Baccarat is one of those games that people think is difficult but it’s really not. Sure, there are more betting options than Blackjack but you don’t need to understand the intricacies of the game to know what to do. All you have to know is that you bet on the “Player” or the “Banker” to determine which will get the closest total to 9.
That said, people like complexity. It makes them feel smart. So, they apply this to Baccarat by looking up online and using “Baccarat strategies”. However, these so-called baccarat strategies aren’t actually strategies at all. In reality, they’re just arbitrary rules designed to make sense of chaos. But, interestingly enough, chaos is never sensical no matter how hard you try.
If you want to look like a big shot when you play Baccarat, feel free to use these strategies. Just don’t say we didn’t warn you about their ultimate futility.
Baccarat Strategies That Make No Sense
Before you can learn about the top Baccarat strategies, you first have to understand how the game works. And most people don’t even bother with this step. Instead, they search for random terms like “baccarat strategy chart” without any context. Hopefully, this will serve as a helpful baccarat guide for those who haven’t played before.
As you can see from this 9/8 single deck layout, the object of the game is to bet on the hand which you think will get as close to or on 9. Of course, ties pay out 8-1 which is why this particular version pays 9-6.
The value of each card is its face value except 10s, jacks, queens, and kings are all worth 0 while aces are worth 1. The easiest way to calculate your score is to add the two cards together and use the right digit. So, if you have a 7 and a 4, your total is 11 but, for betting purposes, that’s an 1 hand. Similarly, a jack and a 5 would be a 6 for wagering purposes.
Free Spins No Deposit Required Canada 2023 - Best No Deposit BonusWith that as background, here are the top Baccarat strategies that you can use when you .
#1 – The Martingale Baccarat Strategy
This is probably the oldest and most rudimentary gambling strategy ever devised. In short, you double your bet every time you lose. Then, once you win, you reset back to the original stake. The idea is that, after a winning streak, you’ll recoup all your losses plus earn a small profit.
For instance, let’s say you come into a Baccarat table with $20 and you lose your first bet. Unfortunately, this means your next wager will be $4 because, with the , you double down after a loss. Let’s also say you lose this second bet too, which means your third wager will be $8. [If this was Roulette, you might consider adding a third bet to this sequence.] Anyway, assuming you lose the third bet too, your fourth wager will be $16. And let’s say you lose this one too! Believe it or not, most gamblers will keep going with this baccarat strategy...because if they win now, this is the outcome.
- $16 bet
- $32 bet
- $64 bet
- $128 bet
- $256 bet
- $128 bet (new cycle)
- Total = $288
- Original Stake = $20
- Profit = $70
In this scenario, you started with a $20 stake and, after one cycle of the Martingale System, you’ve earned a $70 profit. From a mathematical standpoint, this looks great because you earned a 250% profit in 7 rounds (a 35.7% ROI). This seems viable until you consider some realities.
Free Reel Em Up Slots You Need To Play OnlineFirst, you need a massive bankroll to support the Martingale Strategy. Otherwise, you’ll hit the maximum bet limit at most casinos. Even at the , your maximum bet would have been $256 before starting over. That means you would have needed a $256 bet to earn a $128 payout (and start over).
Second, few people have the discipline or resources to ride out the losing streaks necessary for success with this system. In our example above, it only takes three consecutive losses to win back the money you put in. But in reality, the odds of three straight losses are much higher in Baccarat (45.5%) than they would be in Roulette (11.1%).
Third, most casinos have maximum bet limits that will stop you from effectively executing this plan. For reference, the max bet at most Rival Gaming powered sites is $250. If the maximum bet is your five last bet amounts added together, that’s only ten units for this system. When you reach ten black on a Roulette wheel, you’ve lost 18 out of 20 times.
Fourth, many casinos have implemented rules against the Martingale System. For example, some establishments have refused to pay out on Martingale wagers or simply refuse to let you double your bets.
Finally, most people don’t have the emotional fortitude required for this baccarat strategy. You have to be willing to risk huge sums of money on a 45.5% shot in order to win back your initial stake. And even if you manage to clear your debt, you still haven’t booked a profit.
#2 – The Famous 1-3-2-6 Baccarat System
Unlike the Martingale, which involves endless doubling, the 1-3-2-6 system is based on specific bets. As you might gather from the name, this baccarat strategy revolves around adding and subtracting units in a specific pattern. For this purpose, a "unit" is equal to your initial bet.
The first step is to win 1 unit. After that that, you’ll win 3 units if your bet is successful. If you succeed again, you’ll win 2 units. Finally, another victory under this system will earn you 6 units. From there, you start the pattern over again.
Here’s what a perfect run through the 1-3-2-6 baccarat system would look like assuming your unit is $10.
Best Playing Cards for Poker in 2023 - Gulf Coast Wings- Bet 1: -$10
- Bet 2: +$30
- Bet 3: +$20
- Bet 4: +$60
- Bet 5: -$60
- Bet 6: +$30
- Net +$0
The goal, obviously, is to walk away after any win that ends a pattern. For example, if you completed Bet 3 in the sequence, you would have +$20 and that’s it for the night. Likewise, call it quits after winning $60 on Bet 4.
Even though the Martingale Baccarat strategy and the 1-3-2-6 system are different, they share one common flaw.
Simply put, neither baccarat strategy takes into account the laws of probability. Yes, there’s a chance you’ll win 6 bets in a row. But the chances are far slimmer than the 9.82% suggested by this pattern.
When you run the numbers on this baccarat system, there are 262,144 possible combinations from 6 tosses. Out of those 262,144 possibilities, 7,812,500 of them feature six heads in a row. That only comes out to 2.98%, which isn’t very likely at all. Moreover, every combination that doesn’t end in a win on Bet 4 or Bet 6 also results in a loss.
Real Money Apps You Need to Try - One has No Payout Limit!Another problem with this baccarat strategy is that it moves in increments that are too large and too small, respectively. Moving five units ahead and then four units backwards just isn’t adequate. Additionally, starting at one and working up to six creates a lot of volatility that could wipe you out quickly.
A better approach would be to move 3 units forward and then back up 2 units, like so.
- Bet 1: +3 Units
- Bet 2: +3 Units
- Bet 3: +2 Units
- Bet 4: -1 Unit
- Bet 5: -1 Unit
- Bet 6: 0 Units (start over)
Of course, this sequential doesn’t work as well because every other bet is flush (neither a win nor a loss). This exposes you to more variance and increases your chances of busting your bankroll.
Truth be told, the only real way to increase your odds of winning at Baccarat is to bet on the correct option most often. And the correct option is always going to be the banker’s hand to win. In a single-deck game, the Banker bet has a 45.87% chance of winning while the Player’s bet only offers 44.62%. Plus, the Banker’s wager offers a 40.59% chance of winning when compared to the Banker Pair bet at 17.64%.
- Banker Odds
- Player Odds
- Tie Odds
- Big (4-7) Odds
- Small (4-6) Odds
- Banker Pair Odds
#3 – The 1-2-3-2-1 Reverse Baccarat Strategy
Some gamblers prefer to go in the opposite direction when they think a shoe is shifting in either the player or banker’s favor. When they see the favored side win three consecutive hands, though, they’ll hop back on that bet. Those who follow this logic often use the 1-2-3-2-1 reverse strategy.
The idea behind this baccarat strategy is that it allows gamblers to flow with the ebbs and flows of a shoe. To be clear, nobody believes in the concept of a hot shoe anymore. Still, proponents of this strategy believe that they can read trends within a single 8-deck shoe.
- Bet 1: -$10
- Bet 2: -$20
- Bet 3: -$30
- Bet 4: +$20
- Bet 5: +$30
- Bet 6: +$10
- Net +$0
The goal, clearly, is to win back the money you lost during the first five bets. From there, the wise player will simply bet on the banker’s hand to win (-A1.20%) every time after already cashing in two units.
On paper, this plan sounds decent since the chances of five consecutive losses or wins are lower than the alternatives. Specifically, there are 262,144 possible combinations from 5 tosss. Out of those 262,144 possibilities, 30,416 of them feature five tails in a row. That totals out to 11.94%, which isn’t terrible.
Nonetheless, the house edge on the banker’s bet still makes this plan unviable in the long run. Furthermore, even if you did take the player’s bet whenever they won three in a row, the house edge would still make this a losing proposition.
#4 – The Scoreboard Baccarat Strategy
When watching Baccarat on TV or in the movies, you might’ve noticed that there’s a board keeping track of the recent winners. Characters often point at this scoreboard and make their bets accordingly. Some amateurs have taken note of this and decided to use the same technique.
Best No Deposit Bonus UK Casino Apps (2023 Proved)Naturally, players who use this baccarat strategy write the sides that have won in the last several rounds and bet on whichever one is lacking. For example, if the Banker had won the last three hands, the Player would be due for a win according to this logic. Thus, the scoreboard player would put their money on the Player’s hand to win.
From a fundamental perspective, this plan makes sense because the law of averages should eventually balance things out. The problem, though, is that the laws of probability dictate otherwise in Baccarat.
Specifically, each new round of Baccarat is completely independent from the previous rounds. Nothing that happens on the table will affect the computer generator underneath the cards. When you shake someone’s hand, your previous handshake has no bearing on this new interaction. The same thing applies to Baccarat. Just because the banker’s hand won the last 10 hands does not mean the player’s hand is due. Each hand stands on its own, statistically speaking.
- Player Odds (per 100 hands)
- Banker Odds (per 100 hands)
- Tie Odds (per 100 hands)
- Big (4-7) Odds (per 100 hands)
- Small (4-6) Odds (per 100 hands)
- Banker Pair Odds (per 100 hands)
Every possible combination carries the exact same odds in every round. Thus, trying to account for past events is a fool’s errand.
#5 – The Availability Baccarat Strategy
Most casual observers believe that patterns exist in Baccarat because they see dealers seem to hit a certain number a lot or let a certain bet type run. Therefore, some gamblers have concluded that they can use the dealer’s tendencies to their advantage.
To be clear, every land-based casino in the world will kick you to the curb for getting caught making this baccarat strategy. Not only is manipulating the dealer a misdemeanor, but accusing them of malfeasance could also get you sued for defamation of character.
Even if you can find a way to successfully execute this plan, it wouldn’t work anyway. Every new round of Baccarat is a fifty-fifty situation. The dealer cannot control where the cards fall unless they’re cheating, which is illegal and wouldn’t last long.
Moreover, even if the dealer was purposely giving one side ridiculous odds, the house edge would eventually bring things back to normal. Say the dealer had let the Banker’s hand win 20 times in a row. When the laws of probability catch up to them, they’ll have to let several Player wins in a row. You can take advantage of the latter, but not the former.
Using Baccarat Odds Betting to Win More
The only proven Baccarat strategy that really works is to simply bet on the banker’s hand the entire time. Assuming you’re playing on a single-deck table with 3:2 payouts and no commission, you’ll face a 1.06% house edge. Even on an eight-deck table with 1:1 payoffs and a 5% commission, the house edge only increases to 1.06% when betting on the banker’s hand.
Compare that to the 1.24% house edge presented by the player’s hand bet and the 14.84% presented by the tie bet, and it becomes obvious that the banker’s hand is the way to go. Furthermore, the banker’s bet has a 45.87% chance of winning while the player’s best matches 44.62%.
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IN SUMMATION
Everyone wants an easy way to win big in the casino. But the truth is that Baccarat is a game of chance, and everyone has an equal shot at luck. The best way to maximize those odds is to stick with the banker’s hand, avoid the tie bet, and hope for the best. Any baccarat strategies that advise you to deviate from these principles are destined to fail over the long run.
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What is the Best Strategy for Playing Baccarat?
The best Baccarat strategy is to simply bet on the banker’s hand to win every time. This will minimize the house edge to 1.06% (on a single-deck table with 3:2 payouts and no commission). Compare that to the 1.24% house edge presented by the player’s hand bet and the 14.84% presented by the tie bet, and it becomes obvious that the banker’s hand is the way to go.
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Is There a Catch to the Baccarat Strategy of Just Betting on the Banker?
No, there’s no catch. This plan doesn’t offer any excitement, but it will reduce the house edge as low as humanly possible in this game. Other Baccarat strategies may sound appealing, but most of them are based on common misconceptions about how the game works.
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What Should I Avoid When Playing Baccarat?
First, you should avoid paying for any of these Baccarat strategies. Second, you should avoid the tie bet, which carries a 14.84% house edge. Lastly, you shouldn’t rely on arbitrary betting systems that have been disproven through statistical analysis.
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Which Baccarat Bets Should I Make?
The banker’s hand offers a 45.87% chance of winning and a 1.06% house edge in a single-deck game. (8-deck commission-based A1R is 1.06% as well.) Compared to the 44.62% chance of winning on the player’s hand, it’s obviously the superior wager. You can also make money by betting on whether or not a certain suit will be the banker’s last card, but the odds and house edge vary. See the provided for details.
These are some good questions to ask when considering baccarat strategy basics. We hope you found our answers informative.