Gambling Strategies for Baccarat Plays

The Rules

The game of baccarat is played with eight decks of cards. A numbered card lower than ten is worth its face value.  Aces are worth 1.  Tens and face cards are worth 0. The card’s suit doesn’t have any significance in baccarat. Play begins by all baccarat players betting either on the 'player', 'banker', or a tie.  The tie is a bad bet and must be avoided.  After all bets are down, the dealer deals two cards to the player and the banker. The score of the hand is the right number of the total of the cards. For example, if the two cards were a 7 and 4, then the total would be 11, and the score would be a 1. The scores will always range from 0 to 9 and it is impossible to bust. A third card may or may not be dealt to either or both the player and the dealer depending on the totals. If either the player or the banker has a total of an 8 or a 9 they both stand. If the player's total is 5 or less then the player hits, otherwise the player stands. If the player stands, then the banker hits on a total of 5 or less. If the player does hit, then you can use the chart below to determine if the banker hits (H) or stands (S).  The winner is the one with the higher score. Winning bets on the banker pay 19 to 20 (or even money, less a 5% commission). Winning bets on the player pay 1 to 1. On the winning banker bets, the dealer will pay even money and consider the 5% an IOU  and will keep a running tab of the commissions every player owes.

The Baccarat House Advantage

Aside from the tie bet, baccarat is one of the best bets in the casino.

Baccarat plays are based on mathematical probabilities.

One of the most common plays is the 1 - 3 - 2 - 6 baccarat strategy. You keep tabs of what you wager over the course of four hands. The primary objective is to wager a little with the opportunity for a nice payoff. With this particular baccarat system, you can bet two dollars for a potential return of ten. 

To start, bet one unit. If you win add an additional unit, making the second bet a total of three units. If you win the second wager there are six units on the table. Remove four, making the third bet two units. If the third wager wins, add two more units for a total of six on the fourth bet. If the fourth bet wins, you collect a total of 12 units, ten of pure profit. So if you lose the first wager using this baccarat system, you lose one unit. If you win the first bet but lose the second, that's two units you've lost. If you win the second bet but lose the third bet, your profit is two units. If you win the first three bets but lose the fourth, you break even. If you lose the second bet five out of six times, and then win four consecutive bets once, you break even.

Baccarat strategies like this are effective because the game is an even-money game. But, remember baccarat strategies will work in the short-term, but over the long haul, the casinos ALWAYS win.