Live Baccarat Shanghai is an online live dealer baccarat game released by SA Gaming. It boasts an RTP of 98.94% with a $1 minimum bet and a $500 maximum wager. The game is available on both desktop and mobile and features baccarat side bets, over 12 roadmaps, and more.
SA Gaming Baccarat is a beloved fixture on almost all the best online casinos in Asia. This provider’s target audience is mostly in East Asian countries, which can be seen in the language selection. As our SA Gaming Baccarat Shanghai review will show, however, there’s a lot more to this title.
SA Gaming Live Baccarat Shanghai is played with 8 decks of cards, without the jokers. The game loads to a small video stream that occupies less than half of the screen. However, there is an icon to activate the full-screen mode, and also one that zooms in on the cards. The rest of the interface is divided into multiple areas. One of them is dedicated to the betting area, one to real-time statistics, one to road maps, and so on. You can play Live Baccarat Shanghai 24/7 at any SA Gaming live casino.
The players have 30 seconds to place their bets and a chance to choose between a 7-seat layout and a standard one. Available bets are Player (pays even odds), Tie (pays 1:8), Banker (pays 0.95:1), and several side bets. As always, the goal of baccarat is to predict which of the two sides will be closer to 9. Each side receives 2 cards initially, with most cards contributing face value towards the total score. However, Ace counts as 1, and all cards 10+ count as zero. As per the third card rules, a third card is sometimes drawn to get the final result. Banker bets have a slight advantage in these cases – hence the 5% commission on Banker bets.
That covers most of how live baccarat works. Note that if you switch the table to No Commission or Cow Cow, some of the above changes. Especially in the case of Cow Cow.
- Though the side bets are more interesting than the usual fare, they’re still not great for RTP. For instance, the odds for Natural side bets are much lower than industry standards.
- The various roadmaps make this game excellent for players who rely on past round statistics.
- Banker and Player bets are more or less identical. However, we recommend keeping your stake amount consistent. This helps with bankroll management, which is essential when you play baccarat live.
When it comes to the payouts, the Live Baccarat Shanghai game is a mixed bag. The main bets are all industry-standard, as are most of the side bets. However, some options trail behind – such as the Player/Banker natural. That’s why we recommend staying away from a lot of the side bets, exciting as they might seem.
The best way to illustrate why baccarat side bets are bad for long-term profits is to look at the RTP. While the main Banker/Player wagers boast a solid return of 98.94%, tie wagers trail behind at 85.64%. As for the others, check out the list below.
- Banker/Player Pair: 89.64%
- Banker/Player Natural: 85.25%
- Lucky 6: 83.32%
