Quick Summary
- Speed Baccarat is a faster version of classic live Baccarat from Evolution, with rounds taking around 27 seconds instead of 48 seconds in the standard game. Cards are dealt face-up to keep the action moving.
- The game keeps the familiar Player, Banker and Tie bets, alongside several side bets. Banker offers the highest RTP at 98.94%, while some side bets are considerably less favourable.
- Speed is clearly the main attraction. There are no multipliers or separate Bonus rounds, making this a straightforward choice for players who prefer traditional Baccarat without long pauses between hands.
- The dealers were professional and quick, but the shared studio was less impressive. Other Baccarat tables are visible, and we could hear nearby dealers, which we found distracting.
- The game generally ran smoothly during our three test sessions, although the electronic card reader occasionally needed extra time to recognise a card, causing a few short delays.
- Our Expert View: Speed Baccarat does exactly what its name promises: it delivers classic Baccarat at a much faster pace. We like the efficient gameplay and strong 98.94% Banker RTP, but don’t expect the extra features or big-win potential found in more elaborate Baccarat variants of Evolution.
How We Scored This Game
We score every game with the same framework. Four categories, each with its own weight
Where to Play Speed Baccarat by Evolution
You can play this game at every casino below. Each one meets our criteria for a good live casino experience. You can read what they are on our casinos page.
When you sign up through a link below, the casino may pay us a commission. This does not cost you anything. It also does not change how we score games.
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What Is Speed Baccarat?
Speed Baccarat is a fast-paced live baccarat game from Evolution. It follows the basic rules of classic baccarat but reduces the waiting time between betting and seeing the result.
The game is played with eight decks. You bet on Player, Banker, or Tie, after which two hands are dealt. The hand closest to 9 wins. Any third card is dealt automatically according to the standard baccarat drawing rules, so you don’t have to make decisions after placing your bet.
The biggest change is how the cards are presented. Instead of slowly revealing them, the dealer deals the cards face-up, allowing one hand to follow the next much more quickly. Evolution says a Speed Baccarat round takes around 27 seconds, compared with approximately 48 seconds for its standard Baccarat tables.
The table we tested also offered several optional side bets, including Player Pair, Banker Pair, Either Pair, Perfect Pair and Player/Banker Bonus.
How to Play Live Speed Baccarat
Place Your Bets
As soon as the previous round ends, betting time opens up. Click or tap on one of the coins at the bottom of the screen and then press each bet you want to wager on. Each button press will set down one coin. The betting phase lasts around 12 seconds.
Cards are Drawn
Once the timer hits zero, the host will start drawing cards from the deck. Unlike in regular live baccarat, the host does not pause to reveal the cards. Instead, they’re immediately dealt in a face-up position, allowing you to see the results. If needed, the dealer will also draw a third card for one or both hands.
The Round Ends
Once all the cards are on the table, the game will reward winning players with an appropriate payout. The next round kicks off immediately, meaning there’s no downtime between rounds.
“Speed Baccarat turns baccarat into a rhythm game. Quick bets, instant results, and nonstop momentum.”
Speed Baccarat Side Bets Explained
Alongside the standard three main bets, Speed Baccarat features several side bets that players can take advantage of. Most side bets require you to get a pair of cards, while others reward you for beating the opposing hand by a certain number of points.
Pair Side Bets
The game has four side bets that require your first two cards to be a pair. They are:
- Player Pair
- Banker Pair
- Perfect Pair
- Either Pair
Either Pair has the lowest payout of these four Pair bets at 5:1, as it wins when a pair appears on either side of the table.
Next on the list are Player’ and Banker Pairs. These side bets are functionally identical; they just cover different positions on the baccarat table. To win, a pair of cards has to appear on the Player or Banker side of the table, respectively. This will award an 11:1 payout.
Last up is the Perfect Pair. This side bet requires players to get a pair of cards whose suits and values match. That means if one card is a Six of Hearts, the other one has to be, too. If you get a Perfect Pair in one hand, you’ll win a 25:1 reward. However, if you’re lucky enough to get matching pairs in both hands simultaneously, you can get up to 200:1.
Bonus Bets
Another side bet you can play is Player and Banker bonus bets. These side bets reward you for landing a natural 8 or 9 win, providing an extra payout. However, the real meat of this side bet is when neither hand wins with a natural hand.
In that case, the bonus bet compares the score difference between the two cards. For example, if one hand ends the round with a total of 7 and the other has a total of 2, the score difference will be 5 points. The bigger the score difference, the better the payout for the bonus bets will be. I’ve laid out all the winning hand combinations for the Player and Banker bonus bets below.
- Natural tie – Push
- Natural win – 1:1
- 4 points difference – 1:1
- 5 points difference – 2:1
- 6 points difference – 4:1
- 7 points difference – 6:1
- 8 points difference – 10:1
- 9 points difference – 30:1
Pros and Cons of Speed Baccarat
- Very fast gameplay with almost no downtime between rounds
- Great for experienced baccarat players who already know the rules
- Face-up cards remove long reveal animations and keep the action moving
- High RTP on the Banker bet compared to many casino games
- New players may find the pace too fast
- Quick rounds can encourage faster spending
- Side bets come with a much higher house edge
Look & Feel
Speed Baccarat isn’t a game that’s designed to make your jaw drop. There are titles where Evolution puts a premium on visuals, but that’s not what this live casino game is about. It’s a standard baccarat table, with all the expected bells and whistles: roadmaps in each corner, a straightforward betting board, and a charming dealer at the table.
Though the game isn’t a spectacle, I won’t hold that against it. After all, the name Speed Baccarat gives away that the goal of the game is fast-paced game rounds, not presentation. If you love the slow reveal of face-down cards, you’ll be disappointed with this title. However, if you meet it on its terms, you’ll find it looks and feels perfectly fine to play.
RTPs
| Bet Type | RTP | House Edge |
|---|---|---|
| Banker | 98.94% | 1.06% |
| Player | 98.76% | 1.24% |
| Tie | 85.64% | 14.36% |
| Player Pair | 89.64% | 10.36% |
| Banker Pair | 89.64% | 10.36% |
| Either Pair | 86.29% | 13.71% |
| Perfect Pair | 91.95% | 8.05% |
| Banker Bonus | 90.63% | 9.37% |
| Player Bonus | 97.35% | 2.65% |
Tips and Strategies for Speed Baccarat
Speed Baccarat uses the same basic strategy considerations as standard baccarat, but the faster rounds make bet selection and bankroll control even more important.
Prefer Banker or Player
If RTP is your priority, Banker is the strongest bet with an RTP of 98.94%, followed closely by Player at 98.76%. Tie and most side bets have a considerably higher house edge.
Be Careful With the Tie Bet
The Tie bet pays 8:1 at the table we tested, but its RTP is only 85.64%. The higher payout may look attractive, but mathematically it is much less favourable than Player or Banker.
Don’t Let the Speed Increase Your Stakes
Rounds take around 27 seconds, so you can place many more bets in an hour than in standard baccarat. Set a session budget beforehand and remember that faster gameplay can also mean losing your bankroll faster.
Treat Side Bets as Entertainment
Side bets can provide larger payouts, but most have substantially lower RTPs. For example, the table we tested offered Perfect Pair at 91.95% and Either Pair at just 86.29%. Use them sparingly if keeping the house edge low is important to you.
Don’t Chase Baccarat Roads
Roads such as Big Road and Bead Road are useful for seeing previous results, but they cannot predict the next hand. A run of Banker wins does not make another Banker win more likely, and switching to Player because Banker has won several times does not improve your odds.
Our Tip
Keep it simple. Banker and Player offer much better theoretical returns than most side bets, and don’t let the faster pace tempt you into increasing your normal bet size or chasing previous results.
Speed Baccarat vs Other Live Casino Baccarat Games
There’s been no shortage of exciting live baccarat variants over the years. That’s why I’ve decided to pit Speed Baccarat up against a few of them to see how it stacks up with the competition.
Baccarat Control Squeeze vs Speed Baccarat
If Speed Baccarat sits on one side of the spectrum, Baccarat Control Squeeze is on the other side. This live casino game doesn’t rush the card reveal like Speed Baccarat. Just the opposite, in fact. When the cards are dealt, Evolution obscures them with an optical filter. Players can then press the corner of the card to reveal some or all of it.
Apart from this difference, the two games play out in the same way. They just cater to wildly different players, with one focusing on speed and the other on spectacle.
Peek Baccarat vs Speed Baccarat
Peek Baccarat offers a fun middle ground between regular and Speed Baccarat. The host will draw the required cards and will then reveal some of them to the player. You’ll then be able to adjust your bet based on the newly revealed information.
Adding the decision moment in the middle of the round is fun, though it does pull away from traditional baccarat rules. As such, whether you prefer Peek or Speed Baccarat comes down to personal preference.
Who Is Speed Baccarat Best Suited For?
| Best Suited For | Less Suitable For |
|---|---|
| Experienced baccarat players who already know the rules | Complete beginners who may find the 27-second rounds too fast |
| Players who prefer fast, continuous gameplay with little waiting | Players who enjoy a slower, more relaxed baccarat experience |
| Players who mainly bet on Banker or Player | Players looking for multipliers and elaborate bonus features |
| Players who prefer classic baccarat rules rather than complicated variations | Players who enjoy the suspense and presentation of Squeeze Baccarat |
| Mobile players who want a simple game with few decisions | Players who need plenty of time to study statistics and place several bets |
Our view: Speed Baccarat is particularly well suited to players who already understand baccarat and simply want to play more hands with less waiting between rounds.
Quick Facts
| Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Game Name | Speed Baccarat |
| Provider | Evolution |
| Game Type | Live Baccarat |
| Release Type | Fast-paced baccarat variant |
| Decks Used | 8 decks |
| Main Bets | Player, Banker, Tie |
| Banker Commission | 5% |
| RTP (Banker Bet) | 98.94% |
| RTP (Player Bet) | 98.76% |
| RTP (Tie Bet) | 85.64% |
| Round Length | Around 27 seconds |
| Dealer Style | Live dealer with instant face-up card reveals |
| Side Bets | Player Pair, Banker Pair, Perfect Pair, Either Pair, Player Bonus, Banker Bonus |
| Devices | Desktop, mobile, tablet |
| Best Feature | Extremely fast gameplay with minimal downtime |
| Main Drawback | Less suspense compared to traditional baccarat |
| Best Suited For | Experienced baccarat players who prefer fast action |
What’s My Opinion on Speed Baccarat?
After three sessions, my opinion of Speed Baccarat is quite straightforward: it does one thing very well. It removes most of the waiting from traditional Baccarat and keeps one round flowing quickly into the next.
I liked the pace and the dealers were consistently quick and professional. We did experience a few short delays when the electronic card reader didn’t immediately recognise a card, but these interruptions were minor and never became frustrating.
The studio impressed me less. It looks professional, but I could see several other Baccarat tables and hear nearby dealers, which I found distracting.
Personally, I prefer Baccarat games with a little more depth or an additional feature. But for experienced Baccarat players who simply want classic rules, a strong Banker RTP and faster rounds, Speed Baccarat does exactly what it promises.
FAQs
Speed Baccarat is a fast-paced live baccarat game by Evolution that removes slow card reveals and shortens each round to under 30 seconds.
The biggest difference is speed. In Speed Baccarat, the dealer reveals all cards immediately instead of slowly squeezing or flipping them one by one.
The Banker bet is generally considered the best main bet because it offers the highest RTP at around 98.94%, even after the 5% commission.
Yes. The game includes side bets such as Player Pair, Banker Pair, Perfect Pair, Either Pair, and Bonus Bets with higher potential payouts.
Most rounds take around 27 seconds, making it one of the fastest live baccarat games available online.
Players enjoy Speed Baccarat because it delivers nonstop action, faster betting rounds, and less waiting between hands.
Speed Baccarat uses the same basic rules and main bet payouts as regular Baccarat. The main difference is speed. Choose Speed Baccarat if you prefer shorter rounds and less waiting; regular Baccarat may suit you better if you prefer a slower pace.
