In this guide, we look at one of the most popular Bitcoin live baccarat side bets of all time. Our baccarat Dragon Bonus strategy is one of the few documented baccarat systems dedicated solely to a side bet option, and it is also a fun side bet with a low house edge if you make the right choices!
Below, we will discuss the Dragon Bonus strategy in depth. In short, this is baccarat dragon explained. We will begin by discussing the popularity of baccarat, which then leads to the reasons why baccarat side bets are available on many of today’s modern baccarat tables.
We will then get straight down to business and cover the exact details of an EZ baccarat Dragon Bonus strategy, its house edge, how to use it with bet sizing strategies, and then finish by looking at the pros and cons of using this side bet!
The Popularity of Baccarat
Baccarat is purely based on luck. It is popular because players only need to choose from 3 betting options – banker, player, or tie. Once all bets are down on the baccarat tables, players can sit back, relax, and enjoy the action as the dealer does the rest of the work with no player intervention required.
Players often prefer this controlled outcome as opposed to having to make strategic decisions like at a blackjack or poker table. You don’t have to think about whether to ‘hit’, ‘split’, or ‘stand,’ and there’s no pressure ‘fold’, ‘call’, or ‘raise.’
- Baccarat is popular because it is a simple game of 3 bets.
- The dealer decides the outcome with no player intervention.
- This is a much easier way to play cards when compared to blackjack or poker.
How Baccarat Side Bets Became Popular
As the 3 main bets in baccarat are so simple to execute, and the dealer is responsible for the outcome of the hand, the inclusion of side bets was a no brainer for a crypto gambling site to include in the game. Once players bet on the main baccarat betting options, they can also spice up the action with a few fun side bets.
You will find that as you move around to different baccarat tables, you will run into a whole host of exciting and potentially lucrative side bet options. This is true whether you’re at land-based casinos, online live dealer baccarat tables, or virtual baccarat tables.
House Edge: Always check the house edge for each side bet. Quite often, you will find it is far higher than betting on the main game itself. The best strategy is to minimize your side bets or use a baccarat strategy based on probability and variation!
Here are some of the main reasons why side bets are popular:
Simplicity: Side bets are popular because they only require that you place a bet. Much like the main game, there is nothing to do except wait for the dealer to produce the outcome and see if your side bet comes through.
Fun and Excitement: Some bonus bets are just fun. For instance, combined value bets are often fun because players can wager whether the combined total of both hands will be over or under 9.5. The odds on this bet are also pretty decent as far as side bets go.
Strategy: Some side bets come as part of a strategy such as the ‘Super 6’ insurance side bet. On No Commission baccarat tables, a win with a 6-total only pays 0.5-1, and the ‘Super 6’ side bet more than covers this situation with a well-timed bet that will pay 15:1 on most tables!
High Payouts: Of course, one of the main attractions to some side bets is the high prize potential. Side bets such as the ‘Player Pair’ or ‘Banker Pair’ can pay up to 200-1 in the right situation.
Progressive Jackpots: These are exciting side bets because there is a chance to win a huge jackpot. There are usually other lower paying wins that accompany this type of side bet.
Useful Tip: Bonus bets are generally high variance betting options because you may not win often, but when you do, the bet can pay out a high amount, covering any losses!
Some side bets to look out for include:
- Super 6
- Either Pair or Perfect Pairs
- Pairs Side Bets: Player Pair or Banker Pair
- First Two Banker/Player Cards Same Suit
- Total Points Over/Under 9.5
Baccarat Dragon Bonus Side Bet Rules Explained
Making a side bet is as simple as placing a player or banker bet in the main game. The baccarat Dragon Bonus rules only require that you choose your bet amount and place a chip in its side bet circle/area. It does not get much easier than that!
Dragon Bonus Works in Sync with Player & Banker Bets
One of the reasons this bonus bet is popular is because it is an extension of your main player or banker bet – whichever bet you choose. Therefore, if you bet on player, the Dragon Bonus applies to the player bet or if you bet on banker the Dragon Bonus applies to winning banker bet.
For example, if you place a bet on the player and the Dragon Bonus and win – you win 1-1 for the main player bet + you stand a chance of winning a bonus amount applied to the player bet via the Dragon Bonus bet. The same conditions apply if you bet on the banker. But the Dragon Bonus does not apply to a tie bet. Now you know how to play baccarat Dragon Bonus wagers.
Keynote: You will need to bet on at least 1 option on the baccarat table before you bet on the Dragon Bonus bet. That is, you cannot bet solely on any side bets unless you bet on the main game.
How to Play the Dragon Bonus Bet
1. Bet on banker or player.
2. Place your side bet in the Dragon Bonus area.
3. Win with a natural or non-natural baccarat hand.
How to win the Dragon Bonus Bet (Natural Vs Non-Natural)
| Hand Type | Winning Conditions |
| Natural | A natural hand in baccarat is when your hand wins with just 2 cards. |
| Non-Natural | A non-natural hand is when your hand wins with 3 cards, and that hand wins with a hand value of 4 points or more. |
Dragon Bonus Side Bet Payout Tables
| Naturals | |
| Natural Win (8 or 9 Total) | 1 to 1 |
| Natural Tie 8/8 or 9/9 | Bet is pushed |
| Non-Naturals | |
| Win Point Margin | Baccarat Dragon Payout |
| Win with a 9-point margin | 30 to 1 |
| Win with an 8-point margin | 10 to 1 |
| Win with a 7-point margin | 6 to 1 |
| Win with a 6-point margin | 4 to 1 |
| Win with a 5-point margin | 2 to 1 |
| Win with a 4-point margin | 1 to 1 |
The maximum win using this side bet is 30-1, while non-natural bets offer the better winning margins. You should also note that not all tables will strictly follow these baccarat dragon bonus payout rules. Some will have their own version of the payout table. In the end, this will depend on where you play.
Switching to Player Bets Vs Banker Bets
Our Dragon Bonus baccarat strategy goes against most baccarat guides. This is because one of the ways to win more frequently on a baccarat table is to place bets on the banker. The banker bet is likely to win more often than the player bet.
On the other hand, this side bet favors the player! The baccarat dragon bonus house edge spread is quite far apart when comparing player and banker bets, as you can see from the table below. Therefore, a key to the baccarat Dragon 7 strategy is to always choose the player bet over the banker bet.
There are also some slight changes depending on how many decks you use, but as you can see, the player house edge is much lower than the banker house edge regardless of the number of decks in the shoe. If you do the math, Dragon Bonus on a player bet is always 6.72% lower than the Dragon Bonus on a banker bet.
| Baccarat Dragon Bonus Bet House Edge | ||
| Number of Decks | Player House Edge | Banker House Edge |
| 4 | 2.7% | 9.42% |
| 6 | 2.67% | 9.39% |
| 8 | 2.65% | 9.37% |
Baccarat Betting Strategies Used with the Dragon Bonus
There are quite a few bet sizing strategies for baccarat, and we have covered most of them already in our Baccarat Betting Strategy Guide. The strategies in this guide explain how you can adjust your bet sizes according to a win-loss result.
You have the choice of using 3 different types of bet sizing strategies:
- Positive progression strategy
- Negative progression strategy
- Flat betting strategy
To combine a strategy that falls under any of these 3 bet sizing systems with your baccarat Dragon Bonus strategy, you would need to always bet on player. Although the main game’s banker bet has a lower house edge (higher RTP) compared to the player bet, the difference is slight. In comparison, the difference between these two betting options when using the Dragon Bonus is huge!
| Baccarat Base Game House Edge | ||
| Number of Decks | Player House Edge | Banker House Edge |
| 4 | 1.29% | 1.01% |
| 6 | 1.24% | 1.06% |
| 8 | 1.24% | 1.06% |
Looking at the table, the house edge percentage difference between the player and banker bets is around 0.18% to 0.28% on the main game bets. If we refer to the ‘Baccarat Dragon Bonus Bet House Edge’ table above this, however, the house edge percentage difference between the two bets is always 6.7%. As a result, it would not make any sense to make a Dragon Bonus banker bet along with any of the bet sizing strategies available for baccarat.
- Always look out for a difference in the house edge.
- Always bet the Dragon Bonus with a player bet.
- Use bet sizing strategies with the player bet.
Pros & Cons of Our Dragon Bonus Strategy
As with any betting strategy, there are always going to be pros and cons. That said, for the Dragon Bonus bet, there is only a short list to cover, which then ends our baccarat bonus strategy guide. We hope you enjoyed the read and that this guide is a useful lesson that helps you improve as a baccarat player!
Pros
- This is a fun bet that could land you a 30-1 return.
- Successful Dragon Bonus bets can help you recover lost bets in the main game.
- The house edge for the player bet is low compared to other side bets.
- Works in conjunction with your main baccarat table bets.
Cons
- The RTP of a ‘Player Dragon Bonus’ bet is 2x the base game player bet.
- The RTP of a ‘Banker Dragon Bonus’ bet is 8x the base game player bet.
Employ this strategy in your next gameplay!
Make sure to get this strategy going your way in your next baccarat session at mBitcasino. Enjoy crypto baccarat now!