Baccarat Strategy
There is no such thing as a perfect, winning baccarat strategy but there are a few simple rules you can follow that will help minimize the house advantage. If you follow the simple Baccarat strategy presented here, you’ll experience a house advantage of about 1%. If you factor in bonuses or casino comps, the house advantage can be lowered even further.
Baccarat is a pure gambling game and there is no room for skill once you make your bet. After you place a bet in baccarat, the rest is up to luck. The only true baccarat strategy is to know which bets to make, which bets to avoid and how to manage your bankroll. If you follow these tips, you’ll experience a small house advantage and have a decent shot at winning a little money.
Bet on the Banker
Out of the three bets you can place in baccarat, the best bet is the banker bet. The banker bet has a house advantage of just 1.01% in a single deck baccarat game. This is one of the best bets in the entire casino. If you stick with the banker bet, you can usually play for a long time even if you don’t have a large bankroll.
If you remember nothing else, remember to bet on the banker. This is the single easiest way to cut the house advantage in baccarat. Bets on the player hand have a slightly higher house advantage of about 1.2%. It’s not a big difference but every little bit helps.
Avoid the Tie Bet
Every casino game has a sucker bet and in baccarat, the tie bet is the sucker bet. When you place this bet, you are wagering that the two hands will result in a tie. If you guess correctly, you’ll receive a payout of 8-1 or 9-1, depending on the casino.
The payout for successful tie bets may sound tempting, but it’s best avoided. The house has an advantage of about 15% on all tie bets. This is a terrible bet and it should be avoided at all times.
Look for Fewer Decks
The fewer decks a baccarat game uses, the better your odds. Most casinos use either 8 decks, 6 decks or a single deck. Do a little looking around for casinos that use fewer decks in their baccarat games. The banker bet has a house advantage of 1.06% with eight decks but that advantage drops to 1.01% with a single deck.
If you find a casino that offers single deck baccarat, make sure there aren’t any other rules that negate that advantage. Casinos have been known to offer single-deck games that aren’t as good as they look. Before you sit at a single deck baccarat table, make sure the payouts are the same as in multi-deck baccarat games.
Consider the Commission
The commission taken on banker bets has a direct affect on the house advantage. Most online casinos take a 5% commission on all banker bets but you will occasionally find casinos that offer 4% commission. If you find a baccarat table that takes anything greater than 5% on banker bets, that table should probably be avoided.
Bankroll Management
Bankroll management is a crucial skill in all gambling games. The basic idea with bankroll management is to set aside a specific amount of money and consider that money your gambling fund. Do not use money that you need for other purposes to create this fund. Consider this money “entertainment money” and understand that this money is at peril.
Once you have a baccarat bankroll set aside, the next step is to choose the size of your bets. If you want to stay at the table for a long time, you should keep your bets small relative to the size of your bankroll. The exact sizing of your bets should be based on your risk tolerance. If you consider yourself a conservative gambler, I would recommend each bet be equal to about 1%-5% of your total bankroll.
Pattern Spotting
Most baccarat tables display the results of recent hands on a board next to the table. There are many baccarat players out there who meticulously record the results of recent hands and play based on some system they have in mind. While pattern spotting may be entertaining, it ultimately has nothing to do with future results.
Remember, basic gambling strategy tells us that gambling games do not run in spurts of “hot” or “cold.” Every instant in a gambling game is an isolated event that is not influenced in any way by past results. The baccarat cards don’t remember what the last result was and they definitely can’t change the outcome of the next hand.
Don’t Pay for “Baccarat Secrets”
There are a ton of scam artists out there selling “secret baccarat systems” for a one-time low price. Whatever you do, don’t fall for these scams. Baccarat will always have a house advantage and there’s nothing you can do to change that. If you want to make money with baccarat, you would do better to start your own casino.
The people who sell these baccarat systems rely on getting your hopes up and painting pictures of instant riches in your head. They may also use fake testimonials to make it look like other normal people are winning lots of money with baccarat. Trust me on this one – there is no simple get rich quick system in baccarat. That’s why these people have to sell these “secret systems” in the first place.
Betting Systems
Many people swear by various betting systems in baccarat. For example, some people use the Martingale system in which they double their bets every time they lose. These betting systems may be entertaining to use, but they do not change the house advantage at all. No matter how you time/size your bets, you will not change the odds of winning your next bet.
If you want to use a betting system, go for it. But make sure you go in with your eyes open. Remember that there are no guarantees in gambling, no matter what anyone says. And also, be careful when you use betting systems because they can sometimes force you to place bigger bets than you can comfortably place.