Baccarat is one of the most popular casino games for both regular gamblers and high rollers. For this reason, it is offered by both brick-and-mortar and online casinos.
However, while baccarat is a fun and interesting game, many players never learn how to play it in the most profitable way, so we have prepared a guide on how to play baccarat and win.
Table of Contents
Learn Baccarat Rules
To start beating any game, you first must know the rules and the dynamics of the game in question. For example, if you want to play Parimatch Baccarat after you open a table the game starts with the dealer (or the software) dealing two hands with two cards from the shoe (a pile of cards consisting of multiple decks).
One of the hands is the Banker’s (dealers) hand and the other one is the Player’s (your) hand. The goal of the game is to bet on the hand that will be closer to number nine. To calculate the score of each hand, you need to add the numbers on the cards together. In this game, suits don’t matter. Face cards are worth 0, aces are worth 1 and all other cards keep the value indicated on them.
If the sum of the cards goes over 9, the first number is dropped and the second number is taken into account. For example, if you have a 5 and a 7, your score is 12, but the 1 is erased and essentially the score of your hand is 2. This also means that in practice, face cards are worth 0.
If both the Banker’s and the Player’s hands have the same score, the hand is forfeited and a new hand is dealt.
There are two rules for situations in which the third card will or will not be drawn. If the Player or the Banker has hands that add up to 8 or 9, the hands will now receive a third card. If the Player has a hand that adds to 5 or less, the Player will get a third card to add to the current sum of the hand.
How To Make Smart Baccarat Bets
There are several rules that winning baccarat players implement to improve their bottom line. The four main principles of a good baccarat betting strategy are:
- Know the odds
- Track your results
- Don’t break good runs
- If you are not sure what to do, bet on the Banker
Know The Baccarat Odds
The outcomes in baccarat might seem random, but there are exact odds for every and each one of them. While there is a part of the game which you can’t influence, you can learn the odds and make better decisions. In baccarat, the house is a favorite, but the odds are not the same for the Banker and the Player. If we take into account that the pile of cards from which the cards are dealt consists of 8 decks, the house edge for the bets on the Player is 1.24% on the other hand, if you are betting on the Banker, the house edge is 1.06%.
Track Your Baccarat Results
Like in every casino game, having an idea of your results is very important. Without having an insight into your results, you will not know if your strategy works. On the other hand, having your results on hand will give you a chance to try different strategies after you get enough hands in to be relevant. Remember, patterns are very important, they can show you when you are on the right path and when you are not.
Don’t Break Good Runs
While there is a pretty decent amount of math in baccarat, a lot of it comes to your instinct. This is because successful players implement the traditional saying “If it is not broken, don’t fix it”, meaning they don’t break winning runs. So if you are betting on the Player and you are winning, you shouldn’t suddenly start betting on the Banker.
If You Are Not Sure What to Do, Bet on The Banker
If you find yourself in a situation where you are not sure what to do, bet on the banker. This is an approach that most baccarat players implement because this is the safest type of bet to go with.
Conclusion
As you can see, like with all casino games, players can start playing baccarat as soon as they sit at the table. However, there is a number of rules and strategies that you should learn if you want to increase your bottom line and have more fun at the table. Just remember never play with the money you can’t afford to lose.