Strategy and How to Play

Although baccarat isn’t a game of intense strategy, it is still not mindless. There are still some decisions that you have to make if you want to be able to win. You’ll need to place your bet on the bank, the player or on a tie, and you need to have a reason to place the bet on a certain outcome.

Experienced players will generally avoid betting on a tie as an outcome, for a very good reason: the odds paid for a tie are eight to one. For the casino to give odds like this, it means that the chances of it actually occurring are rather slim, making the casino’s advantage on the bet a whopping 14%.

For the other outcomes, the casino has an advantage of a much more reasonable 1.06% on the hand of the banker and 1.24% on the hand of the player. Now you might think that this means you’re better off betting on the banker, but perhaps not for the reason you think. Remember that there is a commission charged by the casino on the banker’s hand. It is like a tax that is usually about 5% on the winnings of a banker win.

Of course, even after paying the 5% commission, there is still a 0.19% advantage for betting on the banker than on the player, as well as the fact that banker hands win much more frequently.

One popular system for betting at baccarat is the 1 - 3 - 2 - 6 system, which means that you only risk two betting units for the opportunity of winning ten units. This equals a comfortable profit with minimal investment. Here is how it works: your first bet would be one unit. If you win, add one more unit to your bet, making your second bet three units (your original bet, plus your winning, plus your additional unit). If you win the second bet, you will have six units, so remove four, leaving two units for your third bet. If that wins, add two more, making your total bet six units for the fourth bet. If that wins, you will collect twelve units, which is ten more than your original two unit bet. A ten-unit profit!

Bets are made before the cards are dealt. Every player has the opportunity to deal, but as a participant, you are not obliged to deal. If you don’t want to, simply pass the shoe on to the next player.

Another favored system is the Martingale System, which is also easy to make use of. Basically, the goal is to win one unit per hand. Therefore, your first bet will be one unit. If you win, take away your winnings, and make your second bet one unit. If you lose your bet, double your next bet to two units, making up for the lost unit. Keep up with the number of hands won and lost, so that you will make one unit per hand.