Multipliers make the game interesting. Here is how multipliers work in Lightning Baccarat. Before the beginning of each round, between 1 and 5 Lightning Cards are determined. More multipliers are attached to these cards, which are at least 2x and can be 8x at the most.
If one or more of these Lightning Baccarat Cards are part of a winning wager (including the side-bets and the Tie bet), all payouts are then multiplied by the values of the Lightning Cards.
For example, 4 Lightning Cards are shown on the screen:
- 7 of Spades: (x 8)
- Ace of Hearts: (x 2 multiplier)
- 4 of Diamonds: (x 2)
- 5 of Clubs: (x 3)
Suppose you wagered on the Player, and the Player wins, and the winning cards (3 or 2 cards) of the Player includes the 7 of Spades and the Ace of Hearts, your winning combination is multiplied by 24 (3×8).
But if you wagered on a Tie and it is a Tie, the winning cards are the cards from both the Player and the Banker (4 to 6 cards). In theory, you could win 5 x 8 x 8 x 8 x 8 x 8 x 8 times your initial stake. That is 1,310,720 x (over 1.3 million) multiplied to the total base bet!
Lightning Baccarat has a Compulsory 20% Upfront Surcharge (Commission)
Now, you would wonder where the money needed to pay these large payouts comes from. There must be some kind of twist. Well, it is paid by you as you need to provide a 20% upfront commission.
If, for example, you put a wager of $10 on the Banker, you must pay a commission to the dealer of $2. So in total, you pay $12 if you want to bet $10.
What are the Earning Rates?
Here are the house edges of the three bets:
- Banker’s bet: 1.41% (in standard Baccarat 1.06%)
- Player’s bet: 1.33% (in standard Baccarat 1.24%)
- Tie bet: 5.49% (in standard Baccarat 14.36%)
As you could see, the best decision here is to play on the Player. Here the house advantage is quite attractive: 1.33%. The Banker’s bet has a higher house edge of 1.41% but is still attractive compared to other casino games. Ultimately, the Tie bet has the worst house edge, but also has the most variance (and potential for huge wins).
Are There Side Bets When Playing the Game?
Of course, there are. You could also decide to place a side bet (Pair) next to the initial bet. Here, you wager that the first two cards would be equal (the suit does not matter). In that case, you win a large payout of 9:1.
Here are the House Edges of the side bets:
- Side Bet Bank Pair: 11.65%
- Side Bet Player Pair: 11.65%
Needless to say that you should not play these bets.
What is the Best Strategy When Playing?
As a player, you cannot influence the course of the game in Baccarat, as you do when you play Blackjack and video poker. So the only influence you could do as a player is by managing the size of your bets and the type of bet that you play.
Given the excellent earning rates, it is best to choose the Banker’s or Player’s bet. You could still decide to play Baccarat betting strategies with these bet types.
The Tie bet must always be avoided, no matter how attractive the maximum payout of more than 1.3 million times the bet is. The chance of having the maximum payout is quite small, and the house edge is quite high.
