Baccarat Strategies and How to Win
Baccarat is one of the most popular card-based casino games in the world. It is easy to understand why when you consider that the house advantage with it is lower than other table games. This is certainly the case with punto banco, the most widely used variant of baccarat in casinos across the English-speaking world. Of course, playing a game with a relatively low house advantage is a good strategy in the first place. Although there are plenty of other games you could choose to try your luck at, baccarat will offer you a reasonable return over time that means it is a good game if you are playing simply for fun.
However, gamblers who take their betting a little more seriously will want to play in a way that means they are more likely to win. Due to the rules of baccarat, especially punto banco, it is possible to develop strategies that can help in this regard. Of course, online baccarat uses just the same rules as you would find in a bricks and mortar casino, so these tactics are just as handy to know about whether you attend a gambling establishment in person or play over the internet. What are some of the best baccarat strategies that will help you to win more often?
The Basic Strategy
Although there are many advanced strategies that players can utilise to improve their game, the so-called basic strategy is among the easiest to put into action. Under this method, you will focus your attention on the banker bet because this is where the lowest house advantage resides. After all, the advantage here is a lowly 1.06 percent which is more attractive than a player bet which stands at 1.24 percent. Indeed, the corresponding figure for a tie bet is much higher, at more than 14 percent, so restricting your strategy to the banker bet is the best way of minimising the advantage the house has over gamblers.
Essentially, the basic strategy means placing the same wager every hand, or coup as it is known in baccarat, on the banker bet. As such, it is an incredibly simple strategy to put in place and you don’t need to do any complex mathematics or to count any cards in order to make it work for you. However, this strategy has limited success over the long-term. You can gain some short-term advantage so it is a good tactic to employ if you have limited time to play or are new to the game.
The Card Counting Strategy
Although – strictly speaking – it is not allowed at casinos, it is possible to count cards in order to optimise your chances of winning. Just like other casino card games, like blackjack, card counting allows you to work out when it is most advantageous to bet. In punto banco, the card counting strategy helps you to work out when it is best to opt for a player bet or when it is best to go for a banker bet instead. Ideally, you will have a fresh shoe to begin counting from. Most shoes have either six or eight decks of cards in them and this strategy will only work if that is the case. If the shoe is changed, then you must start counting again.
Beginning at zero, you add one to your count if an ace, a two or a three appears. Add two if a four appears face up. Conversely, you subtract one from your count if a five, a seven or an eight turns up. You take away two from the count if a six appears. All other cards have no effect on the counting strategy. With this system, you bet on the banker if your count is 16 or lower. In this way, it is not much different than the basic strategy. However, when your count reaches 17 or more, you should switch and bet on the player. You won’t be guaranteed to win but this method helps gamblers to work out when player bets are more likely to be favourable.
The Two In a Row Strategy
Players who want to make use of another relatively easy betting strategy when playing baccarat, can take advantage of a tactic that works whenever there is a two in a row win. Successive wins of either the player or the banker mean that this strategy can come into play so you need to remember the outcome of the previous two coups. This betting tactic requires you to place your bet on something that may seem odd, at first, however.
With the two in a row strategy, you stake a single bet that the two in a row result in the last two coups will not continue with a third win for the same side. It works whether you have previously bet for the player or the banker over the course of the last two coups. Although it may be contrary to your initial feeling, you should increase the amount you bet and gamble on the fact that a two in a row outcome will not occur three times in a row. Okay, it is certainly possible for the player to win three times in a row, or the banker for that matter, but it is statistically less likely for this to happen which is the basis for the strategy. If you are unlucky and the result of the last three coups is a hat-trick for either the player or the banker bet, then back that result changing on the ensuing coup.
