Baccarat Strategies that Give you an Edge

July 12th, 2010  |  Published in Gambling Games

Once you’ve learned the basic rules of baccarat, the next step is to ascertain a few common strategies that will give you an edge against the house. Baccarat is a guessing game as to which hand will win. The banker hand has a slight edge, winning 50.68 percent of all hands. This gives the house a 1.17 percent edge on the banker (due to the 5 percent commission collected by the casino).

Card Counting System

Many mathematicians have argued that baccarat is susceptible to a card counting system, similar to blackjack. The best counting system developed only gives the player a slight advantage on one hand per eight deck shoes. This is not enough of an advantage to make it worth the while. The time involved to gain the edge is enormous and the casino wouldn’t hold the seat for someone not playing consistently.

To attain the advantage, the player must count down every single hand, without playing, until the advantage comes along. This is not a good way to spend time at the casino and over the long run would significantly decrease the player’s hourly earnings.

More Efficient Strategies

Despite the card counting, there are a few strategies that will come in handy during normal play. First, money management is one of the best areas to perfect. This means not making bets too large for your immediate bankroll. Also, do not chase (make larger bets when losing). This is a great way to lose all your money quickly.

Also, if you set a specific goal for winning and hit that mark, walk away. Do not continue to pump money back into the casino. Since the house almost always has the edge, over the long term, you will lose. A big part of successful gambling is discipline. Similarly, when winning, learn to walk away. When winning, only bet with a small portion of it and if you lose that, walk away.

Baccarat is a game that’s as exciting as blackjack or craps. Although not the most popular game in the casino, many flock to it due to the excitement of the game. Following these easy tips will help you to be a more consistent winner. The two keys to baccarat are money management and discipline. Keeping a consistent betting pattern accompanied with knowing when to cut your losses or walk away a winner will help you become steadily successful.

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An Overview of Baccarat

June 21st, 2010  |  Published in Inrodution

Baccarat is one of only a few casino games giving the player slightly under an even break. Along with Blackjack, Baccarat is one of the most profitable games a customer can play. The house edges only 1.17 percent per bet on a banker hand and 1.36 percent per bet on a player hand.

History

Throughout its tenure, Baccarat has been primarily a high-roller’s game. Only a few players have mastered the game as it’s been kept under wraps to the average customer. In general, the lowest current minimum bid at a Baccarat table is $20.

Baccarat derives from the Italian word, baccara meaning zero which is the point value of all face cards. Baccarat was originally developed from the European game Chemin de Fer. Traced back to 1490, Baccarat was the favorite game among the elite.

Modern Baccarat comes primarily from the game Chemin de Fer as there are many similarities. One difference is that customers play and bet against each other and not specifically against the house. The casino makes money by taking a percentage from the player that’s holding the bank.

Chemin de Fer was actually offered in Last Vegas casino’s during the late 1950’s but was replaced by Baccarat after only a year. This original variant is still available in many European casinos. Although the standard version of Baccarat is played with 14 players, in the 1980’s mini games popped up with 7 players on a Blackjack-sized table.

The Basics

A full table consists of 14 players with 3 dealers in a separated area and 8 decks of cards. The dealers don’t actually distribute the cards. Instead, they simply pass the shoe that holds decks. Each player slides out the cards to one another. A single dealer, known as the “callman” stands up and turns all cards face up after they are dealt.

The callman calls out the point totals of each hand and announces whether different hands can acquire another card. The other dealers remain seated and pay out the winning bets and collect chips from the losing hands. Each seat is numbered indicating where to play the banker bet and where to place the player bet.
Advantages

Due to the nature of the game, Blackjack and video poker players with decent skills and a basic strategy tend to do well. Although average Baccarat are at less of a disadvantage than Blackjack or video poker players, the game doesn’t have any playing strategies that need to be mastered in order to become successful.

Baccarat is one of the least-known games with the best chances for winning. Although mini-Baccarat isn’t currently seen often in casinos, its fast-pace and payout may result in its overall return.

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