Baccarat Strategy
Baccarat, or Chemin de Fer in French, is a game that has become synonymous with high-end casinos. It now accounts for a huge chunk of Macau’s casino revenues and even 18 percent of Las Vegas Strip profits.
The goal is to bet on the Player or Banker hand whose total value is closest to nine. Tens and face cards are worth zero points, while Aces count as one.
Origins
From sticky-floor California card rooms to the tuxedo-laden casinos of Monaco, baccarat is one of the world’s most popular games. The game’s origin is unclear, but its use of the number nine could be due to humanity’s affinity for this particular symbol – there are nine influencers in Indian astrology, Xibalba, the Mayan underworld has nine levels and even the odds of rolling a nine on the dice are higher than any other combination.
Baccarat originated in Italy, making its way to France where the game was popular amongst the nobility and rich. The name changed to chemin de fer which was later given the spelling ‘baccarat’ by English speakers. The game travelled to Argentina and Cuba where it became known as Punto Banco before Tommy Renzoni brought it to Las Vegas in the 1950’s.
Rules
Baccarat is a casino game in which players bet on either the player hand or banker hand. The winning hand is the one whose total comes closest to nine when all the pips (clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades) are added up. Numbered cards two through nine retain their face value while aces count as 1.
A standard baccarat table is large and oval, similar in size to a craps table, and can seat up to 12 or 14 players. Players sit in random order around the table and discarded cards go to the center of the table.
The Player and Banker hands are dealt according to fixed rules and the result of each hand is determined by a single point count. A third bet, Tie, is also available but pays eight to one and has a much higher house edge.
Bets
Baccarat is a popular casino game, with betting limits high enough to give players a good shot at winning large sums. The game is also a dangerous one for casinos, as high-betting players have the potential to put serious amounts of money on the table.
Players place bets on the Player or Banker hands to win a round. The Player hand wins if its total is closer to nine than the Banker’s hand. The totals are based on the first two cards dealt. Ten-value cards count as zero, and aces count as one.
The Tie bet is a poor wager, and professional gamblers recommend that players avoid it. Using a betting system like the Martingale strategy can help manage your bet size and ensure that you don’t lose more than you can afford to lose.
Payouts
In addition to the standard Player and Banker bets, some baccarat variants offer side bets with different payouts. For example, the No Commission baccarat game by Evolution pays even money on both the Player and Banker bets, while Authentic Gaming’s version only pays 0.5:1 if the Banker wins with a six. Other side bets include the ’Big Tiger’, ‘Small Tiger’, and ‘Tiger Pair’ wagers that pay based on the poker value of the first two cards in the Banker or Player’s hands.
Zender says Asian high rollers have made baccarat their game of choice because it suits their cultural preferences. However, he warns that betting systems don’t lower the house edge. They can, however, help players manage their bankrolls. Using the Martingale strategy, for instance, doubles a loser’s bet after each loss, making it possible to recover losses in a short period of time.
Strategy
A good baccarat strategy capitalizes on winning streaks and limits losses during losing ones. It also minimizes the house edge by limiting the number of riskier bets placed on Player or Banker hands. Moreover, it allows players to track results by observing patterns at different tables.
The Labouchere system increases bets after each win, and decreases them after a loss. This provides a more gradual increase in bet size compared to the Martingale betting system and lowers the chance of large losses. It also reduces baccarat bankroll volatility and is easier to implement. However, it requires a moderate bankroll to withstand consecutive losses. A more sophisticated approach is the Fibonacci sequence, which increases bets after each loss and resets to a lower number after each win.