Mini Baccarat vs Baccarat: What’s the Difference?

Mainly, baccarat and mini-baccarat are different in terms of house edge. While these similarities aren’t very significant, they are worth noting. The house edge in baccarat is 1.06% on the Banker bet and 1.24% on the Player bet. In comparison, the house edge in baccarat is about 1.2% on both the Player and the Banker bet.

The two baccarat variations have a similar house edge of over 14% on the Tie bet, although this doesn’t matter much as this is a bad bet and should generally be avoided. Considering these numbers, your long-term experience won’t vary wildly based on which of the two games you pick.

Regarding the overall winning odds, there’s not much difference between the two games. The Banker wins about 45.8% of the time, while the Player bet wins around 44.6% of all games. Ties make up for around 9.6% of all results.

Another aspect in which these two games are identical are the payouts. Both mini-baccarat and baccarat offer 1:1 payouts for the Player and the Banker bets. Moreover, in both variations, a 5% commission is collected by the casino on all winnings from the Banker bet. Ties pay 8:1 in both games.

Mini Baccarat vs Baccarat – Rule Differences

While a classic baccarat game can seat up to 14 players, a mini-baccarat table can accommodate up to only seven players at the same time. Another significant rule difference is that the players in mini-baccarat don’t actually touch the cards when playing, as the dealer handles everything.

With this in mind, due to its streamlined nature, mini-baccarat is typically much faster than standard baccarat. For instance, while you can expect an average of 60 to 80 hands per hour in baccarat, in mini-baccarat, this number goes up to 120 to 150, or even more hands per hour.

Additionally, mini-baccarat games are often more approachable bankroll-wise, as they are generally available with lower stakes.