Baccarat
Baccarat Strategy
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Baccarat is one of those games which give the illusion of having an outcome that can be somehow manipulated by the employment of certain strategies and techniques. The unfortunate reality is that baccarat is purely a game of chance. Because of this, there is no reliable strategy that will influence a player’s chances of winning.
However, there are several good general points that should be noted that will help a player to be as successful as lady luck will allow in this game. They have mainly to do with avoiding foolhardy betting strategies and managing your money effectively.
First, it will become apparent in real world casinos that players are actively encouraged by the casinos themselves, to note down the sequence of the cards that are dealt. This is believed by players, to assist their chances of winning by being able to narrow down the possibilities of certain cards remaining in the shoe and thus influencing the outcome of subsequent deals. While a similar card counting strategy may work for blackjack, it does not work for baccarat. A sure indication that this practice is futile is the very fact that casinos encourage it with baccarat but are very strict about catching and ejecting blackjack card counters. So when you see other baccarat players diligently making notes on scorecards, ignore them as it will only detract from your concentration of the game.
Next, betting on the banker may appear to be the safest bet and statistically it is the most likely outcome. However the house levies a commission charge of 4-5% depending upon the casino to counteract that player advantage and swing it back to the house. In fact the house advantage for each of the three bets is:
Banker 1.17%
Player 1.36%
Tie 14.12% at 8:1 payout
If you can find a baccarat table with a single deck shoe, this creates the best return when betting on the dealer, with a mere 1% house edge. This produces the highest return of all possible baccarat bets.
Avoid placing bets on a tie. While the winning odds may seem inviting at 8:1, the 14.12% house edge makes this the worst bet you can possibly place in baccarat.
