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Lightning Baccarat Review
If ever you’re a fan of Baccarat, but looking to spice things up, Lightning Baccarat is here to switch up your gameplay up a notch or two.
Lightning Baccarat is the latest addition to Evolution Gaming‘s electrifying Lightning series. Having won punters over with Lightning Dice and Lightning Roulette, Evolution proves that its bag of tricks is far from empty.
As the name of the game implies, Lightning Baccarat is a Baccarat variant and is therefore played using the same rules of the classic card game.
However, Evolution adds exciting extra features, with the addition of mega multipliers being the major highlight that will blow punters away.
Where to Play Lightning Baccarat?
Players can expect to play this exciting game at most Evolution-powered online casinos.
While Evolution is known to roll out exciting, safe, and fair games, relying solely on Evolution’s backing when picking an online casino isn’t enough.
You must look for a trustworthy online gambling site, which can be a tall order given the number of online casinos popping up on the market every other day.
But that’s where we come in, to make your selection process go much quicker.
We’ve taken the time to screen an extensive number of online casinos offering the game in terms of legitimacy, security, safety, and fairness.
After which, we’ve used the information to compile a list of our top recommendations. But if you still want to go ahead and make your own independent decision, go right ahead.
Just be sure to consider the mentioned factors, including casino bonusses, payment methods, and customer support responsiveness. Or, you can take the easy way out and revert to our list!
How to Play Lightning Baccarat?
If you’ve played Baccarat before, you’ll find Lighting Baccarat a breeze to get through. The objective of the game is the same.
You must predict whether the Player or Banker side will win the round. The combined value of the cards that is closest to 9 will win the round. And yes, it’s that easy.
To start the game, players need to make their first bets. You can either bet on the following options:
- Player
- Banker
- Tie
Apart from these main betting options, players can also wager on two additional side bet options which award players enhanced payouts, irrespective of the outcome of the main hand.
Side bets win if the first two cards dealt constitute a par for Player and Banker, and they are as follows:
- Banker Pair
- Player Pair
Once the betting window closes, the exciting Lightning round begins! An additional 20% is added to your total bet, which is referred to as a lightning fee.
Up to 5 random cards are drawn from a digital deck of 52 cards. Each card drawn is assigned a random multiplier value which can either be 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, or 8x.
Once this process is complete, the Baccarat game you know and love will commence. The dealer draws two cards face up for the Player and Banker.
The standard Baccarat rules apply, including the 3 card rule. If you bet on the player’s hand, and it’s closest to 9, you win double your stake.
If the player and banker cards are a total of 8 or 9, both the Player and Banker stand. If the player’s card is less than 5, he will receive another card, or otherwise stand.
The dealer notifies the players if either hand has been dealt a Lightning card. If you win the bet and your hand contains any of the drawn Lightning cards, your wager is multiplied by the respective multiplier value.
If by any chance, you happen to wind up with more than one multiplier card, the total is multiplied by each multiplier card value which literally translates to significant payouts.
Lightning Baccarat features & betting options
The Lightning Baccarat studio is nothing short of jaw-dropping with its slick black and gold theme. As soon you log into the studio, a professional and friendly host welcomes you.
Much like most Evolution gaming studios, transparency is standard. You’ll find useful statistical data displayed on the gaming interface, which include the total wagers placed on a specific betting spot.
Also the total number of punters betting on a particular spot, as well as the percentage of bets placed on a specific betting spot is displayed.
Some players like to use this information as a guide when placing their own bets. You’ll also see the random multiplier cards selected during the Lightning round displayed on the screen.
Lightning Baccarat can be streamed virtually on all smart devices. If you access the gaming studio via a desktop computer, you can stream the game in full view or classic view. It’s your call.
As multipliers are the highlight of the game in Lightning Baccarat, we’ll explore these a bit more. If one or more Lightning cards are part of the winning bet, the multipliers multiply each other.
For instance, if your Player hand is dealt Lightning cards with multiplier values 2x, 5x, and 8x, your total payout value would be 80x your bet.
The payout is further increased if you happen to bet on a Tie bet and get six 8x cards, you win a huge 1,310,720x your bet.
Given how ridiculous the payouts can get with Lightning Baccarat, the game’s winnings are capped at $500,000.
Overall, the payouts of the game are as follows:
- Pair – 9:1
- Tie – 5:1
- Banker – 1:1
- Player – 1:1
Lightning Baccarat RTP, volatility, minimum stake & maximum stake
If you decide to have a go at Lightning Baccarat, you can bet as little as $1 as your minimum betting stake.
However, the maximum betting stake can go up to $2000. The minimum and maximum stakes will depend on the real money casino in question.
Lightning Baccarat has an average RTP of 98.76% making it a favourable game to players.
However, each betting option also has a different Return to Player percentage as follows:
- Player – 98.76%
- Banker – 98.59%
- Tie – 94.51%
- Pair – 88.35%
Lightning Baccarat hints and tips
Though termed Lightning Baccarat, this game is still very much a Baccarat game, so it’s safe to apply some of the conventional Baccarat strategies.
Of course, these tips aren’t foolproof, but there’s no rule against fully preparing yourself before the big game.
The most common tip with classic Baccarat is to avoid the Tie bet and rather bet on the Banker.
But seeing as Tie bets are where the real money is, then once in a while you can take a leap of faith and wager on the Tie bet. Just ensure, you have the bankroll to support this move.
Also, players are advised not to use betting systems when playing Baccarat as this approach might have a detrimental impact on your bankroll.
But probably the most important tip of all is to effectively manage your bankroll from the onset.
Before you even begin a game of Baccarat, you should set your betting and loss limits, and adhere to them. This applies to even the most seasoned Baccarat players, just to be safe.
Final Thoughts
Lightning Baccarat is very much like Baccarat but with exceptional mega multipliers that can have you walking away with up to $500,000!
That’s if your lucky stars are shining down on you. Mind you, these multipliers also apply to side bets.
Speaking of side bets, Lightning Baccarat side betting options offer larger payouts than they ordinarily would in other Baccarat games.
And, we can’t conclude without mentioning the stylishly designed Evolution gaming studio that’ll make you want to hang around as long as possible.
The game does come with a 20% Lightning fee on the bets you make, which some players may not be too thrilled about.
But considering the potential windfall payouts involved, let’s just say that’s Evolution’s way of trying to remain liquid.
Overall, Lightning Baccarat is a simple but fast-paced game with potentially rewarding payouts.
Even if you don’t win big, you can still bag a series of small wins which is better than nothing at all.
With that said, will you be trying out Lightning Baccarat for yourself? We don’t see why not.
