adds the card values to get the winning hand in the round.

The card values are as follows:

• Jack, queen, king, and 10s: Worth 0 points
• Aces: worth one point
• 2–9 cards: worth their face values

Players with hands beyond nine will keep only the second digit of the sum of their card values. An example is a hand of 15. The final value will be 5.

Those who have played the original Baccarat game are familiar with “stand.” After the initial cards are dealt, you can draw another card if your hand is less than five. Refusing to do this means the banker’s hand will stand on six or more.

The banker must take a third card if the hand is less than five.

Lightning Baccarat bonus features

The only bonus that's featured in this game is the Lightning Round. It's a positive bonus, as it can increase the size of the payouts significantly beyond the winning hand. It also makes the game a lot more exciting than standard Baccarat games.

This bonus feature occurs only when you have a winning hand or a tie. Hence, it can happen when the player or banker wins the betting round. Your side bet wins play out differently.

Getting a bonus or promotion for online casino sites is also possible. Some operators offer welcome bonus deals in their live casino sections. It is up to you to look over the terms and conditions to see what a site offers before registering.

What’s the maximum payout for Lightning Baccarat?

The maximum payout in Lightning Baccarat depends on the bet that you have placed. You’ll get a maximum payout of 9:1 when betting on side bets.

Betting on the player or banker brings a maximum payout of 512 times your stake. This figure depends on how many lightning cards appear during the bonus round.

The tie bet is where the most significant wins are possible, though. When a tie occurs, it can award players 262,144 times their stake if enough Lightning cards appear. While it's the least likely bet to land, it also provides the biggest payouts in the game.

This does make this game a very tempting choice among other casino games.

Winning strategy for Lightning Baccarat

The lightning cards and their multipliers appear randomly. They differ from the cards you are dealt during a live match. Hence, your strategy should not focus on the special round but on the main gameplay.

Here are a few tips to help you in the next betting session before you are dealt the cards:

• Learn the rules with the free version
• Build your confidence with the free version
• Have a fixed betting time
• Have a fixed budget and use a strategy to split your stake.
• Avoid starting with a significant stake unless you are confident in your skills
• Take losses with stride and stay the course

Some players may use the bet probabilities to predict wins. The banker, player, and tie bets have 45.84%, 44.61%, and 9.45%. However, we don’t recommend this course of action, as cards are dealt randomly.

Bonuses and promotions for Lightning Baccarat

Most casino bonus deals and promotions are reserved for online slots and table games. Nevertheless, some casino sites offer exclusive deposit bonus deals for Lightning Baccarat and other live casino games.

These exclusive bonus deals often come at the expense of other rewards for slots and table games. You can claim them by making the required minimum deposit.

Besides deposit bonus deals, casino sites can offer cashback for Lightning Baccarat and other games. You can redeem them by making the minimum deposit and playing within the fixed period.

Lightning Baccarat on Desktop and Mobile

This game is as exciting on mobile devices as it is on desktops. You might not get the large, immersive view of the desktop gameplay, but you can always switch to landscape for a wider view.

Evolution Gaming is a reputable mobile game provider. Hence, Lightning Baccarat runs smoothly on mobile devices. The only thing you must do is play on a mobile-compatible casino site.

This game can run with flash play on casino websites. Alternatively, you can play the game through mobile applications. Both platforms offer an entertaining experience.

The game quality remains crisp on mobile devices. Also, you can quickly open a gaming account, deposit into it, and start playing from your smartphone.

How does Lightning Baccarat compare to other live games?

Lightning Roulette is another popular option among live casino games. You can also play live poker at some online casinos.

We understand preferences for one game over another. However, you must also consider the maximum win potential. Lightning Baccarat has a slightly higher maximum win potential for the main bets than the Roulette version (512x:500x).

This higher win potential is because of the cards and the tie bet. This game offers a unique winning opportunity compared to other live dealer casino games. You are guaranteed an exciting betting time, especially when the lightning cards appear.

Frequently asked questions about Lightning Baccarat