In a casino world dominated by newfangled and over complicated games, Baccarat is perhaps one of the easiest card games to learn and master. This is largely due to the fact that it is exceedingly simple to understand, with few mechanics and rules to memorize. This is a major part of its appeal to high-rollers and casual players, and it’s also why you can safely ignore anybody who tries to sell you a surefire trick or strategy to winning every time. Trust us, if there was one, you’d see multi-millionaires made from Baccarat being made every day.
If you’re ready to cut through the nonsense and get down to business when it comes to the game of Baccarat, let us be the firs to welcome you to this all areas covered guide. ZoaSlots is going to get down to the hard facts of the game today, separating myth from reality, and giving you the low-down on how you can get the best out of this famous old online casino game.
Pen and paper at the ready, as we’re about to blow the world of Baccarat wide open!
How to Play Baccarat – The Rules Explained
For starters, learn how to actually play the game! Baccarat is relatively simple to learn, which is why there is no excuse not to learn each of the rules, how cards are dealt to players, and what each card’s value is. It’s not always fun to learn what the lingo means and what each case of each card is, but it’s a necessary step.
Now it’s true that a lot of rich high-rollers love to play Baccarat online. Macau wasn’t built on slots, after all. But you don’t need to be riding in private jets to play Baccarat, much less be good at it. The actual rules of the game are quite simple to learn. The game, in spite of its reputation, basically comes down to the flip of a coin when you play. If anything, some players love that this takes so much decision making out of the process. They prefer Lady Luck to make the decisions.
Playing Baccarat is quite simple. It is played at a table with eleven other players and a pair of dealers, as well as a caller. You are given two hands to wager against – the Player hand, and the Banker hand. You can also bet for a Tie to happen. You place your wager prior to cards being dealt, and when all players have made their bets the cards are handed to each player.
Which version of Baccarat you play depends on where you are. American casinos pay what is known as Punto Banco. In this version, the Player and Banker get two cards, and the hand that is closest to 9 wins the game. If the player wins, then each player who bet on the Player hand also wins, and vice versa. If the hands are the same, then only the players who bet on a Tie win.
The Good, the Bad, and the Player – Baccarat Bets Made Easy
Alright, the most important point we can make is to completely avoid the Tie Bet. It isn’t nearly worth the payout when you consider the horrendous odds it offers (over 14% house edge!). After that, the Banker and Player bets don’t vary too much. A Banker Bet pays 45.8% of the time, and a Player Bet pays 44.6% of the time. The odds of winning a Banker bet are such that the house edge is barely 1%, so many times a live casino try to make it cost more. If they don’t do that, then there’s literally no other reason to ever pick a Player or Tie bet.
The Banker Bet
On its surface, a Banker Bet is the better of the two main bets. It offers better odds of success to players, so why would you not pick it every time? Casinos are wise to the fact that you win more with this bet than any other. This is why they tack on a fee to this bet, usually around 5% of the total. The Banker Bet’s advantage is so strong that many players will choose it anyways, whether they’re novices or pros. It’s also worth mentioning that Banker Bets yield a greater number of win streaks due to its increased odds of winning, so it’s worth sticking with it if you’ve got a hot streak going.
One thing you should NOT do is give into silly gambler superstitions of hot tables and due payouts. Each game of Baccarat is its own thing – the games before or after have no bearing on the outcome. No amount of wishful thinking or logical fallacies will alter this. Arm yourself with knowledge, and you will find that you’ll have a better time playing Baccarat.
The Player Bet
We don’t want to completely dunk on Player Bets; there IS a reason to pick it, in spite of what what we just said. The Banker Bet commission was designed to neutralize the inherent advantage it yields, but it can disappear if you’re using a progressive betting system. Say your 5% comes out to $1. If you double your bet each time and lose four times, you’ve coughed up a total of $15.
Now suppose you double it again and win. You’ll get your winnings back, but you still won’t have made up the commission fee you were charged for the previous bets. This results in a net loss to you that you would not have incurred on a Player Bet. What we want to emphasize is that the viability of Banker Bets depends heavily on what kind of betting system you’re using. Player Bets are actually the better choice with some betting styles.
The Tie Bet
This is the red-headed stepchild bet that a lot of Baccarat players don’t even consider. This bet has low enough odds that it contradicts our assertion of Baccarat having a low house edge. In spite of the staggering 14.4% house edge that it has, it’s worth noting that some casinos will offer incentives to bet on it, sort of like a reverse commission fee. However, when compared to the 1.26% house edge for a Player Bet and 1.06% house edge for a Banker Bet it really isn’t worth considering. Move on from this one and forget that it exists.
Why should you practice Baccarat for free?
Don’t take our word for it – you can try out these strategies for yourself without having to plunk down cash in advance. The odds of winning in Banker are provably higher, and you can see this for yourself. But the old saying stands true when it comes to online baccarat, practice really does make perfect. Through various Pragmatic Play Baccarat games, you can try out each of the three kinds of bets to see how often each one lands. Now, before you start saying anything, we know that there are various other Baccarat game providers out there, but Pragmatic Play is probably the most common game provider.
Through a standard demo game, you’ll find that it uses eight decks and retains the information of the last 20 games played. Banker Bet wins are a B, Player Bet wins are a P, and Tie Bet wins are a T. You can bet with tons of free credits and bet up to 100 on each one in most instances. In addition to confirming the advice laid out earlier, you can also experiment with different betting systems to see which one works for you.
There is a stigma around free play Baccarat these days, as most feel that you have to be brave and play with the big bucks to learn the game. We think that’s a foolish move, as the truth is that practicing can and will make you a better Baccarat player. So, make use of demo modes, practice when you, and make sure you’re ready when the time comes to play with real money.
Using Betting Systems in Baccarat – Proceed With Caution
Baccarat is not so different that you can’t transfer over some of the same betting strategies you find in various other leading casino games. Much like other card games, progressive or flat betting strategies can work wonders on your overall performance. There are simpler methods, such as D’Alembert, or more complicated ones, such as Labouchere. Positive progression systems like Paroli and Parlay are also available for players to use. Since these systems all have lots of rules to follow, make sure you know them well before using them.
Positive Progression Systems
If you are unfamiliar with this, a positive progression is a system in which you increase your bets after each win, and reduce them after each loss. This helps you capitalize on winning momentum while stemming your losses. At least, that’s how it works out on paper. It’s always a good idea to cut your losses when you can and capitalize on your wins. This system is a more active way of doing just that. It Many players report that this method helps them pocket more winnings while reducing their losses, so there’s no reason not to give it a whirl.
Negative Progression Systems
As the name would suggest, negative progressions reverse what you would do in a positive progression. In plain English, this means that you reduce what you bet as you win more, and increase when you lose. In theory, this helps you pocket wins while juicing up your bets to win back what you lost. In reality, this strategy does a lot more harm than good.
A lot of gamblers succumb to the sunk cost fallacy. They feel as though they need to win back what they lost, even when that puts them even deeper into the hole. What usually happens is that they either lose everything they had bet, or they do win it back and then gamble it away anyways. Because bet sizes grow with losses, you’ll run out of money faster than you realize. Unless you know what the heck you are doing, do not attempt this strategy.
Flat Betting System
This strategy is unlike positive or negative progressive betting, because the size of your bets does not change from one game to the next. This means that you won’t lose progressively more money on losing streaks, but it also means your winnings won’t grow by the same. To best employ this strategy, know which kind of bet to place and stick to it. In Baccarat’s case, you’ll want to play the Banker bet and stick with the amount regardless if you win or lose. You won’t get big wins, but the strategy is designed to minimize losses rather than enhance gains.
A Word of Warning – It’s time for us bust another Baccarat myth and give you a major word of warning in the process. There is a huge number of Baccarat strategies out there, most take notes or a basis from what we’ve mentioned above, but there is never, under any circumstances a short thing when it comes to this game. Some people might sell a strategy as the next best thing or that it guaranteed you a win, but that isn’t even close to the truth. Any and every Baccarat strategy has pros and cons, so don’t fall into the trap of throwing money behind a strategy and expecting to come up a winner every time, as it simply won’t happen.
What are the benefits of using the flat betting system instead of a negative or positive progression system?
Flat betting is arguably better than progressive betting, depending on how you look at it. Unlike progressive betting, the amount you wager for each bet does not change even if you lose. The advantage of this is that you have a much lower chance of overspending. However, you also won’t gain more from wins.
To expand on the previous point, flat betting lets you gamble more overall. Because you aren’t increasing the size of your wagers from one bet to the next, your budget will go further if you keep your bets relatively small. This is especially true if you were doubling bets after each win.
Another advantage is that it helps players who are not so comfortable with the rules yet. A changing bet system (negative or positive) can be computationally intensive for newer players, and flat betting makes it easy to keep track of your funds as you gamble.
If you’re looking for a betting system, you can’t go wrong with flat betting. Experienced players might not agree, but if you aren’t so comfortable with gambling yet then a flat betting system will do you a lot of good. Your funds will last longer as you go from one game to the next, and you won’t have to keep re-calculating your funds. It’s not a guaranteed system and you can still lose money doing it, but it is perhaps the safest system for newer players to use. Alternatively, it’s great if you’re trying new casino games and you want to limit your losses.
What about side bets in Baccarat?
Oh boy! Where do we even begin here? There might be many so-called “great side bets” around, but they aren’t exactly what they seem. These bets are offered by the casino for a reason, to get more cash out of you than they would get from just the regular game. Some players call side bets “suckers bets” and we tend to agree with them, as they often do more harm than good to a player’s performance at the Baccarat table.
Okay, so in the spirit of objectivity, we’ll explain what side bets are and at least give them a fair trial. Side bets are additional bets that are placed on top of what’s happening in the game and the usual Player, Banker and Tie wagers being made. There are many different types of Baccarat side bet, all of which promise to boost a player’s eventual winnings. The problem is that the odds are so long, that the point of them feels like being boom or bust, rather than a smart wager.
Here’s a quick look at the most played side bets in the game of Baccarat:
- Player/Banker Pair (Payout: 11x Amount Bet) – Initial two cards of the Bank or Player carry the same value as each other.
- Perfect Pair (Payout: 25x Amount Bet Single Pair, 200x Two Pairs) – Both Player and Bank are dealt the same cards (both in color and value).
- Either Pair (Payout: 5x Amount Bet) – At minimum one pair must be shared, regardless of whether it is for the Bank or Player.
- Player/Banker Bonus (Up to 30x Amount Bet) – Banker or Player must win the hand with a natural of 8 or 9, or with a minimum of 4 points.
The idea of placing a side bet does sound great on paper, we get that. With payout percentages ranging from 86% all the way up to 91%, it almost sounds like easy money, but when you stop to convert that into house edges, it makes for much more damning reading.
If you have money to burn and want to ramp up the risk, place a side bet, but for all other players that are looking to get the most out of their bankrolls, avoid placing side bets, as they just aren’t worth the trouble.
Card Counting in Baccarat – It’s Hard to Do, But No Impossible
Card counting is well-known in the public psyche, thanks to the gamblers that have made a fortune doing it in games such as Blackjack. The 1964 hit Beat the Dealer made this known for the first time, and smart gamblers who can keep lots of numbers in their head can make a lot of money doing this. However, casinos aren’t stupid, they do everything to deter this behavior, including kicking players out. Serious gamblers aren’t deterred so easily, and where they can’t ply their trade they pick another game, such as Baccarat.
The whole idea of card counting in Baccarat has almost become a myth, as it isn’t something that the pro players ever discuss at length. Unlike Blackjack, card counting in Baccarat remains very hush-hush, but don’t be fooled, as it does exist and it can be done, all it takes is a little bit of know-how. You could even argue that as casinos continue to watch Blackjack tables for card counting so closely, Baccarat could become a card counter’s secret weapon when it comes to raking in the cash.
That being said, you need to be aware that card counting in Baccarat isn’t going to give you a massive advantage in the game, given that the house edge is already fairly small. What it can do is give you a small edge during certain aspects of the game, which is why some players do it. It is complicated and time consuming to learn how to card count in Baccarat, but in a game of small percentages, it could be the tiny nudge you need to bring home the win.
Discover the Best of Baccarat Today!
Where exactly does Baccarat fit into the online casino landscape? It’s hard to tell, as the game doesn’t quite have the appeal of say Blackjack and Roulette, but there is no denying just how fun, enjoyable, and profitable this game can be. There is a reason it’s played by James Bond after all, as there is plenty of glitz and glamour found in the cards. Yes, Baccarat might not top the popularity stakes, but this game still has plenty to offer in the form of fast action and big wins.
If you want to get the best out of Baccarat you’ve come to do the right place, as this article has explained how to get started with the game. We’ve also discussed a few strategies here too, so that should be enough for you to get the ball rolling. Now, head out there, find your nearest Baccarat table, and start putting those cards to work!
