James Bond immortalized the casino game baccarat, which is quite popular at both online and land-based casinos. There are a variety of baccarat games offered by various software providers, each of which is played with eight decks of cards and an adjusted banker commission bet. Before playing any variation of baccarat, it is best to review the rules and pay outs of each.

Mini Baccarat SP

Cryptologic's Baccarat software is called Mini Baccarat SP. It offers both single player and multiplayer variants. The minimum wager is $2 with a Tie Bet offering a payout of 8-to-1. The game history is recorded in a view box called Scorecard which shows the sequence of bet outcomes, a tally of the hands played and the winning history for the player and the banker, including ties.

Vegas Technology Baccarat

Vegas Technology's Baccarat software has a minimum bet of $5, which may intimidate low rollers. Like Cryptologic, the Tie Bet pays out at 8-to-1, but the history only displays the outcome of individual hands. The animations on this game can be turned off; a computer with a fast processor that can handle the animations is recommended.

Rival Gaming Baccarat

Rival Gaming's Baccarat software has an even higher minimum bet of $10. The Tie Bet pays out at 9-to-1 instead of 8-to-1 like most other Baccarat games, but experienced players know that the Tie Bet is risky due to the high house edge. This software also gives you the choice to toggle animations on or off.

Microgaming Baccarat Games

Microgaming offers two variants of Baccarat; the first is a high-limit game with a $1 minimum bet and 8 decks, while the other has a higher minimum bet of $10 and only uses 1 deck. All four of Microgaming's dealing speeds are animated and can't be disabled. The history box shows the overall score and the results of each individual hand, but Tie Bets are displayed elsewhere in the baker column.

The number of software providers adds to the variety of choices from which online gamers can choose. There is no advantage to any single baccarat software over the others, so the choice is up to the player as to which one they utilize.