Baccarat Strategy

Baccarat is an exciting casino game and has a reputation for attracting upper class high rollers. The game is fairly simple to learn and players can even take turns being the dealer, making it a very social game. If you'd like to learn how to make the most out of your money, read on for more baccarat strategy.

The game is highly structured and therefore relies primarily on chance, not player skill. There are a few spots where players can make decisions, however, and these spots are where a baccarat strategy can be employed. Just remember; the game will always have a built in house advantage. A solid baccarat strategy will never be able to turn you into a guaranteed winner. What it can do is make your money last longer than it would if you didn't use any strategy at all.

With that being said, let's get to it!

Ignore the Scorecards in Baccarat

Many baccarat players use a pencil and piece of paper (usually provided by the casino) to track recent wins and losses. The point of this is for the players to try to discern emerging patterns and then alter their betting to "ride the streak." Unfortunately this doesn't work because every baccarat hand is just as random as the last one. It doesn't matter if the banker has won the last 25 hands in a row; his chances of winning the next hand are still 50-50.

Casinos encourage the use of scorecards because it makes the game fun for the players and gives them hope in beating the game. Your best strategy here is to just ignore the scorecards because they don't do anything other than distract you from the fun of the game. Instead, spend your time keeping track of your money and engaging the other players in conversation.

Don't Bet on the Tie

Baccarat offers players the option to bet on ties instead of betting on the player or banker. The payouts for correctly betting on ties are higher but the expected return is much lower than betting on a specific winner. The house edge is the greatest on tie bets so avoid these at all times.

Bet on the Banker

The banker has a slightly higher chance of winning each hand than the player so bet on the banker as often as you can. This isn't a guaranteed path to winning, but it does slightly increase the odds in your favor. It can get old betting on the banker time after time but it's the mathematically correct play.

If you lose several times in a row betting on the banker, don't fall into the temptation to change your betting patterns and bet on the player. Every hand is a completely random and independent event so it doesn't matter who's won the last 25 hands in a row.

The one downside to betting on the banker is that all wins are charged a 5% commission fee. This means that if you bet $100 on the banker and win, you'll only get back $195. This does take a cut out of your winnings but it's still better than betting on the player. Always bet on the banker.

Baccarat Betting Systems

Don't buy into betting systems. No matter how you play the game, the house advantage always exists. You'll find all kinds of "super," "secret," and "guaranteed" baccarat betting systems for sale but they don't do a thing to help. Some betting systems can even lead you to gambling more money than you originally intended.

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The martingale system is especially notorious for getting gamblers into trouble so avoid this one at all costs. The martingale system works by having players double their bets every time they take a loss until they finally make a win. This system doesn't work because casinos have maximum bets, you have a finite amount of money and the casino has an intrinsic edge that is simply not beatable.

Money Management

Money management is the best strategy to abide by. Set aside a certain dollar amount for playing baccarat and stick to it. Having the self discipline to only play with money you planned to lose in the first place will make your baccarat experience much more enjoyable.

If you would like more information about the game of baccarat, then take a look at our Internet Baccarat page to get more details about the game.