Online Baccarat

The rules of Baccarat are very simple. This is a table game that is more dependent on luck than on skill, so even newcomers can jump in and start playing right away.

The king, queen and jack have zero value, the ace has a value of 1 point, and cards two to nine are worth their face value. The suits are not important—in baccarat, the numeric value of the card is the only important factor.

Calculating the total of the cards is done by adding the face values of both the cards. If a player gets a 6 and an ace, then the total is 7. The total score can’t equal more than 10, so in the case of double digits, the left digit is removed. For example, if a player gets a total of 17 (and 8 and a 9), this will result in a score of 7. If one more card is drawn, and it’s a 2, then the total score of the player will be 7 + 2=9, which is a “natural” and is considered a win. If the total exceeds 10, then the leftmost digit will be removed.

The purpose of baccarat is to guess who will have the winning hand—the banker or the player. Regardless of how many people are betting (there can be up to 12), only two hands are dealt. Initially, two cards are dealt for each hand. The total of the points in each hand will determine whether either hand will get a third card. The player’s hand is dealt first. A “natural” is when the value of the card equals 8 or 9 and the player hand gets no more cards. A natural is an automatic winner, and unless there is a tie, no further cards are drawn.

If a banker draws a 7, 8, or 9, he will stand. If he draws a 0, 1, or 2, he will continue to draw. In other words, the banker’s play depends on the value of the player’s third card. The banker will hit on 3 unless the player’s third card is an 8, on 4 unless the player’s third card is 1, 8, 9, or 10, on 5 only if the player’s third card is 4, 5, 6, or 7 and finally, on 6 only if the player’s third card is 6 or 7.

Baccarat has one of the lowest house advantages among casino table games, which is why those who bet on the banker must pay a 5% commission to the house on all winning bets. The player attracts a house edge of just 1.24% while the banker has an advantage of 1.06%. In the event that you bet on a tie, you attract the highest house advantage of 14.44%. It is ill-advised to bet on a tie because a tie rarely happens in a game.

The best thing you can do in baccarat is to bet on the banker at a house edge of 1.06%.

Betting on a tie means that the player bets that the result of the next hand of baccarat will be a tie between the player and banker. Although a tie wager has the highest payout, in truth, a bet on a tie very rarely bears a win. Usually, the winner is the banker because of the third card rule. In baccarat, there’s an approximate probability of 9.5% for a tie—not very good odds.

Ties pay 8:1 or 9:1, depending on the casino, so if you wager one unit that the hand will end a tie and you win, you’ll receive 8 or 9 more units. While this may seem lucrative and attractive, in reality, ties are rare, happening about once in every 10 hands. No matter how enticing those odds are, it’s a good strategy to skip the tie bet.

This strategy was developed in 2006 and it works well on bets that have odds near 50/50—perfect for a game like baccarat. It’s designed to reduce the win/loss variance by only betting 4 units on the fourth bet, which preserves an overall win even if the last bet loses.

When using the 1-3-2-4 baccarat strategy, a player moves through the numbers sequence with each win. For example, if you win a hand, you move to the next step. Losing a hand means going back to the start. After you’ve won all four, you also return to the start. Players need to remember that this strategy is about minimizing risk and isn’t limited to just baccarat. As long as the first two bets are successful, players come out on top even if they incur losses on the rest of the bets.

To sum up:

• If a bet wins, you progress to the next bet in the sequence.
• If a bet loses, you go back to the start.
• If you win all four bets and complete the sequence, you go back to the start.

Remember, all baccarat strategies depend on some degree of luck—it is a game of chance, after all—but that doesn’t mean these strategies aren’t useful. The 1-3-2-4 strategy is a very simple algorithm and a non-aggressive approach that doesn’t require a large bankroll. The only disadvantage is that this betting strategy doesn’t actually help to win in Baccarat or in any other game of chance. It simply lets players regulate and diversify the routine of their gameplay.

This strategy involves choosing a side, either banker or player, and sticking to it. While it seems simple, you shouldn’t underestimate the power of this strategy. Both the player and banker, at some stage during a game, gain an advantage. This happens in approximately 8 out of every 10 shoes. This means that the side you’ve chosen to bet on has an excellent chance of going ahead by 1 or more units at some point.

If this strategy is used accurately, your odds of making money during 1 out of 2 shoes is approximately 3:1.

When employing this strategy, never allow yourself to lose more than 3 games in a row. If you’ve lost three times, stop betting and wait for your side to win again. This will be your sign to start betting on your side again.

Recognizing trends that occur during a game can also be a useful strategy in baccarat. Start by recording the banker and player’s wins. Pay attention to these baccarat trends:

Zigzag Zone

Play outcomes that are primarily zigzagged – wins change between the banker and player.

Streaky Banker/Player

Play outcomes that are primarily winning streaks between the banker and player.

Hovering State

A bit of a paradox, this trend means there’s no actual trend breakout and the wins don’t favour the dominance of zigzags or streaks. However, this is a trend in itself.

This trend-switching strategy means you switch between trend 1 and 2. So, when you’ve lost twice on one trend, instead of stopping and waiting for a trigger, switch to the other trend. This strategy allows players to get returns from both trends. Should you lose twice in a row, immediately switch to the other trend. For example, if you lost two times following the zigzag trend, then you need to put your money immediately on the streaky trend.

This simple strategy involves doubling your bet every time you lose. No matter how many losses you experience, hitting a win after a string of losses will lead to a gain of whatever your initial bet was. This is one of the most popular strategies for online baccarat. Since 90% of the outcomes are defined by the zigzag pattern and a combination of player and banker and zigzag streaks, this strategy really works.

Read the following points to fully understand the doubles strategy:

• Most baccarat shoes will have double outcomes.
• The banker and player streaks will be grouped, and these outcomes can be repeated over and over again.
• Always bet on the opposite. You should follow the zigzag pattern and stick with it, i.e. P B P B P B
• Set a target (preferably at least 5 wins). If you fail and you get a double, you need to adjust your betting strategy.