Baccarat Strategy Guide
There’s an array of popular card-based casino games that people play all over the world. Baccarat is a game that might not carry the same level of popularity as some of the more commonly known casino games such as poker or blackjack, but there are a lot of people who prefer to play baccarat compared to its more popular card-based counterparts.
It is said to have been popularised over 130 years ago by French noblemen and later brought further recognition by Ian Fleming’s James Bond character. The game has enjoyed worldwide success. Today, we will be examining baccarat strategy and how players try to ensure that they’re implementing the most effective methods that they possibly can.
Baccarat Basic Strategy
Although baccarat might seem like a relatively basic game at first glance, people use several strategies with wildly varying degrees of success. It’s key to remember that no strategy will guarantee that you walk away from the game in profit or as the winner. Baccarat gambling strategy is more about managing risk and insulating yourself from any serious losses, rather than trying to find a way to win.
Of course, learning how the game is played is imperative, and once you have accomplished that, finding a basic strategy that works will help you strike the right balance between managing risk most effectively and helping you unwind and enjoy your game as much as possible.
Know the rules
Although there are different components to understand before you sit down to play a game of baccarat, the most important rule to remember is that the hand that is closer to 9 or 19 wins. Similar to blackjack, you and the dealer receive two cards. However, you’re able to place a bet on either hand to win. While there are other rules to read up on, this is the general idea of the game, a nine will most commonly guarantee a win, and a 19 will likely net you the prize pot too.
Know the odds
Given that you and the dealer each receive two cards, many believe that the odds for Baccarat are split evenly down the middle. However, this isn’t the case. The house always has the edge, regardless of the game you’re playing. The odds of the banker winning are 45.8%, and the player has odds to win of 44.6%, while the odds of a tie sit at 9.5%. Unlike other casino games, you have the luxury of betting on the dealer’s hand, but as you can see, the slight edge favours the banker, but it doesn’t guarantee a win.
Baccarat strategies
Although there’s no foolproof way to guarantee that you will win a game of baccarat, there are strategies and techniques that seasoned and experienced players use to help manage their risk most effectively. As we have touched on, an effective strategy does not guarantee a profit, as that is not possible; the real skill when it comes to basic baccarat strategy is managing your risk so that you can continue playing as long as you want.
One sided bet
The only certainty in a game of baccarat is the probability of your hand winning, the house winning or a tie. Baccarat basic strategy states that a one sided bet is simply consistently betting on one hand to win. For example, continuously betting on the banker to win for five hands in a row.
Due to the random nature of the game and the order in which the cards are pulled out, there’s no edge in betting this way. Theoretically speaking, the banker's hand could be the strongest in every bet. Alternatively, you could lose five hands in a row with this strategy; a one side bet is a baccarat strategy that doesn’t crunch the probabilities or numbers, it is simply a way of playing. For those players who always use this strategy, it is usually due to superstition or ritual rather than any sort of practical theory.
Mixed bets
A mixed bet could cover a range of options. For example, if you take five betting hands, you could have hundreds of possible selections. Let’s say you bet twice on your hand, twice on the banker's hand, and once on a tie as an example of a baccarat strategy. Just like a one sided bet, there’s no theory that dictates a mixed bet is any more or less likely to win. Ultimately, it is just another way of playing.
This is just one random example of mixed bets. Of course, there are thousands of methods that you could use. If your bet isn’t a one sided one, then it falls into a broad category of mixed bets, which is probably the easiest way to remember it.
Baccarat betting systems
Betting systems are a component of a larger baccarat gambling strategy. As we pointed out in our previous section, a betting strategy focuses on different types of bets, including mixed bets. They’re essentially ways that you approach the game. However, a baccarat betting system is more specific to an overall approach to how you actually bet, such as the amounts you wager and when you do so, rather than how you approach each hand.
Flat bet
A flat bet is the most common and simplest baccarat strategy. This means that you keep your stake the same regardless of whether you’re betting on the banker, your hand or a tie. This is a good move to manage risk and loss, and it allows you to understand better how much you’ve spent during that particular session or how many hands you have played.
James Bond baccarat strategy
For you 007 fans out there, you might have first come across baccarat watching Sean Connery’s iconic depiction of the legendary British secret agent in Dr. No in 1962. Although Bond has gone on to play several other casino games in a host of Bond films (rather well, might we add) – it is baccarat that the purists claim is the original Bond casino game.
The fact that there is a specific baccarat gambling strategy named explicitly after one of Britain’s most successful fictional exports highlights that there might be a point to baccarat being more of a Bond game than poker or blackjack. The James Bond baccarat strategy is a loose term for people looking to play like the iconic agent himself. Connery’s depiction shows how effortlessly Bond is able to breeze around the table, betting big and winning big.
Clearly, artistic licence plays a huge role in Bond’s baccarat gambling strategy. As the game relies purely on luck and doesn’t have any elements of strategy as poker does, there’s no set way Bond is able to win. Of course, other than the fact that he is James Bond, which can be quite helpful. Based on quite a number of instalments where he frequents a casino and almost always seems to come out on top, we’d say the secret to the James Bond baccarat strategy is the fact that he is James Bond!
3-2 betting system
In baccarat, all cards have a points system that helps players better understand the rules of the game. The 3-2 betting system requires a more unusual type of game where a third card enters the play.
A 3-2 bet is a bet on the total value of the cards, whether it is four, five or six — while it is not the most common baccarat strategy, it can result in a much larger payout than a standard mixed or flat bet. There are dozens of betting systems you can explore for a wide range of casino games, including baccarat. However, today we’re just providing you with some descriptions of the most popular ones.
1-3-2-6 and 1-3-2-4 betting systems
As you have probably gathered by the names, the 1-3-2-6 betting system and the 1-3-2-4 betting system are largely the same. The only difference with this type of baccarat gambling strategy is that the amount you bet on the final hand differs. It’s still the largest amount you bet, but the 1-3-2-6 bet requires a much bigger final stake.
The essence of the 1-3-2-4 strategy is that it navigates around different hands in an attempt to manage risk effectively. However, as we have already stated, there is no guaranteed way of winning in baccarat, and that includes both these strategies. If you focus on the fact that they’re more ways to play rather than ways to win, you can approach them more subjectively.
Let’s say you place €10 on the banker’s hand, this would be your first bet, and then each number refers to the amount of each bet after that. Using €10 is an easy amount as this means for a 1-3-2-4 strategy you would bet €10, €30, €20, and €40. As you have probably gathered, this works exactly the same for a 1-3-2-6 strategy.
The 1-3-2-6 strategy carries more risk as you stand to lose more money. However, if you lose the first three hands and make it back on the final hand, this means you essentially break even. These two strategies are just a couple of ways to play, and there are thousands of methods you can use, but that doesn’t mean you’re more or less likely to win.
Bankroll management strategies
Understanding the importance of managing your financial responsibilities while trying to build baccarat strategies is very important. Responsible gambling can take many forms, but regardless of the casino game you are looking to play, there are general rules to stick to in order to manage your risk appropriately.
Depending on how much money you have available to spend, financial management takes a different form and is completely dependent on the player. Setting up loss limits and time constraints are two great ideas. Most reputable casinos will give you the option to set this up within the responsible gaming section of their website. Once you have these deposits and time limits set up, they will be locked in. You won’t be able to change them back, any changes you make will often take a minimum of 24 hours to take effect.
Another effective way of getting the most out of your gambling venture is to stake with small percentages of your overall budget. Placing wagers that are more than half of your budget is a quickfire way to lose, and it is not a method that any gambler would recommend. If you believe you are developing issues with gambling and cannot manage your time or money effectively, speaking to a professional and telling them you believe you might have a problem is crucial.
Conclusions
Baccarat strategy is different from other types of casino game strategy. For example, a poker strategy would involve a whole host of variables, such as understanding the strength of your hand, comparing the odds of it being better than everybody else in the game, and then using bluffing or psychology to try and get the upper hand against your opponents.
A baccarat gambling strategy doesn’t use any of this because it is unnecessary. Strategies are simply ways to play and effective ways to control the extent of your spending. Despite what some articles might imply online, there are no baccarat strategies that will guarantee a win. Understanding how the game works is the most vital component of any casino game. Once you have a firm grasp of how baccarat works, you can implement some of the strategies and betting methods that we have discussed today.
When you sit down to play baccarat, you might spot other players adopting some of the strategies we have discussed today, whether they’re the straightforward one sided bets or flat bets, or the more complex methods such as the 1-3-2-6 strategy. Ultimately, regardless of the strategies you use or the bets you place, the most important thing is to enjoy yourself when you play baccarat and bet responsibly.