The simplest way to define baccarat is as a card game where you have 2 or 3 cards. The winning hand is the one with the higher score. Baccarat is strictly a game of chance; there’s no strategy involved. It’s traditionally a high roller game, although recent versions of the game cater more to gamblers who are playing for lower stakes.
This post includes everything you might ever want to know about the game of baccarat and how to play.
Here’s how to play baccarat
You start by sitting down at the table and buying chips. The card is played from an 8-card deck, and the cards are given point values, just like they are in blackjack. The point values are slightly different though:
You start by betting on one of 2 hands—player or banker. You also have the option of betting on a tie, but never place this bet. It’s a sucker bet with lousy odds, and I’ll explain that in more detail soon.
Depending on where you play, you might have other side bets to choose from, but it’s best to just skip side bets. They almost always have lousy odds.
Unlike blackjack, where you get a hand that you play against the dealer, there are only 2 hands in baccarat, regardless of how many players are there. In blackjack, each player has a hand to play against the dealer. But in baccarat, there’s just a player hand and a dealer hand.
As in blackjack, though, each hand has 2 cards in it to start.
Each hand is scored with a total of between 0 and 9. You arrive at the point total by adding the points for each card in the hand.
If you have a total of 10+, you just count the points based on what’s after the
1. For example, if you have a total of 14, that’s just a total of 4—you ignore the 1.
In blackjack, you get to choose whether to take additional cards or not. For the player in blackjack, this is a matter of decision-making.
For the dealer in blackjack, it’s a matter of which criteria are present—dealers must always hit a hand with a total of 16 or less, regardless of any other factors.
In baccarat, though, both hands are played based on criteria. The player hand isn’t whim to the decisions of the player at all.
In baccarat, there’s a set of rules that determine whether a 3rd card gets dealt to a hand. A total of 8 or 9 is considered a “natural,” and if either the player OR the banker has a natural, neither hand gets an extra card.
If the player hand totals 6 or 7, the hand stands. If the player hand is a total of 5 or lower, that hand always gets an additional card.
If the player hand stood with a 6 or 7, the banker takes an additional card if the banker total is 5 or lower. If the banker has a 6 or 7, the banker hand stands.
Things start getting more complicated if the player drew a 3rd card.
The banker takes another card based on that hand’s total versus the player hand total, as follows:
If the dealer has a 7 or better, the dealer hand stands.
If the dealer has a 6, the hand stands unless the player has a 6 or 7, in which case the dealer gets a 3rd card.
If the dealer has a 5, the dealer draws with a total of 4, 5, 6, or 7. Otherwise the hand stands.
If the dealer has a 4, the dealer draws with a total of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7. Otherwise the hand stands.
If the dealer has a 3, the hand only stands if the player total is 8. Otherwise, the hand draws a 3rd card.
If the dealer has a 2, 1, or 0, the hand always gets another card.
This might seem complicated. That’s because it is.
Luckily for the player, it doesn’t matter if you understand what’s happening here or not. The odds are the same regardless, and the player has no meaningful decision to make other than whether to bet on the player hand or the banker hand.
The hand that wins is the one with the higher score. If both hands have the same total, a player bet or a banker bet is considered a push, which is a tie. You get your bet back, but you don’t get any winnings.
If you took the tie bet, you only win if the player and banker hands have the same total.
The player bet pays off at even money. In other words, if you bet $100 on the player and win, you get $100 in winnings.
The banker bet pays off at 19 to 20 odds. In other words, if you bet $100 on the banker and win, you get $95 in winnings. (It’s like paying a 5% commission.)
The tie bet pays off at 8 to 1, which means if you bet $100 on the tie, you’d win $800.
All casino games have a built-in mathematical advantage for the casino. This is called “the house edge.” It’s the theoretically perfect amount that the casino expects to win in the long run from each of your bets.
If the house edge for a game is 1%, then the casino expects a theoretical win of $1 every time you place a $100 bet.
The casino gets this edge by paying off bets at lower odds than the odds of winning are.
In some casino games, the house edge is the same regardless of which bet you place. In others, the edge varies from bet to bet.
Baccarat is the latter type of game. The house edge for each of the main bets in baccarat is as follows:
Gamblers are always looking for a strategy or a system to help them get an edge over the casino. In some cases, this is possible. Card counting in blackjack is an example.
Baccarat has no opportunity for a winning strategy, though. The house edge for these bets stays the same regardless of any strategy you might try.
With that understood, I’ll look at some of the baccarat strategies that people try and explain the pros and cons of each.
The main strategy most baccarat players use is to track which bets are winning more often—banker or player. This is such a popular strategy that the casino offers pencils and scorecards to the players so that they can track these trends.
How these trends inform a gambler’s betting depends on whether the gambler prefers to try to ride a hot streak or if the gambler thinks that a result has become overdue.
Gamblers who ride hot streaks will see that the banker bet has won 4 times in a row, so they’ll bet on the banker to take advantage of the hot streak.
Gamblers who believe that results become due will bet on the player in that same situation, thinking that it’s unlikely for the banker to win 5 times in a row.
Both these strategies are examples of something called “The Gambler’s Fallacy.” This is the idea that the probability of an event changes based on what happened on previous trials.
But with games like baccarat, every hand is an independent event. The odds don’t change based on what happened on previous hands. The house edge remains the same—it’s still a function of how likely you are to win versus how much you win.
Another baccarat strategy is to raise or lower the size of your bets based on previous losses or wins. The Martingale System is usually considered a strategy for roulette, but some players use it in baccarat, too.
The banker takes another card based on that hand’s total versus the player hand total, as follows:
The banker bet has a 1.06% house edge.
The player bet has a 1.24% house edge.
The tie bet has a 14.36% house edge.
The best strategy for most casino games is to take the bet with the lowest house edge. In the case of baccarat, that’s the banker bet. The difference between the banker bet and the player bet is small enough (0.18%) that you could go with the player bet if you find it more entertaining.
But under no circumstances should you ever take the tie bet. That’s one of the worst house edge figures in the casino for a table game.
You can sometimes find a casino which offers a “reduced commission” on the banker bet. Instead of charging a 5% commission, they might charge a 4% or 3% commission—or less.
Any reduction in the commission on this bet results in a lower house edge for the game, which means that the banker bet is even better at such a casino running such a special.
Gamblers are always looking for a strategy or a system to help them get an edge over the casino. In some cases, this is possible. Card counting in blackjack is an example.
Baccarat has no opportunity for a winning strategy, though. The house edge for these bets stays the same regardless of any strategy you might try.
With that understood, I’ll look at some of the baccarat strategies that people try and explain the pros and cons of each.
The main strategy most baccarat players use is to track which bets are winning more often—banker or player. This is such a popular strategy that the casino offers pencils and scorecards to the players so that they can track these trends.
How these trends inform a gambler’s betting depends on whether the gambler prefers to try to ride a hot streak or if the gambler thinks that a result has become overdue.
Gamblers who ride hot streaks will see that the banker bet has won 4 times in a row, so they’ll bet on the banker to take advantage of the hot streak.
Gamblers who believe that results become due will bet on the player in that same situation, thinking that it’s unlikely for the banker to win 5 times in a row.
Both these strategies are examples of something called “The Gambler’s Fallacy.” This is the idea that the probability of an event changes based on what happened on previous trials.
But with games like baccarat, every hand is an independent event. The odds don’t change based on what happened on previous hands. The house edge remains the same—it’s still a function of how likely you are to win versus how much you win.
Another baccarat strategy is to raise or lower the size of your bets based on previous losses or wins. The Martingale System is usually considered a strategy for roulette, but some players use it in baccarat, too.
What’s so Great About Baccarat GemdiscoPH Bonus, Anyway?
Baccarat is an old game with an interesting history, and not just because James Bond plays it in so many old movies. It used to be played in a separate area of the casino with a lot of accouterments that made high rollers feel like they were really special.
Strangely enough, for a card game with such a huge following, baccarat has no skill element at all. It isn’t like blackjack where your decisions about how to play each hand have a major effect on your mathematical expectation.
Winning at baccarat is just a matter of being good at a guessing game that’s not much more complicated than Casino War. But people love it, and I’ll tell you why.
How to Play Baccarat
The casino shuffles up eight standard decks of cards and stores them in a shoe. Unlike blackjack players, baccarat players don’t get dealt any cards of their own.
Instead, the baccarat dealer deals two cards for a player hand and a banker hand. You can bet on either hand.
The face cards and 10s count as zero. The numbered cards have points equal to their ranking. Aces count as one point. Suits don’t matter.
To get the value of each hand, you total the value of the cards and ignore the “10s” place. So, a total of 29 is treated as a 9, and a total of 14 is treated as a 4.
If you have a hand that includes an 8 and a 9, for example, the total value of the hand is 7.
Do you see why? The hand that wins is the one that gets closer to 9, which is the highest possible score.
But gameplay doesn’t end immediately unless one of the hands has a total of 8 or 9. If one does, the winning hand is declared, and a new round starts. A total of 8 or 9 is called a “natural.”
If the player’s hand is less than 5, a third card gets dealt. The dealer’s hand is more complicated.
Here are the rules for whether the dealer gets a third card:
If the player hand doesn’t get a third card, the banker hand gets a third card if its total is 5 or lower.
If the banker total has a 0, 1, or 2, the banker gets a third card.
If the banker total is 3, the bank draws a third unless the player’s third card was an 8.
If the banker total is 4, the bank draws a third card if the player has a third card of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7.
If the banker total is 5, the bank draws a third card if the player has a third card of 4, 5, 6, or 7.
If the banker total is 6, the bank draws a third card if the player has a third card of 6 or 7.
If the bank total is 7, the banker hand stands pat.
You have three possible bets you can make:
Player
Banker
Tie
The player bet pays off at even money and carries a house edge of 1.24%. The banker bet pays off at even money, but the casino keeps a 5% commission. This gives the house an edge of 1.06% with this bet.
A tie bet pays off at 8 to 1 and has a whopping 14.36% house edge. You’ll see a lot of players tracking what’s happened on previous hands. They like to bet based on what happened previously.
They’re engaged in something called the “gambler’s fallacy,” which I’ll explain shortly.
What Is the House Edge and How Does It Work?
The house edge is the mathematical edge that the casino has over the player. It’s the reason that casinos are decorated like palatial estates for the wealthiest people in history, and it’s why most gamblers live in apartments.
Basically, the casino has an edge over the player because the bets pay off at different odds than the payouts for those bets.
For Example:
If a casino bet has 3 to 1 odds of winning, but the bet only pays off at 2 to 1 odds, the casino has a mathematical edge that can’t be overcome in the long run.
If you bet $100 on such a game four times and get statistically perfect results, you’d still lose three times at $100 each, for a $300 total loss. You’d win $200 on that winning result, but you’d still be down by $100 over four trials.
That’s an average loss per trial of $25, which is 25% of the size of your original bet. The house edge in that case would be 25%.
Generally, the lower the house edge is, the better the game is for the players. The casino still wins in the long run, but in the short term, random chance ensures that some players walk away winners.
The best house edge in a casino is usually either at the blackjack tables or at some of the video poker machines. The house edge on a good blackjack table under good conditions is far less than 1%, maybe even as low as 0.25%. You can also find video poker games with a house edge that low.
But those games require skill to play. Baccarat has one of the lowest house edge figures to face in the casino, but when you compare it to other games that are entirely random, it’s downright stellar.
Roulette, by way of example, also has no skill element, and the house edge for that game is 5.26%.
That doesn’t sound like much, but when you look at the average expected loss for a gambling session of one hour, it adds up.
For example, let’s assume you’re betting $100 per spin of the roulette wheel, which means the casino expects you to lose $5.26 on average for each of those spins. You might see 35 spins per hour, so if you’re losing $5 on average per spin, you’re looking at $175 per hour in losses.
With the same kind of action at the baccarat table, you’re looking at only losing around 1% of that action, or $35 per hour.
Of course, in the short run, you’ll see better or worse results for these sessions. But over time, if you play long enough, your average will start to resemble the expectation.
You’ll also notice that I round down and assume you’re smart enough to avoid the tie bet, which is an awful sucker bet with a big house edge.
The Gambler’s Fallacy
My favorite thing about baccarat, though, are the players who are religiously tracking the results of every hand on their index cards. They’re tracking how many times the banker bet has won versus the player bet. Since this is basically a coin toss, those results should be roughly equal over a long period of time.
Their thinking is that if banker has won 70 times out of the last 100 hands, player is due to win, because the odds have to even out eventually, right?
That’s the gambler’s fallacy in a nutshell. It’s the idea that past results affect the probability of future events. Every hand of baccarat is (for all practical purposes) an independent event.
Some people have looked into the possibility of counting cards in baccarat, as the ratio of cards in the deck does change as the game is played.
But the best minds in blackjack have determined that, because of the rules of baccarat, the effects of the cards being dealt is minimal on the outcomes over time. Keep in mind, too, that baccarat is almost always played with eight decks, which would minimize any possible edge you could get counting even if you were playing blackjack.
Conclusion
So, here’s what’s so great about baccarat. It’s a relatively slow-paced game with a relatively low house edge, AND it requires no skill to play well.
If you’re smart enough to remember to always bet on the banker, you can face a casino game with a house edge that’s about 1%. This is as close to a breakeven game as someone could hope for without having to study basic strategy in blackjack or optimal play in video poker.
The only disadvantage to baccarat is that it’s often aimed at relatively well-heeled gamblers, which means the betting limits are sometimes out of the range of normal gamblers like you and me.
The primary thing you need to know about the baccarat approach is that Baccarat is not a game of skill but fate. After you have placed a bet on either the player, the banker or a tie, the game is out of your power. Unlike other games, you cannot make choices that affect the outcome. Players choose aside and watch as the action unfolds. If you’re new, we recommend that you read Baccarat’s rules to understand why you will win or lose special bets and have some sense about the gameplay that unfolds.
Know the Numbers
The most important thing to do is to understand the game numbers. Baccarat’s house edge is very player-friendly. It has the lowest house edge you will find in all casino games besides craps game. The casino has only a 1.4 % profit on bets on the banker, which is one of the better odds you’ll find both live and in online casinos.
Here are some other numerical facts about Baccarat:
The odds of a player’s hand-winning are somewhat lower than the banker’s hand losing. The player’s hand will get 44.62% of the time. The banker’s hand will fail to get 45.85% of the time.
If you strike out the tie, then the banker’s hand wins about 51% of the time. This 1% is a minimal advantage, but it’s slightly better than coin-flip edges. If you’re doubtful what bet to make, bet on the banker’s hand to win.
Ties are rare, but they do happen. The probability for a connection in Baccarat is 9.53%, and the payoff for a draw is 8 to 1. Still, the house has a notable advantage on these bets.
Baccarat Bets and Odds
The smaller bets at the mini-baccarat table usually are about $25 and at the larger table at nearly $100. These minimum bets become higher at the table in the exclusive area in the larger casinos. Though there are some bets with a shallow house edge, you could lose a lot quicker because of the somewhat higher than average minimum betting value. Knowing the odds will help minimize the losses.
You can pick from one of three bets: betting on the player, banker, or a tie. The basic baccarat odds to understand surrounding the tie bet. While 8-to-1 seems intriguing, the reality is that the right odds of a tie are much bigger than this, and this bet has a house advantage of over 14%. It is not advised to bet on the tie, but if you’re having a good time looking to add some drama to the game, then take your chances on this bet.
Count Your Cards & Keep Score Baccarat Strategy
Several players use the sheets provided to track banker vs. player wins and losses and try to bet on “trends.” The truth is that in the long term, odds have little impact on short term outcomes. Moreover, the banker will beat the player a little more than half the time, even if the banker has won the last 10 or 20 hands in a row. Still, it’s up to you to try it out and see if you prefer playing by using this traditional method or not. Baccarat is a game of risk, and there’s not much you can do to change the odds as soon as a hand has begun. Besides this, you can test out the baccarat card counting method and then decide for yourself whether it’s beneficial or not.
How to Count Card in Baccarat
The idea of a card counting baccarat strategy is to find out when it will be more convenient to bet on the player depending on the cards that have already been dealt with. There’s only the smallest of differences between the player winning the hand or the banker, so you will have many chances to place a bet on a leading hand. To count card in Baccarat, you need to play a version of the game with a six-deck or eight-deck. On the contrary, you don’t have to be an analytical genius, as counting is comfortable in small numbers.
Count 1 for Aces, Twos, and Threes
Count minus 1 when a 5, 7, or 8 are dealt.
For every ace, 2 or 3 that is dealt, count 1.
Count 2 for every 4 dealt.
Count minus 2 when a 6 is dealt.
Count 0 when every King, Queen, Jack, 10, and 9 is dealt with from the front.
What Not to Do to Improve your Chances
As Baccarat is a game of luck, it isn’t much you can do to increase your odds with each hand, played separately from the previous one. There is a baccarat strategy of staying away from a few things to avoid accidentally decreasing your odds.
Start betting without knowing the laws of the game first.
Place bet after betting on a tie. Ties only happen about once every 9.5 hands, so that you could spend a lot of money waiting for this result.
Start playing until you check the least bets. Baccarat has the highest minimum bet than most games, and it differs from casino to casino. Please make sure you are aware of what it is before placing your bets.
Don’t continue gambling for a long time while you are on a winning streak, as you can lose it all on a costly bet.
Baccarat Strategy in an Online vs. Live Casino
There are some small differences when you play online as opposed to in the live casino. You will find much lower minimum bets online, which will change the number of bets you can set. Whereas in a live casino, your budget will not allow for the dangerous tie bet. If you place lower minimum bets, you may take the risk, and your money management during the game will change according to the situation.
Start Playing Baccarat Online Today
You don’t need to worry about what to use, feeling intimidated by the game’s exclusive quality, and higher minimum bets when you play at one of the best Baccarat online casinos. If you want to play like a professional, you need to understand the gameplay and understand the basic baccarat terms. You can also play without understanding anything except that you need to choose one of three bets, then you can sit back and rest as the game develops. Please give it a go at one of the casinos and enjoy Baccarat online.
Online casinos have become a recent trend. People love to earn money from their homes while playing exciting games. A couple of such fun, exciting games that are easy to win are Baccarat and Punto Banco. Baccarat & Punto Banco are both classics and have their gameplay, even if people often think they’re similar. Here we will give players a rundown of the difference between Baccarat and Punto Banco.
Baccarat is originally from Italy, but there are rumors that it originated in France. Whereas the Punto Banco is said to have originated in Italy as well. The basics of both games are similar, which leads players to think that the two games are identical. Both games have six decks of 52 cards, and the players can bet twice on each hand. In Punto Banco, the player must be dealt with at least one suit card to win. While in Baccarat, the player has to go over 9 points to beat the banker.
Betting Strategy
Punto Banco is played with three cards. Out of which, one is face down while the other two are face up. The game’s outcome can be calculated by the two seen cards, whereas in Baccarat, there is no chance to calculate the results. We can only bet on either the player or the bank to win. Punto Banco is a game of skills, whereas Baccarat is wholly dependent on luck.
State of Play
Punto Banco has a rule that the casino will always be the dealer. It is how the game will begin, always. It is possible to bet on the dealer, the player, or against a tie while betting. In Baccarat, you bet before the cards are dealt; the only options you can bet on are the player and the dealer/banker. Baccarat is a game that allows players without skills to play and test their luck, whereas while playing Punto Banco, the players need to have at least basic skills and knowledge about the game.
Yelling Banco
Punto Banco, an original form of Baccarat, is about beating the banker. And that is the main difference between Punto Banco & Baccarat. As the game proceeds, the banker decides the move they want to risk, and once the banker has made its decision, the players decide whether they wish to challenge the banker. And to challenge the banker by yelling “Banco,” which is the difference between the majority of the Baccarat variations and Punto Banco.
Strategy for playing the games
Punto Banco and Baccarat are games where most people allow luck to guide their decision, but there are a few guides and strategies around the world which help people strategize better for the game. First, let’s look at some of the simple strategies.
1. Martingale: Martingale is one of the most nonpromising strategies worldwide. Yet people try it while playing. Martingale is a strategy where the players double their bets after losing a round in hopes of gaining the lost amount in case of winning the bet. It is one of the popular strategies across the world.
2. Card Counting: Card counting is another popular strategy known to those familiar with the casino world. Card counting is where the players mathematically count the card and decide who to bet. It takes rigorous practice and some mathematical knowledge.
3. Side with the Banker: Though not consistently effective, siding with a banker is from popular strategy. Here you always bet on the banker, regardless if it lost the last round. Compared to the player, the banker has a higher chance of winning and awards a payout of 0.95:1.
4. Focus on Pair bets: The pair bets have a higher potential of winning on the initial bet with a payout of 11:1. This strategy focuses on betting on exclusive player pairs or banker pairs, which will give you 11 times the return on your bet amount. It will help you regain the lost amount.
5. The Mix-up: As the name suggests, you stick to more than one bet type. You keep alternating between all the five available bets so that nobody can know your next move. It is one of the standard practices in recent times.
Top Tips for Playing the games
1. Constant Practice: They say practice makes perfect, and rightly so. Practice your moves and strategies. A consistent approach will make you thorough and give you confidence. Try out different methods, practice them, and get the hang of them.
2. Try around: While sticking to a single strategy is beneficial, initially, you have to try around the different strategies you come across. Again, Thill will help you choose your best fit.
3. Master your favorite: Once you have tried all the available strategies, pick your favorite and master it. Then, learn everything about it and keep practicing it to become the best.
4. Find your best variation of Baccarat: Try all the game variations, choose your best variation, apply your favorite move, and win all the money you can. Most people end up picking Punto Banco as it is simple.
5. Responsible gambling: The critical thing to remember while gambling onlineis to play responsibly. Set limits and stick to them, stay calm if you win a reasonable amount, and keep going once you’ve reached your limit. Set timers not to keep playing irresponsibly.
Top 5 casinos where you can play the games
These are our top 5 casinos where you can play Baccarat and other variants.
1. Betway: With a 100% deposit bonus of up to $200, Betway is the players’ first choice.
2. Casumo: With a 100% deposit bonus of up to 300 Euros & 20 free spins, Casumo is a great choice.
3. Dream Vegas: With a 200% matching bonus of up to $2500 and 30 free spins, Dream Vegas is a good place to start.
4. Bitstarz: With a bonus of up to 1 BTC and 180 free spins, Bitstarz is fitting.
5. Euro Palace: With a bonus of up to 600 Euros, Euro palace is a good choice.
There are a lot of other online casinos where you can play a lot of Baccarat and Punto Banco variants and win money. For newcomers, there are guides to games that help you understand them better.
Conclusion
While both games have a similar outlay and gameplay, they are pretty different. Baccarat & Punto Banco are two of the players’ favored games in online casinos worldwide as they are easy to learn and quick to earn. Unfortunately, there are many answers as to which one is the best variant. It depends on the players which one is more their type.
Though its origins are disputed, there is no question that Baccarat is both one of the longest-extant as well as most popular games in Land Casinos as well as online. Favored by Asians, it is not unusual to find the game in most larger and medium-sized Land Casinos in the United States and abroad. Furthermore, Baccarat is also offered at the vast majority of online casinos that have an assortment of table games.
It’s not really accurate to say that Baccarat is a deceptively simple game, because it is, in fact, quite a simple game. More accurately, people often deceive themselves into thinking that the game is anything but simple coming up with complicated and convoluted strategies in an attempt to mitigate the house edge.
If you’re going to take nothing else away from this, then understand this: You cannot combine negative numbers and get a positive number as a result. If you multiply your bet by the house edge, then you get an expected loss (negative number) so when you add more bets to your initial bet, you get a greater expected loss.
METHOD OF PLAY-DEALER:
Aside from any side bets, the base game of Baccarat is quite simple to play and requires no actual decision making on the part of the player, with exception of what to bet. Aside from side bets, there are three bets the player can make:
Banker: Bet that the final total for Banker will be greater than Player. Pushes on a tie.
Player: Bet that the final total for Player will be greater than Banker. Pushes on a tie.
Tie: Bet that Banker/Player will tie, loses otherwise.
Some casinos (perhaps online, too) will offer a player the option to, “Bank.” That has nothing to do with actually betting on Banker, it simply means that the player gets to act as the house and can put his/her money up against that of the other players. Many people choose not to bank because they are then faced against the action of the entire table, which may be more than they want to risk. Further, California card rooms will require that a player banks, (because all players pay a per hand fee) but there are usually conglomerates termed, “Corporations,” that handle all of the banking of the game.
2.) The highest score is the winning side, excepting ties.
3.) Both sides start with two initial cards, the value of the score after those two cards shall be the value of the hand for that side UNLESS the value is more than ten. If the total is more than ten, then subtract ten from the total, so 6+8 =14 would score as four.
4.) If either the Player or Banker have a total of eight or nine points, then both hands shall stand as one (or both) has a natural. The game ends and bets resolved.
5.) If the player total is 0-5 with no Banker natural, then the Player side will draw one more card.
6.) If the Player has six or seven points, then the Banker will draw on a total of 0-5 points.
7.) If the Player takes a third card, then the Banker will draw a third card under the following conditions:
Banker Score 0-2: ALWAYS DRAWS
Banker Score 3: Will draw UNLESS Player draws an eight.
Banker Score 4: Will draw IF Player draws a 2-7, otherwise stand.
Banker Score 5:Will draw if Player draws 4-7, otherwise stand.
Banker Score 6: Will draw if Player draws 6-7, otherwise stand.
Banker Score 7: ALWAYS STANDS
8.) The higher score wins and Banker/Player bets all Push in the event of a tie.
9.) The tie wins if there is a tie and always loses otherwise.
10.) Pairs (Side Bets) Banker Pair wins if the first two cards of the Banker’s hand are the same rank and it is the same for the Player’s cards on a Player Pair bet.
11.) Winning bets generally pay as follows:
Player: Even Money
Banker: Even Money, less 5% commission on any amount won.
Tie: Generally Pays 8:1, which is called 9-FOR-1. If you actually see a table that pays 9:1 (9-To-1) that is an improvement, but still a steeper house edge than Banker/Player.
Pair Bets: 10:1
NOTES:
The 5% Commission on a winning Banker bet comes as a result of the fact that Banker is simply more likely to win than Player. The reason why is because the drawing rules give the Banker a greater probability of winning a given hand.
DEALER PROCEDURE:
A new shoe will generally consist of eight decks and will begin with a dealer exposing the top card of the deck and then removing that number of cards from the shoe. If the top card is a ten or face, the dealer shall remove ten cards.
The cut card is placed sixteen cards from the bottom of the shoe. When that card is reached, the current hand will be finished and one more hand will be played. If the cut card comes out on what would otherwise be the first card in play of a hand, then that will be the final hand.
The dealer will keep track of any Banker commissions owed using markers and then collect any commissions due at the end of a shoe.
When playing an online game, the number of decks may vary. Furthermore, on Video Baccarat online, it is often the case that the whole shoe is reshuffled after every hand.
HOUSE EDGE ON EIGHT-DECK BACCARAT:
Here are the house edges of the available bets based on eight decks:
Banker: 1.0579% (98.9421% RTP)
Player: 1.2351% (98.7649% RTP)
Tie: 14.3596% (85.6404% RTP—8:1) OR 4.844% (95.156% RTP—9:1) OR 9.6108% (90.3982% RTP—8.5:1)
Pairs: 10.3614% (89.6386% RTP)
(ODDS for Different Numbers of Decks Available at WizardofOdds.com)
NOTES ON HOUSE EDGE:
The first thing that you will notice is that Banker has a lower house edge than Player, but for those really committed to the game, it is worth mentioning that such is not always the case due to effect-of-removal. From a practical standpoint, if one count count cards computer-perfectly, the advantages that would be found in Baccarat would be hardly worth the time. However, if you did want to learn some basic EoR’s, you could actually identify situations in which Player is a better bet than Banker with some frequency, particularly towards the end of a shoe.
Although, when you see players taking their copious notes (and they do) at the Baccarat table, that is probably not what they are doing.
The Tie Bet can often be more liberal in certain Land Casinos than others, but it will always be a greater House Edge (lower RTP) than the Player and Banker bets. The Tie is countable only in theory, one would have to be nearly perfect AND the opportunities that would present themselves, with great rarity, would not be worth the time cost from a practical standpoint.
The Tie Bet can sometimes be advantageous if Baccarat is allowed to be played in conjunction with an Online Casino Bonus, despite the greater House Edge, but more on that later.
The practice Baccarat game here:
Actually recalculates the House Edge after every hand based on the remaining cards, so if you would like to play around and try to figure out a way (without a computer) to account for effect-of-removal, that is at least a fun and free way to do it.
DO NOT PLAY GARBAGE SYSTEMS:
If you want to employ betting systems for fun, and understand that there is no way that they can help you beat the casino in the long run, then more power to you, good luck and have a blast! However, do not delude yourself into thinking that waiting for certain results, or varying your bets eliminates the House Edge, it doesn’t even dent it.
One of the more common, ‘Methods,’ of play when it comes to Baccarat is not exactly a betting system, per se, but has more to do with deciding when to bet one side or another. What will happen is that players take copious notes of the results of previous hands and attempt to use them to predict what the next result will be.
In these cases, players will set certain parameters for what and when to bet, effectively incorporating systems with, ‘Methods,’ in many cases. One example is that some individuals believe that Player will not come up on four consecutive completed hands. In this case, they may adjust their betting by way of a Martingale (or similar) system to attempt to come out ahead provided four consecutive, ‘Player,’ decisions DO NOT happen, or they may sometimes opt only to bet after three consecutive Player decisions HAVE happened, figuring that there will not be a fourth.
In the case of the method/system about, someone playing the latter way who loses due to a fourth consecutive Player decision may choose to bet against the fifth, or alternatively, to wait for another occurrence of three consecutive Player decisions in order to bet against a fourth. When a player waits for another occurrence of three Player decisions, he/she will often elect to bet a greater amount than the previous occurrence in order to make up for money lost and turn a profit.
The best strategy for Baccarat is not to play at all as it is a game with a House Edge working against the player on almost all hands. However, these sort of systems are enjoyable for many people and are (technically) better for minimizing overall expected loss than would be playing every single hand. That is true only because every hand played has a House Edge working against the player, of course.
The fact of the matter is, the way records are kept, these results-only records are often not conducive to anything. Just for fun and to provide an example, I took a look at four shoes of Baccarat on the Wizard of Odds Play for Fun game above to see what effect-of-removal could do to the House Edge.
The reason why is because the House Edge of Baccarat is variable and is determined by effect-of-removal. However, for any counting mechanism to work it would have to be nearly computer-perfect, but could theoretically be employed on a Live Dealer game provided a shoe (rather than continuous shuffler) is used and the results put into a program. Even then, opportunities to bet at an advantage will be few and far between, though.
The first shoe that I played resulted in the following reduced House Edges for Banker:
X < .8% = Many Hands
X < .75% = Eight Hands
X < .7% = Four Hands
X < .6% = Two Hands
Banker never fell below 0.6% House Edge at any point, Player never fell below 1%, and Tie was not meaningfully reduced at any point. However, on the last hand of that shoe, Tie had a House Edge of OVER 45%!!!
On the second shoe, Banker never fell below 0.75% at any point, though it did stay under 1% for the majority of the shoe. On the final hand, Player came in at 0.2399% and was under 1% for one other hand prior to that. Also on the final hand, Tie had a PLAYER ADVANTAGE of 1.0635%, which is quite rare.
Again, the effect of removal is greater the closer that an individual gets to the end of a shoe, but it is extremely difficult to count Baccarat and adjust for House Edge without computer aid, if not impossible.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the third shoe was that both Player and Banker had a House Edge greater than the base House Edge for Banker for well over half of the shoe due to the effect-of-removal. In the meantime, Banker never fell below 0.8% House Edge, though Player was under 1% House Edge for six hands falling as low as 0.3558% on the second-to-last hand, though it went back up to 0.94% for the final hand. Tie was greater than 36% House Edge on the final hand.
For the final shoe, I decided to track the House Edges specifically for Banker and Player as of 109 cards away from the cut card just so that everyone can get an idea of how wildly the House Edge can fluctuate towards the end of a shoe. In this shoe, Banker was at less than 0.8% House Edge for nine hands and below 0.7% once. Player was below 1% for seven hands (including one at an advantage), below .75% for two hands (including one at an advantage) and was at an advantage for the final hand.
Please enjoy the table of the last several hands below:
Distance from Cut Card
Banker House Edge
Player House Edge
109
0.7185%
1.5797%
104
0.7643%
1.5357%
98
0.7463%
1.5556%
93
0.7082%
1.5942%
87
0.7947%
1.5057%
81
0.7807%
1.5202%
77
0.7870%
1.5137%
72
0.7359%
1.5680%
68
0.6910%
1.6123%
Distance from Cut Card
Banker House Edge
Player House Edge
62
0.8273%
1.4739%
56
0.9904%
1.3099%
52
0.9283%
1.3709%
48
1.0412%
1.2576%
42
0.9888%
1.3069%
37
1.1735%
1.1246%
33
1.1624%
1.1328%
28
1.1680%
1.1259%
24
1.3546%
0.9396%
Distance from Cut Card
Banker House Edge
Player House Edge
19
1.5367%
0.7587%
15
1.5789%
0.7052%
11
1.3754%
0.9183%
7
1.4050%
0.8890%
3
1.4886%
0.7954%
LAST HAND
2.8004%
-0.5291% Adv.
Interestingly, we note that the fluctuations are extreme as we approach the end of a shoe. In this case, we saw Banker almost double in running House Edge between the next to last and last shoe while the House Edge on Player was reduced such that the result was an advantage of over one-half of one percent!
In the case of the last hand, there were four cards that were either sevens or eights removed during that hand, which is really bad for Banker, and obviously, very good for Player. Since the actual specifics of card counting Baccarat are beyond the intended purview of this work, I will instead opt to link you to a page on the Wizard of Odds pertaining to same:
Most notably on that page, we see the probability of a given hand passing the break-even point to a Player Advantage given different levels of deck penetration. Effectively, Banker will be at an advantage on roughly 1 in 7,634 of all hands at 90% penetration. Player will be at an advantage on roughly 1 in 41,667 of all hands and Tie will be at an advantage on roughly 1 in 500,000 of all hands at that same penetration of 90%.
The next interesting chart finds that, even at 98% penetration for an eight deck shoe, a player betting $1,000 every time an advantage is to be had will only expect to win $2.94 per 100 bets made. If that sounds like a lot, remember that the player will only be betting once every 475 hands, or so.
Finally, it is important to note the extreme complexity of not only keeping the count, (or a simplified and less effective version thereof) but also of converting the, “Running count,” to a, “True Count,” which you can also read about on the above-linked page.
Other Means:
Card counting is not the only means by which Baccarat is theoretically a beatable game, in fact, it is probably the least effective means by which it can theoretically be beaten. A couple of the most effective known means of beating the game are taking advantage of Loss Rebates, and then Edge Sorting (often legal) and Card Marking (illegal usually, if not always) are also effective means of beating the game.
Those means generally take place in Live Casinos and are not really the purview of this page, so I invite any of you interested to go ahead and search for more information. If you like, I will be happy to write about them at a different time.
Again, card counting could be a viable means if starting with only one deck for the game, but that (and speed of play) is why several decks are dealt from a shoe. Even if you found a single deck electronic game, it is because the deck is shuffled after every hand.
Means of Beating Baccarat Online:
The only reliable means of having a positive expectation of beating Baccarat online, unless a Live Casino cuts deeply enough and is willing to tolerate you NOT BETTING on a substantial majority of hands, has been by way of promotions, cash back, or other niceties.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of online casinos DO NOT permit play on Baccarat due largely to the possibility of, “Opposite betting,” which is when the individual bets BOTH Player and Banker knowing that he/she will eat the commission on Banker, but the bonus is such that the individual still expects to come out ahead. The majority of online casinos that do allow Baccarat play on a bonus (and many don’t) will either have a Term/Condition that prevents an individual from opposite betting, stated either directly or indirectly, or will outright prevent the player from making such a bet via the software.
As most of you will know, Baccarat is not the only game through which opposite betting was regularly employed at one time, with other examples being Roulette and Craps, but there was very little Variance with Baccarat which allowed playthrough to be completed quickly.
For example, let’s say you wanted to do a $100 Doey-Don’t on Craps on each side. This would mean that you would be betting $100 on the Pass Line and $100 on the Don’t Pass side. If your bankroll (including Bonus Funds) is only $800, then a roll of 12 on the Come Out would result in a loss of $100 for you. You might complete the playthrough requirements quickly, but even if the bonus put you at a substantial advantage, (and most don’t do that anymore) then an inordinate number of 12’s on the Come Out roll could end you.
There is no such risk with Baccarat as a Push results in no money changing hands at all. Furthermore, if the individual bets $100 on Banker and $100 on Player, then the most that individual can lose is $5 (the commission on the win) if the result is Banker. In other words, this gives an individual the ability (if allowed) to blow through playthrough requirements ridiculously fast and with little possibility of incurring an actual loss.
The probability of Banker winning is 45.8597% on an eight-deck shoe. That’s going to be an important number for what we are about to do.
Let’s say that a casino offered a 100% deposit match bonus with an effective 200x playthrough requirement: The player can deposit $500 and get a $500 bonus all cashable upon completion of playthrough.
In this case, the player would have a total bankroll of $1,000 and would have to complete $200,000 in playthrough requirements. Simply put, if the player could bet $500 ($250 Banker, $250 Player) every hand, only 45.8597% of hands would even matter to the player in terms of a result because everything else would be break even by design.
The player would lose $12.50 (5% commission on win) every time Banker game up, and in 200,000/500 = 400 total hands Banker would be expected to come up 400 * .458597 = 183.44, so call it 184 times. In this case, the player would expect to lose a total of about $2,300, which is clearly more than the Deposit + Bonus amount and yields an expected loss of everything.
The only variable here is the playthrough requirement expressed as a percentage of bankroll. The player could make the starting bet larger or smaller and the result will be exactly the same. For instance:
Bet: $10 each side
Commission: 5% on Banker Wins
Total Bet: $20
Hands Played: 200000/20 = 10,000
Number Banker: 10000 * .458597 = 4,585.97 (call it 4,586)
Commission Amount: $0.50/Banker Win
Total Commissions: 4,586 * .5 = $2,293
As you can see, the difference is a simple rounding error due to the bet amounts used and there is no meaningful difference when it comes to the expected loss on the total playthrough.
What we can ask ourselves is this: What would the break even playthrough amount be based on a bankroll of $1,000? That is actually pretty easy to figure out, we just have to do everything in reverse.
We are starting with our final number, expected loss, which needs to be $1,000. We have to pick an arbitrary total amount to bet per hand, so let’s call it $10 on Banker and $10 on Player for a total of $20. We know that Banker will lose $0.50 every time it comes up and it comes up 45.8597% of the time. Therefore, on average, we lose .458597 * .5 = $0.2292985 per hand.
We will now divide the 1000 by the .2292985 to get the total number of hands played that would result in a $1,000 loss:
1000/.2292985 = 4,361.12752591
In this case, it is prudent to always round up, so we are going to call it 4,362 hands. We are betting $20 total per hand, so that means that we will bet a total of 4362 * 20 = $87,240 on all hands.
That 87,240/1000 = 87.24, which means that a playthrough requirement greater than that yields an expected loss of $1,000 and a playthrough amount lesser than that yields an expected loss of less than $1,000. Half of that playthrough requirement would be the break even (finish with $500) point, so call it 43.5x playthrough.
Here is where things get really interesting, let’s look again at the House Edge of each bet:
Banker: 1.0579%
Player: 1.2351%
We are betting $10 each way, so our combined House Edge is:
(1.0579+1.2351)/2 = 1.1465%
Our expected loss, per $20 bet, is 20 * .011465 = 0.2293 or $0.2293
Again, this is a rounding error compared to our banker commission paid on wins from earlier. When we play 4,362 hands, we expect to lose about .2293 * 4362 = $1,000.2066.
If we play half of that, 4362/2 = 2181, then we expect to lose .2293 * 2181 = $500.1033, so that is roughly our break even point. 2,181 hands at $20 per hand is $43620 in total bets for 43.62x playthrough requirement.
The lesson here is that betting both ways only changes a player’s expectation to the extent that it makes a player’s expectation WORSE because Player has a greater House Edge than Banker and the player is betting equally on both. However, what it does accomplish is reducing Variance to almost nothing (especially on many very small bets) because a player can only lose 2.5% of the total amount bet at any given time, by having a winning Banker and paying commission on win. Everything else is effectively a Push.
One would think that a casino would encourage this sort of behavior and just make the playthrough amounts insanely high, but there are a few reasons why they don’t:
1.) It does give the player the ability to try to, “Lock up,” a result after using short-term Variance. For example, a player could make a large bet with the entire bankroll on Tie, (or on Roulette) in some cases, and the overall result is that the player will enjoy an advantage because he was able to multiply the free money.
Now, you might want to know how that works, and I will explain it for you:
The first thing that happens is that a Tie pays 8-TO-1, and has a 9.5156% probability. Let’s go with our formerly break even 87.24x playthrough requirement and see what happens. Remember, the player ONLY loses $500 in actual money by not hitting the Tie Bet.
The first thing we need to do is understand that a player’s total bankroll, if the Tie Bet hits, will be $9,000 as the Tie Bet pays 8-TO-1 or 9-FOR-1. From that bankroll, we know that the player will need to playthrough $86,240 (already played $1,000) to complete the playthrough requirements. We also know that the player loses $0.2293 of every $20 bet, so:
86240/20 = 4,312 * .2293 = $988.7416, call it $988.75.
What that means is that the player who wins on the initial Tie bet will expect to finish with 9000-988.75 = $8,011.25 for an expected actual profit of $7,511.25. The player will incur an actual loss of $500 if the initial Tie Bet loses. Now, using the probabilities of winning or losing that initial Tie Bet, let’s see what happens:
In other words, a player playing this way takes what would have been a losing proposition of -$1,000 (bankroll) and -$500 actual money (based on playthrough) right off the top playing both ways, but found a way to turn it into an advantage using the short-term Variance of the Tie Bet.
It is also a simple matter to determine what amount the player could be expected to profit using the Tie Bet in such a manner (once) that would result in a break even.
(.095156 * x) – (500 * .904844) = 0
X = 4754.529404
In other words, the player could only expect to profit $4,754.53 on a successful attempt for the overall proposition to be break even, so what sort of playthrough is that?
Again, this is relatively simple to figure out. The result of a total bankroll of $9,000 is going to be the same for a successful tie bet no matter what and an unsuccessful one ALWAYS loses $500 in actual cash. For that reason, we just need to know what sort of playthrough will result in a total bankroll of $5,254.53 (the player’s initial $500 is NOT profit) after the playthrough is completed.
That means that the player will have to lose an expected 9,000-5254.53 = $3,745.47 on the remaining playthrough given that $1,000 has already been played through on the initial tie bet.
Again, for every $20 bet, we know that about $0.2293 is lost, so the total number of $20 bets that would need to be made to result in $3,745.47 in losses is:
3745.47/.2293 = 16,334.3654601
The result is a total of (16334.3654601 * 20) + 1000 = $327,687.309202 in total bets.
That factors in that 1,000 has already been played through via the Tie Bet, so the result is playthrough requirements of 327.687309202 being the break even point using the tie bet in this way.
That means that any Baccarat Bonus played this way assuming a 100% Bonus on deposit (where all winnings pay and nothing is deducted prior to withdrawal) with total playthrough requirements of 327.687309202x, or less, will either be break even or at an advantage. Any requirements greater than that shall result in a disadvantage under these same parameters. For proof, let’s use 328x playthrough:
Amount to Playthrough after Tie Bet: $327,000
Loss per $20 bet: $0.2293
Number of Hands: 327000/20 = 16350
Total Loss: 16350 * .2293 = $3,749.055 (Call it $3,749.06)
As you can see, the expected loss is less than one dollar, but as the playthrough increases, so will the expected loss.
If you were able to follow all of that, it is essentially a lesson not just on how you can use the short-term Variance of a large Tie Bet on Baccarat to your advantage, but it also teaches you the concept of how you could use this to your advantage when using, “Free Money,” on other similar bets.
Why It Doesn’t Always Work:
There are a number of reasons that this Tie Bet and then grinding playthrough method will not work, and the majority of them are related to the Terms & Conditions at various online casinos. Most of these have already been explained throughout this page in some amount of detail, so this will be a simple list:
1.) Some casinos do not allow Baccarat on a bonus.
2.) The actual amount of the bonus is sometimes deducted from a player’s winnings prior to cash out. Granted, this does not make an expected profit via this method impossible, but it does change the calculations. It is necessary for a player to understand the expected loss on the total playthrough and to realize the difference between bankroll and actual profit.
3.) The playthrough requirements may simply be too high.
4.) Some casinos do not allow bets over a certain amount (often very low) when playing on Bonus funds. Additionally, different casinos have different Max bets depending on the game in question. Taking advantage of the variance of being able to bet $1,000 is obviously impossible if you can only bet $100 per hand.
5.) Almost all casinos will not let you do a Player/Banker offset, but that’s fine. In terms of expected results, you’re better off just to bet Banker, anyway, though the variance is greater.*
*Actually, if the amount of playthrough is the same and Odds bets count towards playthrough, then the player is better off to switch to Craps. The effective House Edge is lower on the total amount bet. (i.e. played through)
6.) Some casinos will not allow a player to bet in an extreme range. For instance, they might say that a player may not have a maximum bet while on a bonus that exceeds 5x what that player’s minimum bet was. Technically, that does not change the overall expectation, but a player’s variance will be much greater if he/she must bet $200 per hand (having bet $1,000 on the tie) rather than $20.
7.) Some casinos have general provisions against advantage play or, “Structured betting,” and this may fall in that general purview. The casino essentially reserves the right to define those terms on a case-by-case basis.
There are other possible Terms & Conditions that would prevent this from working, but the major ones are above.
Current Bonuses:
Here are a few of the current bonuses available at Wizard of Odds:
Liberty Slots Casino:
Liberty Slots Casino is a Wizard of Odds APPROVED casino, which means that if you sign up through the WoO link and make a deposit, you will be protected by Wizard’s advertising guarantee. What that means is, if you have a dispute with the casino that you cannot resolve, the Wizard himself will act as an intermediary between yourself and the casino in an effort to come up with a solution agreeable to both parties.
The only thing that the Wizard asks is that you attempt to resolve things with the casino yourself first, and only invoke the guarantee if nothing else has worked.
Liberty Slots also scores an impressive 4.2/5 across our family of websites including a 4.7 on WoO and a 4.4 on this site, as of the time of this writing. Players like the daily freeroll tournaments, but sometimes feel as though the Wagering Requirements on bonuses can sometimes be too high. Other than that, just about everything else said has been favorable.
Liberty Slots is currently offering a 100% Match Bonus, up to $777 (total value) by way of 100% bonuses up to $259 each on the first three deposits.
The Liberty Slots bonus is subject to wagering requirements of 20x the Deposit + Bonus with Baccarat counting as 10%, which effectively means that the wagering requirements are 200x Deposit + Bonus. $518 * 200 = $103,600, so that is the total that needs to be bet to complete the wagering requirements.
The first thing that we know from the Bonus Terms is that we are not going to be able to use a high variance attack on the Tie Bet and then grind out the playthrough requirements because the maximum bet on the bonus is $10:
The maximum individual wager permitted using any portion of bonus funds is $10. Players placing wagers using any portion of bonus funds in excess of this maximum will forfeit any winnings earned from said wagers.
That being the case, we would have to be able to beat the game straight up for this bonus to be profitable. Banker has a House Edge of 1.0579%, thus we expect to lose .010579 * 103600 = $1,095.9844, which is well over the Bonus + Deposit. The promotion cannot be beaten this way.
Interestingly enough, the promotion is technically beatable, though.
Liberty Slots will give you the Bonus on a deposit as little as $5, which would make your total bankroll $10. The total playthrough requirement on that would be $2,000. If you were to bet all $10 on the Tie Bet and it won, your new bankroll would be $90 and you will have already completed $10 of playthrough.
The remaining $1,990 has an expected loss of 1990 * .01579 = $31.4221, which means that the player would finish with a bankroll of $58.5779 and a profit of $53.5779. If we look at the probability of winning the Tie Bet (and expected profit) against losing, then here is what we get:
The expected profit is about $0.57 and the advantage, given an initial deposit of $5, is about 11.480773%.
Again, this is not any real sum of money to speak of, but since there is technically an advantage to be had, it must be mentioned. Other deposit amounts (very low) may also have an advantage, but this method is the only one enabling the player to bet the entire initial bankroll at once, and therefore, is the maximum possible advantage available.
Unfortunately, there is a problem with even this method. The problem is that while they will accept deposits of as little as $5, they have minimum withdrawal terms of $150. Therefore, even if you win the initial Tie Bet and run at expectation the rest of the way, you will have insufficient funds to cash out and will have to play them on something else to try to get to $150.
The only good news is that this Bonus may be claimed multiple times and it appears that they will grant the bonus on a new deposit even if the player has a cash balance as long as the player has completed the playthrough from the previous bonus. The bad news is that the player is expected to need to win on this Tie Bet all three times before being able to cash out.
Ultimately, the Bonus is not really worth anything, but it gives you more to play with if you are looking to play for fun. It is important to keep in mind that on sizable deposits you are almost guaranteed to lose on Baccarat (betting Player or Banker) because of the tremendous Wagering Requirements and the ability to only bet $10 at a time while on bonus playthrough.
Ignition Casino:
Currently, Ignition Casino is offering a bonus of 100% up to $1,000 on a player’s first deposit. Before we get into a full breakdown, let’s look at some Terms & Conditions to see if this can be played profitably:
–The deposit plus bonus amount is subject to a 25X playthrough requirement before the deposit, bonus amount and any winnings can be withdrawn.
The Baccarat contributes 5% to the playthrough, whereas Video Poker contributes 10% and some other Tables Games contribute 20%, so right off the bat, I can tell you that Baccarat is not the best choice for this promotion. Video Poker would 100% be better for playing this promotion straight up.
If you deposit $1,000, then you will have a total bankroll of $2,000, which multiplied by 25x is $50,000. Because Baccarat only contributes 5% to the WR’s, the total amount that would have to be played through on Baccarat is $1,000,000. Yes, ONE MILLION DOLLARS in wagers.
Here’s another fun Bonus Term:
–Bonus programs are intended for recreational players only. Professional players or players considered, in our sole discretion, to be abusing the bonus system by any means may have bonuses revoked and be subject to further sanctions. Bonus abuse may be defined as (but not restricted to) clients cashing out for the purpose of re-depositing, depositing on top of an existing balance, clients making use of promotional offers without ever using their own funds, clients increasing their balance and then changing their gaming pattern significantly (bet, game type, bet structure or other pattern of betting) to complete any wagering requirements of any Bonus, or creating new Accounts that they are using themselves.
What this means is that if they deem you a, “Professional player,” they can take any number of actions against you. You will also notice the provision against increasing or decreasing your bets and then changing your, “Gambling pattern.” In other words, the entire method I would use to try to achieve a huge balance and then grind out playthrough doesn’t work.
The bottom line is that we cannot vary our betting amounts vary significantly, and to play it REALLY safe, I would suggest not doing it at all.
While Ignition does have a minimum deposit of $20, they have a minimum withdrawal amount of $100, so I am going to base this on taking a $20 bonus because, if they can’t handle a maximum wager (Tie) that is 8x the minimum bet that we would make ($5) then, they really just shouldn’t offer bonuses anymore.
If we deposit $20 and get a $20 bonus, our total bankroll increases to $40 which would have a WR of $20,000. Once again, this is only something to be considered if you enjoy Baccarat anyway, because the best way to do it would be to maybe make a Tie bet on Baccarat, or a single number on Roulette, and switch to Video Poker if that is successful.
If you make the $40 bet on Tie and it wins, you’re effectively going to be paid 9-FOR-1, which will improve your bankroll to $360. You will have also completed $40 in WR and will have $19,960 remaining.
At a house edge of 1.0579%, you would have an expected loss of 19960 * .010579 = $211.16 by way of completing the WR, which would leave a total bankroll of $148.84. That would be a total profit of $128.84.
(128.84 * .095156) – (20 * .904844) = -5.83698096
As you can see, we still arrive at an expected loss mainly owing to the effective playthrough requirements of 500x. Even if we would be able to do this on the maximum bonus with a single $2,000 bet on Tie, and it won, the player would still not be expected to profit due to the high playthrough requirements.
Vegas Crest Casino:
Once again, before we get into all of the particulars of this casino, the first question that we want to answer is whether or not the Terms themselves prevent us from having a profitable expectation.
The first Bonus is a 200% bonus on a deposit of up to $1,000, which would yield a total bankroll of $3,000. The WR is 30x on any slot games, with Baccarat contributing 10%, meaning that Baccarat effectively has a playthrough requirement of 300x. That would be $900,000 based on the total maximum amount of the deposit + bonus.
Again, here is a blanket provision that somewhat concerns me:
–All Bonuses and Free Spin Offers are awarded for entertainment only and are intended for recreational players. Vegas Crest Casino reserves the right to revoke bonuses and Free Spins, withhold any withdrawals and/or void any unfair winnings of players deemed in our sole discretion to be abusing or exploiting our bonus and Free Spin offers or who take part in any fraudulent behaviour.
If they decide who is or is not playing recreationally, then it concerns me that they could theoretically void the winnings from anyone who figures out how to beat the promotion on the basis of them winning in an, “Unfair,” way. If they can do that, then essentially everything you deposit gives them a chance to free roll you on the deposit amounts.
The real problem is that a player is limited to a maximum wager of $5 while on a bonus:
–A maximum of $5.00 or 10% (whichever is lower) of any bonus type or any winnings derived from bonuses or free spins may be wagered at a time, per game round, spin or hand. Any breach of this or any other Bonus Terms may lead to bonus and winnings being voided, bonus privileges revoked and/or account closure.
900000 * .010579 = $9,521.10
This bonus is not even remotely close to beatable straight up, not on Baccarat, anyway.
The minimum deposit is $10, which would make the total bankroll $30 and would yield $9,000 in WR. The expected loss on the Banker playthrough would be $95.21, so even if you could make the $5 Tie Bet with impunity, it wouldn’t matter because it wouldn’t improve your bankroll enough to cover your expected loss on the WR.
This is another example of a bonus in which, if you really want to play Baccarat there, you would be doing much better to do it straight up and refuse a bonus.
WizBet:
WizBet is currently offering a 200% deposit match bonus (up to $400) on a player’s first deposit which would result in a deposit of $200 and a bankroll of $600. Unfortunately, the Terms are going to make this really quick:
-7.9 Any form of cheating, suspicious or pattern behaviour will result in winnings being forfeited and your relevant deposits being refunded back to you.
–Any attempt to circumvent the casino bonus system by benefiting off playing with cash and then trying to attempt to win off a bonus not forming part of deposit balance ( or vice versa) is considered deliberate cheating and winnings will be forfeited as well as any deposit returned to the client regardless of the money being won from the cash or bonus.
Basically, you’re free rolling them on your losses. The second rule, at least the way I read it, essentially makes winning against the rules. I would not advise playing a bonus with any rule like that, because I have no idea what constitutes a violation of the rules. It basically sounds like, if you never fall below the amount that you deposited, you could be accused of having violated that rule.
And, finally:
–8.4.1.1. Table and Video Poker Game Restrictions: New players are restricted from using match offers on their first 3 deposits at any of the casino’s video poker and table games. The casino reserves the right to void any withdrawal made if a new player is found in contravention of this rule. New players are welcome to use their first three deposit match bonuses on Slots, Keno or Scratch Card games.
Despite what the rest of the website says, it’s not even a Table Game Bonus because you cannot play Table Games on one of your first three deposits.
ALWAYS read the Terms and Conditions.
CONCLUSION:
When it comes to playing the primary game of Baccarat online, the advice is simple: Bet Banker. While the House Edge might change on a live game, unless you use some sort of calculator that works instantly, Banker will remain the best bet the majority of the time throughout a shoe.
If playing a Live Dealer Baccarat game online, if you can slap in the deck composition quickly enough, we do offer such a tool:
Remember, if they decide that is what you are doing, then it might violate a certain casino’s Terms & Conditions as you are playing in a computer-aided way. Furthermore, depending on how deeply the game is (or isn’t) dealt, you’re not going to get too many hands where you even enjoy an advantage…so get ready for a lot of waiting.
If you are playing one of the Baccarat games that are not Live, then those decks are going to be reshuffled after every hand, therefore, Banker is the only reasonable bet to make.
In terms of Bonuses, the Terms & Conditions as well as Bonus Terms and Conditions have made it such that Baccarat is essentially unbeatable at most casinos if you are using a Bonus. We did find that Liberty Slots Casino would theoretically (and, technically) offer a profit expectation of $0.57 on a $5 deposit, except you wouldn’t finish with enough money to cash out (expectation) if you only did it once! Again, that Bonus is essentially unbeatable.
If you really enjoy the game of Baccarat or suspect that a Baccarat bonus could be beatable, (in general, look for low playthrough requirements) then hopefully you have learned the mathematical concepts necessary to determine whether a Bonus could be profitable or not.
Unfortunately, many bonuses are not even really bonuses anymore, and in the majority of cases, a player is better off to simply leave the bonuses alone and play just on deposit money. Sometimes, bonuses set the wagering requirements so high and the maximum bet allowed so low (like Vegas Crest) that it is basically impossible to profit if you take the full bonus.
Sadly, casinos have went so far the other way to make sure that the very small minority of players who do play properly do not beat them that they have impacted negative expectation players in an unfair way. For instance, you SHOULD NOT be better off to deposit a smaller amount on a bonus rather than a larger amount, but that is often the case. As we saw with Liberty Slots, the bonus is technically beatable on a $5 deposit, but you would get crushed on a large deposit pretty frequently.
Just make sure to pay attention to those Terms & Conditions, whatever you do.
Baccarat is a card game that is popular in casinos across the globe. Over the years, several variations of the classic card game have become popular in their own right.
One of the reasons baccarat is so popular is that it offers very favorable odds compared to other casino table games. Your baccarat odds will vary depending on the wagers you place and the style you play. Whether you are playing in-person or at one of the top baccarat online casinos can also change your odds of winning.
The type of baccarat you play will also determine which baccarat strategy is best for you. Keep reading to see everything you need to know about baccarat odds and strategies.
Types of Baccarat
Before you can start studying baccarat odds and choosing a strategy, you need to decide which versions you want to play. There are plenty of variations to choose from. Here are four popular versions of the card game baccarat.
Punto Banco
The most popular type of Baccarat is Punto Banco. You can find this version of baccarat in brick-and-mortar casinos worldwide.
In this version of the game, the casino dealer is responsible for the role of the banker. In other versions, players can serve in this role and bet their money against other players. But in punto banco, the house is always the dealer.
This makes the game much easier to learn and the gameplay is faster. It also means that players never touch the cards, as the dealer is responsible for playing both hands. The dealer acts according to a set of strict rules based on the cards being shown.
Chemin de Fer
Chem de Fer is the version of baccarat that is popular with high rollers. Two players go head-to-head, with one person serving the role of the dealer. This person starts by declaring how much they are willing to risk against their fellow players.
The other players at the table then have a chance to wager on the game. However, the total number wagered by these players cannot exceed the amount the dealer is willing to risk. Also, players cannot wager on the banker hand and vice versa.
The remaining rules of the game are largely the same as other styles of baccarat. The dealer and player(s) attempt to secure a hand with nine points.
Players all share one common hand, and one person is designated to make the decisions for the group. Usually, this will be the person who wagered the most that round. In the case of a tie, the player who comes first in the order will be the one to face the dealer.
Baccarat Banque
Baccarat Banque is very similar to Chemin de Fer. A player serves in the role of banker and competes against other players.
There is a major difference between these two games, though. In this version of the game, the dealer deals three hands instead of just two.
This means that the players to the right of the dealer have different cards than the people on their left. A total of five players can be on either side of the dealer. Also, if the table is full, on-lookers can also gamble on the hand by standing on the side they want to wager on.
Only one person on either side of the dealer can decide how to play their hand. This player will stay in their role until they lose a hand. Then, it will move to the next person in line.
Another difference to consider is that Baccarat Banque only uses three decks in a shoe instead of six. Can have a huge effect on the baccarat odds for all players involved.
Lightning Baccarat
The availability of real money baccarat online has made it easier than ever to play the classic card game. It has also led to new versions of baccarat being created. One such version is Lightning Baccarat.
This version of the game is available at many of the top casino sites. It is a live dealer version of the game that gives players unique side betting options.
Many baccarat variations give you the option to make side bets, such as Dragon 7 or Panda 8. These wagers have huge payouts, but they also increase the house edge.
Lightning Baccarat offers a unique side bet, the Lightning Round. During this period, random lightning strikes can hit up to five cards. If one of the cards in your hand matches a card that was hit by lightning, you could receive a huge multiplier.
Baccarat Odds
Your exact odds in baccarat will vary based on the style of game you are playing. The type of starting wager you decide to make is also a factor in determining the house edge for that round.
Both the Banker and Player hand options pay 1:1. However, many casinos also charge a 5% commission on winning banker hand wagers. Payout odds for a successful tie wager are usually 9:1.
Depending on where and which version of baccarat you play, you will likely have the option for side bets. Here are the baccarat odds for some of the common side bets you will come across.
Side Bet
Payout Odds
House Edge
Dragon 7
40:1
7.61%
Panda 8
25:1
10.19%
Super 6
12:1
29.98%
Royal Match
30:1 unsuited75:1 suited
2.13%
What Is the Best Baccarat Strategy?
Understanding your odds of winning in baccarat will help you pick the right variation to play. However, you still need to decide which strategy you plan to use.
You should tailor your baccarat strategy to fit the style you are playing. Here are some common strategies that will help you get started.
Always Betting on the Banker
The most common baccarat betting system that you will come across is also the simplest. All you need to do for this strategy is bet on the banker hand every time. This method will not work in Chemin de Fer as a player can only bet on their own hand.
In most other versions of baccarat, though, betting on the banker is the right decision. These wagers offer the same baccarat odds when they win. However, they also carry the lowest house edge of any wager in baccarat.
Casinos usually charge a 5% commission on these bets. However, even when you account for this tax, the house edge on a banker bet is still lower than any other option.
Also, you can easily find commission-free baccarat games by playing online. In these games, you can wager on any bet without worrying about paying a commission to the casino.
Martingale System
The Martingale System is one of the most well-known casino strategies. It can be adapted to fit most table games, including baccarat.
All you need to do for this system is to double your wager following a loss. After a winning round, you return to your original stake amount. This system, in theory, guarantees that you will walk away a winner.
When you win, you will recoup your losses and make a small profit. However, there are several issues with this betting method.
First and foremost, you will need a large bankroll to use it effectively. You could lose multiple hands in a row, and your stake amount could become expensive very quickly. Also, table limits could prevent you from doubling your wager if you lose too many consecutive hands.
Despite these flaws, the Martingale System is still popular among casino game players. It has even led to several other strategies, such as the Reverse Martingale, being created.
The 3-2 System
Another popular baccarat betting system is the 3-2 system. For this method, you need to use five betting units in each round. Also, you need to play at a table that offers pairs side bets.
This can be expensive if you are playing at a table with high betting limits. Luckily, many casinos offer lower roller tables for baccarat as well. Or, you can try playing online baccarat for even lower betting minimums.
Once you have your stake amount decided, you will place the following bets every round:
3 units on the Banker (or Player)
2 units on the Banker Pair (or Player Pair) side bet
The key here is betting on the corresponding pair option. So, if you bet on the banker hand, then you should bet on the banker pair option. You can do the same with the player hand and player pair bets, but you will be up against a higher house edge.
Which Strategy Gives You the Best Baccarat Odds?
There are plenty of strategies to choose from when you play baccarat. In most versions of the table game, though, wagering on the banker hand gives you the best odds of winning. Incorporating side bets or using betting systems can also help you maximize your winnings.
Find out more about baccarat and other casino games by reading our latest blogs.
The Effect of Deck Number on Your Winning Odds in Mines Games Tips Baccarat
Baccarat is a simple casino card game played under fixed house rules where each round can end in one of three possible outcomes, Player, Banker, or Tie. As is the case with all gambling games, the winning odds in baccarat are tilted in favor of the house which retains a minimum of one percent of all money wagered in the long run.
The precise house edge fluctuates across the three possible outcomes patrons can bet on. Deck number is another factor that influences the casino advantage the game yields. Baccarat is normally dealt out of a shoe that contains eight preshuffled decks, although some variants of the game use six packs of cards.
Which is the better alternative for the player in terms of winning odds, eight-deck or six-deck baccarat? We provide the answer to this question in today’s article as we examine the effect of deck number on the theoretical return and winning probabilities in baccarat.
The House Edge in Baccarat
You are perhaps familiar with the drawing rules, card values, and payouts in baccarat if you are interested in how deck number affects your winning odds.
Let’s skip straight to the mathematics of baccarat and look into the probabilities of a standard eight-deck game with a 5% commission on Banker and even-money payouts on winning Player hands. Tie bets pay at standard odds of 8 to 1 when successful.
THE LIKELIHOOD OF OUTCOMES WITH TIES INCLUDED
Ties between Player and Banker occur approximately 9.51% of the time.
The Player hand wins approximately 44.62% of the time and loses the remaining 45.87% of the rounds.
The Banker hand is successful approximately 45.87% of the time and loses the remaining 44.62% of the rounds.
THE LIKELIHOOD OF OUTCOMES WITH TIES EXCLUDED
Ignoring the ties, the Player hand pays out roughly 49.32% of the time and loses the other 50.68% of the rounds.
The percentages are reversed for the Banker side as it pays out 50.68% of the rounds on average and loses 49.32% of the rounds.
You have surely noticed the winning probability of the Banker side exceeds fifty percent in the second case where we ignored the ties.
Casino operators offset this advantage by imposing a 5% commission on all winning Banker hands. Gamblers receive 95 cents per every dollar wagered on Banker. The bet thus yields a house edge that is nearly identical to that of the Player side.
When we know the probabilities of all three possible outcomes in the game, we can easily calculate their house edges.
All we have to do is multiply the winning probability by the wager and then add the losing probability multiplied by the losses to that result. The losses correspond to a negative expected value (EV), hence the minus sign. In turn, this negative EV reflects the house edge of a bet.
We use decimal numbers rather than percentages in the calculations below since probabilities always range from zero to one on a linear axis, known as a ‘probability line’. The closer an event gets to one, the more likely it is to occur. Zero denotes something is impossible to happen, whereas one indicates an event is certain to happen.
Expected Value of the Player Bet
(1 x 0.446246) + (-1 x 0.458597) + (0 x 0.095155) = -0.012351
Expected Value of the Banker Bet
(0.95 x 0.458597) + (-1 x 0.446246) + (0 x 0.095155) = -0.010578
Expected Value of the Tie Bet
(8 x 0.095155) + (-1 x 0.458597) + (-1 x 0.446246) = -0.143603
When you convert these probabilities into percentages, you get the expected value of all three possible outcomes in baccarat. It is obviously negative and corresponds to the house edges yielded by the Player, Banker, and Tie bets.
House Edge of the Player Bet = -0.012351 x 100 = 1.24%
House Edge of the Banker Bet = -0.010578 x 100 = 1.06%
House Edge of the Tie Bet = -0.143603 x 100 = 14.36%
Note that the percentages above correspond to the long-term advantage the casino holds per hand played since ties are included. The house edges of the Player and Banker bets increase further to 1.36% and 1.17% when we ignore the ties as you can see from the calculations below.
Expected Value of Player Wagers per Bet Resolved
(1 x 0.4932) + (-1 x 0.5068) = -0.0136
Expected Value of Banker Wagers per Bet Resolved
(0.95 x 0.5068) + (-1 x 0.4932) = -0.0117
For every $100 wagered on Player, Banker, and Tie, gamblers can anticipate losses of $1.24, $1.06, and $14.36 on average. Another important thing to mention is that the house edges above apply to baccarat games that charge a 5% commission on winning Banker hands.
The mathematical advantage the house holds on Banker jumps to 1.46% in commission-free variations. We know this sounds counterintuitive but it is true. Feel free to read our detailed article on commission versus no commission baccarat for further information on this subject.
Deck Number and Winning Probabilities in Baccarat
Baccarat games are normally dealt out of a shoe containing eight full decks, although it is possible to find six-deck variations at some online casinos. Some rare variants available in Macau may use one or two decks as well.
You would perhaps intuitively conclude your odds of winning are higher when fewer cards are in play. However, this is not always the case as you shall see after you examine the table below more closely.
Deck Number and Winning Probabilities in Baccarat
Deck Number
Player Winning Probability
Banker Winning Probability
Tie Winning Probability
1 Deck
0.44676
0.459624
0.093615
2 Decks
0.446508
0.459072
0.094419
6 Decks
0.446278
0.458652
0.095068
8 Decks
0.446246
0.458597
0.095155
1The Probabilities For Player and Banker Decrease with More Decks
As you have perhaps noticed after a closer inspection of the table, the winning probabilities of the Player and Banker hands decrease proportionately to the number of decks.
The opposite is true for the Tie bet. The likelihood of the Player and Banker pushing increases ever so slightly the more decks you introduce to the shoe.
The Player side will win approximately 44.68% of the time in single-deck games as opposed to 44.62% in eight-deck variations.
We observe a similar tendency with the Banker whose winning probability drops from 45.96% in single-deck games to 45.87% with eight decks.
In the meantime, the likelihood of the two sides pushing jumps from 9.36% with one deck to 9.51% with eight decks.
2Fewer Decks = Fewer Card Combinations
These discrepancies in the winning probabilities for Player and Banker are due to the fact that fewer decks produce a smaller number of possible card combinations. In turn, this also has an impact on the house advantage and your expected value as you shall see shortly.
Deck Number and Possible Hand Combinations for Player, Banker, and Tie
Deck Number
Player Combinations
Banker Combinations
Tie Combinations
1 Deck
6.5 Billion
6.7 Billion
1.4 Billion
2 Decks
487.8 Billion
501.5 Billion
103.2 Billion
6 Decks
392.2 Trillion
403.1 Trillion
83.5 Trillion
8 Decks
2.2 Quadrillion
2.3 Quadrillion
475.6 Trillion
Effect of Deck Number on Theoretical Return in Baccarat
The discrepancies in the probabilities impact the theoretical return players can anticipate when playing baccarat against multiple decks. The long-term return of the Banker bet declines as the deck number increases.
Conversely, the Player and Tie wagers yield slightly better expected value when more decks are utilized. The house edges in eight-deck baccarat are slightly lower than those gamblers face in six-deck variations of the game.
Expected Value of the Player Bet with One Deck
(1 x 0.446760) + (-1 x 0.459624) + (0 x 0.093615) = -0.01286
Expected Value of the Banker Bet with One Deck
(0.95 x 0.456924) + (-1 x 0.446760) + (0 x 0.093615) = -0.010117
Expected Value of the Tie Bet with One Deck
(8 x 0.093615) + (-1 x 0.456924) + (-1 x 0.446760) = -0.157464
Expected Value of the Player Bet with Six Decks
(1 x 0.446278) + (-1 x 0.458652) + (0 x 0.095068) = -0.012374
Expected Value of the Banker Bet with Six Decks
(0.95 x 0.458652) + (-1 x 0.446278) + (0 x 0.095068) = -0.010558
Expected Value of the Tie Bet with Six Decks
(8 x 0.095068) + (-1 x 0.446278) + (-1 x 0.458652) = -0.14438
As you can see, baccarat variants that play with one and six decks offer slightly lower expected value for Player and Tie wagers compared to eight-deck games. Regardless of deck number, the theoretical return is still negative and you will inevitably end up in the red the longer you play. Nonetheless, your odds of winning in games that utilize more decks are still slightly better.
IMPROVING YOUR WINNING ODDS IN BACCARAT
1Learn Card Counting
From what we said so far, it becomes clear baccarat is a negative-expectation game. It is impossible for players to overturn the house edge when betting on the three main outcomes (Player, Banker, and Tie). Some variants support optional side wagers like the Easy 6, Super 6, and Dragon 7 that can yield positive expected value but players must learn to count cards to overcome their house edges.
2Play Eight-Deck Baccarat
One way to improve your odds of winning in the main game is to play baccarat variations that use eight decks. These are broadly available at all online casinos, so the last thing you can complain about is a lack of choice. The house advantage in games that utilize six rather than eight decks is slightly higher for Player (1.26%) and Tie (14.44%) bets.
3Avoid Tie Bets
We recommend you stick to Player and Banker wagers and altogether avoid betting on the Tie. It is among the worst wagers one can possibly make in a casino as it yields very low theoretical returns. With the Tie, you can anticipate winnings of $85.64 per every hundred dollars you wager in the long run. In essence, you are better off playing online slots than betting on ties in baccarat.
4Stay Away from Side Bets
Last but not least, we suggest you steer clear of side bets unless you can exploit them to your advantage through card counting. Some of the optional wagers in baccarat surpass even the Tie bet in terms of house edges and can quickly drain your bankroll if you are not careful.
