Baccarat Strategy
If you’re looking to play any game in a casino then it’s important that you learn the best strategies which will help you maximise your returns and hopefully result in you making a profit.
Some casino games such as blackjack, video poker and three card poker, all require the player to play with the perfect strategy in order for the house edge to be kept to a minimum. If you don’t play these games with the correct strategy eg. hitting or standing at the wrong time in blackjack, then you will be giving the house (the casino) an advantage and reducing your own chances of winning.
However, compared to the likes of blackjack and poker, baccarat is considered more of a game of luck which makes it perfect for beginners providing they know the rules of baccarat. That said, there are some things that players should know before sitting down at the table or playing baccarat online as certain bets are considered to be better than others.
In this guide, we’ll be explaining the best baccarat betting strategy and providing you with tips to play baccarat that will increase your returns over time.
Note that online baccarat strategy is the same as when you are playing in a land-based casino considering that the rules of the game remain the same.
Baccarat Tips
If you’re considering playing baccarat for real money and are looking for some helpful tips, firstly, well done on choosing the game as it has one of the lowest house edges in a casino. You’re far more likely to make a profit playing baccarat in the long term compared to some other casino games such as slots or roulette.
Baccarat House Edge
As you can see from the table below, Baccarat has a very low house edge compared most to other games.
| Casino Game House Edge | ||
|---|---|---|
| GAME | BET/GAME TYPE | HOUSE EDGE |
| Baccarat | Banker | 1.06% |
| Player | 1.24% | |
| Tie | 14.36% | |
| Blackjack | 0.41% | |
| Keno | 25%-29% | |
| Let it Ride | 3.51% | |
| Pai Gowc | 1.50% | |
| Pai Gow Poker | 1.46% | |
| Red Dog | Six decks | 2.80% |
| Roulette | Single Zero | 2.70% |
| Double Zero | 5.26% | |
| Sic-Bo | 2.78%-33.33% | |
| Slot Machines | 2%-15% | |
| Three Card Poker | Pairplus | 7.28% |
| Ante & play | 3.37% | |
| Video Poker | Jacks or Better (Full Pay) | 0.46% |
You may notice in the table above that there are different house edge values for betting on the Player, Bank and Tie in baccarat. We will explain this further below.
Best Baccarat Bets
Before any cards are dealt in a round of baccarat, you must first place your bets.
Your have three options when it comes to betting on baccarat.
- Bet on the Player
- Bet on the Banker
- Bet on the Tie
The general house edge of baccarat doesn’t apply to all of the above bets with each one having a different value.
- Player House Edge: 1.24%
- Banker House Edge: 1.06%
- Tie House Edge: 14.36%
As you can see, bets on the Banker have the lowest house edge, followed closely by the bets on the Player. Bets on the Tie have a somewhat shocking house edge of over 14%!
Baccarat Probability
Let’s take a look at the probability of Player, Banker and Tie bets to determine the odds of winning at baccarat.
- Probability of Player bets winning in baccarat: 44.62%
- Probability of Banker bets winning in baccarat: 45.86%
- Probability of Tie bets winning in baccarat: 9.52%
Baccarat Payouts
Here are the payouts depending on what baccarat bet you place:
- Winning bets on Player: 1:1
- Winning bets on Bank: 1:1
- Winning bets on Tie: 8:1
As the payouts are the same for both Player and Banker bets but the house edge on the Banker is lower, you may assume that the Banker is always the mathematically best bet to place, correct?
Sort of.
To compensate for the lower house edge on Banker bets, the casino often charges a 5% commission on winning bets. Therefore, if you were to place a £10 bet on the Banker and it won, you would actually make £9.50 profit rather than the £10 you may have expected.
Best Baccarat Strategy
As there are only three bet options in baccarat, determining the best baccarat betting system is relatively straight forward.
Tip 1: Never Bet On The TIE
The house edge for bets on the TIE are 14.4% which compared to bets on the Player or Banker, are HUGE.
Avoid TIE bets at all costs!
Tip 2: Banker Bets Are Your Best Choice
Despite the 5% commission, betting on the Banker is still considered the best choice of bets to place. Several pro baccarat players bet only on the Bank in order to gain the maximum RTP from the game by placing bets with the lowest house edge.
Tip 3: Bankroll Management Is Important
It is important when playing any casino game that you have a good bankroll management plan. Never gamble more than you can afford to lose and avoid chasing any losses that you make.
Although Bank and Player bets come in the most often, do not be tempted to go all-in on one or the other if one has won several times in a row. The odds of each one winning in the next round remain the same and only after thousands of rounds does the law of averages play out.
