Introduction to Baccarat

baccarat strategy

Baccarat is one of the most mystical games you can find in an online casino. It’s been featured in a number of movies, most notably as James Bond’s favourite of all the casino games. But what exactly is it? Put simply Baccarat is a game where the player and the dealer attempt to get a hand of cards that are as close to 9 as possible. What makes it different from a game like Blackjack is that each player doesn’t have their own hand. The bettors for Baccarat place their wagers on who they think is going to win, they don’t actually play the game themselves. With that simple distinction, it makes Baccarat different to a lot of other games on the market. So, how do you play the online version of this world-famous game?

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How to Play Online Baccarat?

Playing Baccarat online is a relatively simple task. When the hand is dealt with, it’s a simple case of choosing the wager that you would like to make. Before the hand is dealt, players will be able to make one of three choices for their wager. Some Baccarat games that can be played at online venues will allow for other side bets in addition to the three main wagers.

Types of Baccarat Bets

There are three different bets you can make when playing standard Baccarat online. These are a wager on the banker to win, a wager on the player to win or a tied game. A lot of Online Baccarat strategy guides revolve around choosing the right wager to play, through the use of statistics.

Banker

The banker is often seen as the most sensible wager to place by most Online Baccarat strategy guides. This is because it has the lowest house edge. The banker wager statistically has a better than 50% chance of being the winning bet. This is why a lot of casinos will add a commission, usually 5%, in order to ensure that there is still a house edge in place. The banker wager pays out evens, minus that 5% commission.

Player

The player wager has a smaller chance of winning when compared to the banker. However, due to the lack of commission placed on a player bet there is actually just 1% difference in chances of winning between the two wagers. This is why some Online Baccarat strategy guides do suggest switching between the two wagers if one particularly wager has been on a winning streak. There is no real reason to do that though because each game is an independent event, this is especially true as online Baccarat games use a freshly shuffled deck for each game. The player wager pays out evens.

Tied Game

A tied game is the wager to avoid. Although it pays out the most, either 8 to 1 or 9 to 1 depending on the game, it also happens the least often. There is actually a less than 1 in 10 chance of a tied game happening, which makes it the worst value wager to place.

Side Bets

Depending on the game that you choose to play, there might be some side bets that are available. These are usually ignored by Online Baccarat strategy guides because they all have house edges that make them poor value. Of course, if you’re playing for fun and the winning is not as important to you then these wagers might provide some additional entertainment. They also tend to have higher odds as well. However, the general consensus is to avoid these wagers just like you would avoid the tied game wager.

Baccarat Betting Strategies

Betting strategies for Baccarat come down to different bankroll management tactics. They work in two distinct ways. The first is by limiting your losses when you are on a bad run. The second is by maximising your wins when you are on a winning run. We’ve covered our favourite bankroll management techniques that will allow you to significantly improve your Online Baccarat strategy.

Martingale Strategy

This is probably the most famous Online Baccarat strategy that there is. In fact, to call it a Baccarat strategy would probably not be doing it justice, it’s a bankroll management strategy that can be put in place for almost any casino game. It works on a simple premise, you place a wager on an even money bet. In this case, the banker or player. If you win then you keep your wager at the same level. If you lose, then you double your wager in order to cover any losses. Here’s an example:

You place an MYR 10 wager on the player to win, but the banker wins. On the next wager you will place MYR 20. The player wins on this wager and you will receive MYR 40 back. This means that even though you lost the first wager, overall you’re still in profit. Because you placed wagers totalling MYR 30 and received MYR 40 in winnings giving you an MYR 10 profit. The only thing stopping this strategy from working is table limits and your own bankroll. As long as you choose a winner before you hit the table limit or the maximum of your own bankroll then you will always come out on top with the Martingale strategy.

1-3-2-6 Strategy

When looking at this tactic it can seem quite difficult. However, it’s essentially quite easy once it’s explained. The numbers in the name of the strategy all relate to betting units, for this explanation we will say 1 betting unit is equal to MYR 10. In this strategy, you would wager 1 unit to start. If your bet loses, then you continue wagering 1 unit. If it wins then you move onto the next step, which is 3 units. If that loses then you would go back to the start of the sequence if it wins then you move onto the next step which is 2 units. If that loses then you would go back to the start of the sequence if it wins then you move to the final step which is 6 units. No matter how the final wager ends you go back to the start of the sequence.

It’s as simple as that, follow the sequence through until you lose and then you start again. The main benefit of the 1-3-2-6 system is that if you get to the final bet and lose, you won’t have made a loss, you will break even.

Fibonacci Progression

If you choose to use this system then it requires a lot more concentration than the other systems. You also need to be aware of the Fibonacci sequence. The Fibonacci sequence is when the next number in the sequence is the total of the two previous numbers. It usually starts at 0, but for the purposes of this Online Baccarat strategy, we will start at 1. So the sequence would be as follows: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89 and so on. It’s what’s known as a negative progression system when used for placing wagers. This means that you move through the system, starting from the first number which would signify a unit, and you move forward when you lose a bet.

So, if you lost your first four bets, you would place four bets as follows. 1 unit, 1 unit, 2 units and 3 units. You would have lost 7 units at this point. Your next wager would be for 8 units. If you win this wager, you will have won 1 unit overall. This is because you will have wagered 15 units, but won back 16 units.

When you have won a wager, you don’t go right back to the start like with other systems. You go back two steps. So in this example, your next wager after placing 8 units would be 3 units, because you have gone back two steps. Obviously, if there aren’t two steps to go back then you would just go to the start of the sequence again.

Is Card Counting an Option?

When it comes to playing Baccarat online, you can’t count cards. This is because online games use software to shuffle the deck each time. So there isn’t actually a real deck in place, nor a shoe like there would be at a brick and mortar casino. This makes card counting impossible when playing Baccarat online.

Final Thoughts

The choice that you make when using an Online Baccarat strategy comes down to a few specific points. The first thing you need to do is choose the bankroll management tactic that you feel is best for you. If you prefer simply to follow one then the Martingale strategy is extremely easy to stick to. If you want something that has a little bit more variation and the potential to grab bigger wins then the 1-3-2-6 system gives the opportunity for this. If you are able to follow complex systems then the Fibonacci strategy could be for you.

There are also other Online Baccarat strategy options for you to choose from. So if none of the ones we have outlined appeal to you, then it might be worth your time looking up other choices.