Baccarat is regarded as one of the easiest card games in the world, which only adds to its growing popularity. Unlike poker and blackjack, where a player must make well-considered selections to maximize his or her chances of winning, baccarat, like roulette, does not need a gambler to have any unique abilities. In the baccarat game, luck is more dependent on coincidence, and winning methods are linked to bankroll control. However, in order to really appreciate the game, the gambler must first learn how to play baccarat correctly.
Baccarat Strategies That Work
All casino gambling, in general, is united by one universal circumstance – there is no such thing as a strategy that will allow you to win in ten out of ten cases. This is also true for baccarat – you cannot completely eliminate losses, but you can minimize them in such a way that you remain in the lead.
Baccarat is a popular gambling card game in which a player wins if he scores the fewest number of points possible for the sum of the cards for 2-3 cards. Baccarat strategy can help a player reduce his or her chances of losing in any game situation.
What is the distinction between baccarat, poker, and blackjack?
The baccarat game was invented by aristocrats in the distant past – two centuries ago, noble people played baccarat, often against each other, inflating the stakes to the limit. The game has lost its former status over time, but it remains popular in casinos due to its simple and uncomplicated baccarat rules:
- There is no limit to the number of players who can sit at the table, but most of the time it is between 10-15 people. The game uses two full, well-shuffled card decks; the banker distributes one card to each participant, and the face value of the card is represented by points.
- The players take turns placing their bets (chips), deciding how much money they are willing to put on the line, and the dealer doubles the bets (the pot is displayed on the scoreboard).
- The second card is dealt with by the dealer, and the scores are calculated between the players and the dealer himself.
- To win, you must get a score of 9, 19, or 29 for one, two, or three cards. One distinguishing feature is that the dealer himself plays the game, so if he receives these points, he automatically accepts all bets. If no one has scored the specified amounts, the second line of seniority points is 8, 18, or 28 points, and the third line is 7, 17, or 27 points.
The main difference between baccarat game and poker is, first and foremost, the dealer’s participation in the game, as well as a larger number of cards. Furthermore, the game is simplified by the absence of the requirement to collect specific card combinations.
When comparing baccarat and blackjack, the latter guarantees a win to a player who scores a certain number of points for 2-3 purchases (21 points), and you must immediately enter one of the three digits.
An overview of Baccarat schemes
As previously stated, a winning strategy in baccarat does not guarantee the complete absence of losses (because the game still has an element of randomness in events and commissions), but it increases the chances of a player staying in profit at the end of a series of games.
Most players with little experience in casino games believe that increasing the bet when losing is the best strategy. They believe that by increasing the next bet, they will be able to cover the previous bets that did not play and remain in the black.
Let’s take a look at how such a model’s mathematical calculations work to know how to play baccarat effectively.
Assume a player wagers 100 dollars on the first game, loses, and then begins doubling his bets – 200, 400, 800, and 1600 dollars. As a result, the fifth game is a success, with a prize of 3,200 dollars. We can see from simple math that 3,100 dollars were spent on bets for four unsuccessful games, so the bonus is only 100 dollars.
Conclusion: This is a high-risk strategy in the majority of baccarat casinos online and should be avoided.
The fundamental strategy
The preceding example demonstrates quite convincingly that the gain in baccarat is more dependent on luck than on the player’s strategy. Even in such circumstances, you can statistically sway luck in your favor. To do so, you must employ a competent bet distribution strategy, which is the basic strategy in the baccarat card game.
The following are the most popular progressive baccarat strategies:
- The Martingale method. As it is usually stated, this is an extremely risky method because the risk lies in a gradual increase in the amount over a long distance.
- The Counter-D’alembert system. You need to start playing with a minimum bet. When making a profit, the initial amount is increased by one. If you lose, they reduce it by the same amount.
- The Charles Gutting progression is used when playing baccarat cards. It has 4 levels implemented. The first is 2 chips, the second is 3/4/6 chips, the third is 8/12/16 and the fourth is 20/30/40. If two bets have made a profit, then you need to move to the next level. After losing, they switch to the first bet of the previous level. The strategy is used until the desired win is obtained.
- “Rule of 2/3”. You need to keep personal statistics. For example, bet on the banker for 10-15 rounds. If the bet was played less than 2/3, then the next 10-15 rounds are put on the player and vice versa.
Strategy 1-3-2-4
This is a straightforward baccarat strategy related to progressive bets. The execution is as follows: the base bet amount is determined, and the increase is made by multiplying by coefficients 1-3-2-4 sequentially.
Important: the increase occurs only after a win; if a loss occurs, the combination restarts from the beginning.
If you start with 5000 dollars and play this strategy for nine games, you can be in the black by 600 dollars by the ninth game. The winnings are greater over longer distances.
One more logical strategy
The first thing that baccarat experts advise against is betting on a draw. Professionals advocate for such caution, and this is not speculative advice, but fact-based advice. In reality, the casino has a 14.4 percent advantage when betting on a draw.
In comparison, bets on the banker and the player have a 1.06 percent and 1.24 percent indicator, respectively. You may believe that an 8-to-1 payout justifies the risk, but this is not the case. If we do the math, 14.4 percent is 13.58 and 11.61 times greater than the advantage of the other two bets. And the payment offered by the casino is completely unjustified.
Of course, if you’re looking for big payouts, this is the best for you. However, the profit-to-loss ratio will be significantly negative on average. A draw requires the player and banker to have the same number of points, which is extremely unlikely. Some consider betting on a draw to be the worst baccarat strategy.
Banker bets
“The most lucrative option is to work as a banker. You will win nearly half of your bets”. In theory, this is correct. In practice, the longer you play, the more closely you will come to the theoretical indicators. Players will be dissatisfied if the banker’s bet is played because the casino retains only 5% of the commission.
This is the only bet in which you can reduce the casino’s advantage. And, while the game will not appear as emotional as when betting on a draw, you will win much more frequently this way.
What strategy should I use?
Because there are no universal recommendations or recipes for “how to play baccarat” question, any baccarat strategy choice is made after a thorough examination of the situation at the table. Beginners should first practice new strategies on free test sites, then in online casinos, and finally in real establishments (playing for money).
Baccarat online game at any casino is always a game of chance and luck, so none of the strategies are guaranteed to win. Nonetheless, knowing the strategy confidently increases the player’s chances, and it also allows you to avoid a total loss of the pot in a long-term series of games.
Baccarat card game counting
When we compare casino Baccarat to Blackjack, we can see a similarity in the strategies of the games, which are based on counting card combinations. Of course, it should be stated right away that counting baccarat cards only slightly improves a player’s chances in relation to the dealer, but such a system still deserves to exist.
The game’s score is quite complex; the system was created by E. Thorpe and P. Griffin. When it is used, the player’s expectation tends to be 0 percent or even positive. Unfortunately, these calculations will not be applied quickly because almost no one can operate mentally with six-digit numbers.
To monitor the exit from the game 4-ok and 6-ok, you can use one simple rule – the fewer of them, the less chance the dealer has of winning.
Pattern Recognition
Some experienced players have commented on inexperienced players’ proclivity to record previous games. This, according to experts, does not provide any benefit. Given that there are only two players in casino baccarat, and each player is dealt a maximum of three cards, the entries aren’t going to help much.
This is not a blackjack, where there can be a large number of players and a large number of cards can be dealt with at once. And, in general, you can disregard this strategy when playing online baccarat. After each game, the cards are shuffled there.
Where to play Baccarat?
After reading our article, you will want to use all the tips in practice, won’t you? For this reason, we decided to make it easier for you to choose a casino for playing baccarat and offer you some related info to familiarize yourself with the chosen option.
It may seem pretty evident, but the best casinos provide a wide variety of baccarat variants to suit all players, including mini baccarat versions. There are, however, nuances here. Whatever you want to do, whether it’s just a few rounds on your phone or the solemnity of elegant online baccarat games as close to reality as possible, it’s worth remembering a few things.
Data on the percentage of payments to players (RTP) and casino revenues for all games can be found on the websites of good baccarat casinos online, as well as a report from the auditing institution that checked the RNG’s work (random number generator). You should avoid contacting baccarat casinos online that have a limited number of tables and do not provide detailed game information.
The best live game suppliers are in charge of the operation of leading online casinos’ lobby for live baccarat, which can impress players not only with excellent picture and sound quality, but also with a clear display on the screen of betting limits, availability of seats for each table, as well as statistics, baccarat rules, and casino shares.
A final word on Baccarat
Because baccarat is a relatively old game, many players and theorists have attempted to devise an effective betting strategy. All of their attempts, however, were futile because this game defies science and is always unpredictable. The only way to win more or less consistently is to pay close attention to the game’s pattern. Bet on a player who has a string of victories. Switch and you if he loses several times in a row.
We also want to warn you that baccarat online is a high-stakes game. Take only what you are willing to lose because large sums of money change hands quickly at the gaming table. Take care and… have fun with the game!
