With these 10 baccarat tips you’ll look like a professional when you take your seat, and you may even improve your chances of winning at this easiest of games. But while baccarat may be one of the simplest casino card games to play, it is also one of the most glamorous and visible games in many casinos.
1. The number one rule for gambling, and the most important of all baccarat tips is to never gamble with “dear” money; only gamble with “excess” money. In other words, never gamble with money that you will need now, or may need in the near future, to pay for your financial commitments and everyday living expenses.
2. The best of all baccarat tips you can receive when it comes to playing American baccarat is to ignore anyone who claims to have professional baccarat tips that will help you develop a “winning strategy” for playing the game. The fact is that baccarat is governed by very strict playing rules that allow for no choices by either the dealer or the players. As a result, you are at the mercy of lady luck with little ability to improve your odds of winning.
3. The good news is that the house has a relatively small advantage on most of the bets in American baccarat. There are three potential bets in baccarat and the one with a slightly better advantage for you is the wager on the bank. If you’re playing with an 8 deck shoe, the house advantage on this bet is just a little over 1%.
4. The next most attractive bet is a wager on the player. Again, if you’re playing with an 8 deck shoe, the house advantage on this bet is only about 1.24%.
5. Since there are only three choices of wagers, if you want to simply avoid the bet with the worst odds in baccarat do not bet on a tie. Even though the payout of 9 to 1 may sound attractive, the fact is that the house still has a commanding advantage of around 6%.
6. One of the legitimate baccarat tips you should know is that your odds will either improve or worsen if you find a game being played with fewer than 8 decks. In a one deck game, for example, the house advantage on a wager on the bank drops slightly, the house advantage on a wager on the player goes up slightly and the house advantage on a wager on a tie goes up dramatically.
7. If you simply must some baccarat tips, and since baccarat is a European game, the tip you’ll receive most frequently on the Continent is to use the “Avant Dernier” system. In French avant dernier means “before last” and that’s exactly what you bet in this strategy. When betting on the current hand, go back to the winner of the hand before the last one and bet on that winner – either banker or player. For example, if the last three hands were won by Player, Banker, and Player you would look back to the hand before last and place your bet on Banker.
8. While the Martingale system is a negative progression system that is sure to leave you broke over the long term, you might give it a try for a medium-long period of playing baccarat. Simply put, when you lose a bet with your standard betting unit double the amount of the bet on the next hand. When you win a hand, go back to the standard betting unit for the next hand.
9. More optimistic baccarat tips favor positive progression systems to manage money. Here, every time you win a hand, increase the size of your bet by 50% on the next hand. When you lose, go back to your standard betting unit. For example, if your standard betting unit is $10.00, bet $10.00 on the first hand. If you win, bet $15 on the next hand. If you win that hand bet $22.50 on the next hand. When you finally lose, go back to your standard betting unit.
10. One of the most legitimate baccarat tips is to look for a game where the house charges you less for the privilege of playing. The standard commission charged by the house is usually 5%. But if you take some time to look around, you may be able to find gaming establishments, both live and on the internet, that will charge a lower percentage of your winnings. You may find live games charging commissions of as little as 4.0% and internet sites have been known to impose commissions of as little as 2.75%.
