BACCARAT STRATEGY

Players looking to enjoy some card game action would most likely kick start their journey with baccarat. This century-old game offers a super low house advantage, easy-to-understand rules and overall fantastic gameplay that will keep you on the edge of your seat. 

Players’ love for baccarat only magnified when the game was added to online casinos, as this opened up a door for unique variants, features, mechanics and bonuses, which ultimately gave rise to totally new gaming experiences. 

That said, these new features altered baccarat’s classic gameplay in a way that forced traditional players to adjust their betting strategies or learn new ones. Luckily for them, we’re here to give baccarat bugs the full scoop as we knuckle down on different betting systems and strategies.

HISTORY OF BACCARAT

Before we crack down on the good stuff, let’s take a step back and take a look at baccarat’s origins to get a better picture of how it all started.

The roots of this casino game are planted deep in history, absorbing bits and pieces from cultures all over the world. There are many theories surrounding the origins of baccarat for this reason. 

Similarities to modern-day baccarat can be traced back to the ancient game of Pai Gow, in which the objective was to reach a point value of nine using dominoes. Many historians say that the actual game began in France, but traditional baccarat games were also recorded in Italy in the 1400s. 

It is said that a man named Felix Falguiere called the game ‘baccara’, Italian for ‘zero’, because all the 10s and face cards were worth zero. This later changed to ‘baccarat’ when the game was popularised in France, and the French spelling was adopted worldwide. 

Contemporary games like Baccarat en Banque, Baccarat Chemin de Fer and Punto Banco were must-have tables in any respectable land-based casino, which only made punters’ love for the game grow more. Now, players can find intriguing baccarat games in most casinos, both land-based and online — and the rest is history.

BACCARAT BASIC RULES

Before you’re ready to imploy a baccarat betting strategy, you need to have a good understanding of the basic rules of baccarat. The great thing about this game is that the rules are super easy to grasp:

• A live baccarat table is played with up to eight 52-card decks.
• The main objective of a traditional game of baccarat is to predict and bet on the hand which you think will reach a value of nine or closest to it. 
• There are three main baccarat bets you can place: Player bets, Banker bets or Tie bets. When playing baccarat at online casinos, some tables may offer additional side bets as well. 
• The Player and Banker are dealt two cards; one or both may receive a third card. Whether one of the hands receives a third card or not is determined automatically, according to the Third Card Rule. In live baccarat, cards are dealt by the live dealer, but the gameplay decisions are automatic — neither the Player’s hand nor the Banker’s can decide if they want a third card. 
• If the point value of a hand goes up to double digits, the first digit is dropped, leaving the last digit as the point total. For example, a hand with a six and a seven (13 total) has a point value of three.
• The hand that reaches or is closest to nine wins the round. 

These are the rules of a standard game of baccarat, but other variants may feature additional bet rules that may affect your gameplay and baccarat game strategy. Always keep in mind that the player and the Player hand are not one and the same; neither are the Banker hand and the dealer.

HOW TO WIN AT BACCARAT

The reason why players often make use of baccarat strategies is because a strategy can help boost their odds of winning. Betting blindly can quickly make players fall into a losing streak and put their bankroll at risk.

That said, baccarat strategies and betting systems (like the Martingale system) cannot guarantee that you’ll consistently win at baccarat. Sure, you may win every now and then; maybe even hit a winning streak, but at the end of the day, a strategy or betting system does not offer the perfect win formula to landing a win every single time — and this is because of the house edge. 

The house edge describes the mathematical advantage the house has over the player as they bet over time. While baccarat may not have a high house advantage, it still has one nonetheless. Strategies might help reduce the house edge and turn the tides slightly more in your favour, but they can never reduce the house edge entirely.

BET TYPES IN BACCARAT

As we mentioned earlier, there are three main types of bets you can place when playing baccarat: a Tie bet, Banker bet, and a Player bet. The bet you choose to place will depend entirely on your baccarat strategy or betting system and how you choose to approach the game. 

Bear in mind that your playing strategy may also be affected by the baccarat table you play at, especially if the table offers slightly different rules to the traditional game. Let’s take a deep dive into your betting options:

BANKER BET

Statistically speaking, the Banker bet is the best bet you can place in baccarat as it offers the greatest chances of winning at 45.84%. Betting Banker is often a default option for players because of these theoretical odds in attempt to reduce the house edge. Some baccarat tables even offer a winning percentage closer to 50.00%, which is why casinos charge a 5% commission rate on all winning banker bets.

You’ll find many strategies that state that to form a winning baccarat strategy, you must place a Banker bet. However, with that said, while the chances of winning stand at 45.84%, these theoretical odds are just that; theoretical. 

Betting on Banker isn’t always the best choice since you never know what cards you’re going to get in any given round. 

PLAYER BET

Just because Banker bets offer better odds and help negate the house edge doesn’t mean they are a surefire way of landing a win. The outcome of a round is always dependent on the set of cards dealt in that round, so the Banker wager isn’t always the best bet you can place. 

Betting systems like the Martingale, Labouchere or Fibonacci betting system suggest that the Banker wager performs poorly due to the commission rate often charged by casinos. This is because these systems rely on minor bet wins accumulated over a period of time, so you might want to avoid a bet that is inherently handicapped by commission. 

The Player bet is a perfectly good choice, especially considering it offers a theoretical probability of 44.62% chance of winning, which is pretty close to the theoretical odds offered by a Banker wager. 

TIE BET

The third bet you can place in baccarat is a Tie bet. It is rare that you’d find a gameplay strategy that focuses on betting on a Tie, as this betting option doesn’t always necessarily benefit you. For one, Tie bets offer the lowest odds in the game, with a probability of a 9.53% chance of winning. On top of that, Tie bets offer a very low payout in comparison to Player or Banker bets. 

If you bet on one of the two main wagers in the game and a tie occurs, the bet will be pushed, and the hands will be replayed, so there is actually very little incentive to bet on a tie. In fact, to make matters worse, a Tie wager actually has a house edge of 14.40%, which is extremely high, especially in comparison to the Banker and Player wagers, which offer a house edge of 1.06% and 1.26%, respectively.

BACCARAT BETTING SYSTEMS

So, we’ve gone through the basic rules of baccarat, dove into some quick historical facts, and picked apart baccarat’s betting options. The next step is to put that knowledge to use and take a look at some betting systems.

A betting system is like a guide that helps you decide when to bet, how to bet and how much to bet. It isn’t exactly a betting strategy as strategies are more goal-oriented and focused on winning. 

Like strategies, though, betting systems do not guarantee that they work every time; they are simply designed to help you make smarter decisions and act as a money management strategy. 

Finding the best baccarat system for you often depends on your style of play and the size of your bankroll. Here are the most common types of systems you can use:

POSITIVE PROGRESSION SYSTEMS

A positive progression system involves increasing your bet every time you land a win and decreasing your bet every time you lose. The idea behind this is to capitalise on winning streaks and minimise losses at the same time. Sounds simple right? Positive systems are pretty easy to learn and can be adapted to almost any game.

NEGATIVE PROGRESSION SYSTEMS

A negative progression system is, you’ve guessed it, the opposite of a positive system. It involves decreasing the bet value after the player wins and increasing the bet value after the player loses.

Negative systems are based on the idea that you will make up for all the losses you’ve experienced with a high-value win since you would have to win eventually — in probability terms, that is.

Having said that, it is important that you have a solid money management strategy as negative systems can quickly suck your bankroll dry, especially if you hit a losing streak.

FLAT BETTING SYSTEMS

As opposed to negative and positive systems, there aren’t any specific flat betting systems you can use per se. “Flat betting” simply refers to betting the same amount each time you play. 

One might ask why players use this type of betting system in the first place if nothing actually changes. Well, this system is great for getting a grip on your bankroll and ensures you stay within your budget. If you want a good money management strategy, flat betting is definitely it. 

The downside to using this type of system is that it’s relatively dull. Many players prefer to switch things up by trying and testing different systems and keep things interesting.

BACCARAT BETTING STRATEGIES

Now that you have an idea of what systems you can use let’s take a look at the strategies themselves. Each bet system has its own branch of baccarat strategies. They describe what to do from your very first bet to potentially help you win at baccarat, though this is never a guarantee.

Bear in mind that these strategies won’t teach you how to count cards as online casinos deem card counting as cheating. Card counting is also banned from most land-based casinos. 

THE MARTINGALE SYSTEM

The Martingale strategy is a negative progression system that is commonly used in baccarat but also in other casino games like roulette and blackjack. It is one of the least complicated strategies you’ll come across, as all it involves is doubling your bet after every loss. 

This method capitalises on the eventual likelihood of breaking a losing streak, making a marginal return when you hit the win. In other words, using the Martingale yields small returns to offset large losses.

For example, if you bet €1 and it loses, your next bet must be €2. If that loses as well, the following bet must be €4, and so on. If you wager on a winning hand, this baccarat strategy states that you should return to your baseline bet of €1.

THE FIBONACCI SYSTEM

The Fibonacci baccarat strategy is another negative progression system used in baccarat. It involves wagering on a series of numbers that adhere to the logic of the Fibonacci sequence, where every number is the sum of the previous two (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21 and so on). 

The numbers in the sequence correspond to the value of your bet, so the first bet placed must be worth one unit — the first number in the sequence. If the bet loses, the next bet should remain the same. If the wager loses a second time, the next number in the sequence must be factored into the bet, so your third bet will be worth two units. This continues until you win the bet, in which case you move down two positions in the sequence.

THE 1-3-2-6 SYSTEM

If you’re not really a fan of negative systems, perhaps a positive baccarat strategy, like the 1-3-2-6 system, might be a better choice. How this baccarat strategy works can be practically summed up by its name. 

The 1-3-2-6 baccarat strategy capitalises on a potential winning streak while actively minimising losses as it involves returning to your original bet when suffering a loss. It also involves returning to your original bet once all bets in the sequence (one, three, two and six) have been won. This is how it works:

Your bet value will start at €3. If it loses, you must place another wager of €3 in the next round. However, if the bet wins, the next wager must be multiplied by three, or the next number in the sequence.

THE PAROLI SYSTEM

The Paroli baccarat strategy also capitalises off winning hands as it involves doubling your stake when winning. Some players refer to this baccarat strategy as the reverse Martingale, but there’s a catch. 

If your bet is lost, you must go back to your original bet value. However, if you’ve successfully hit three consecutive wins, you must also return to your original bet value.

BACCARAT TIPS FOR PLACING PLAYER, TIE AND BANKER BETS

Finding the best baccarat strategy for you (and your bankroll) may involve some trial and error. So, here are a few baccarat strategy tips:

TIP 1: SET WIN AND LOSS LIMITS (AND STICK TO THEM)

Hitting a winning streak is fun and all, but it is important to set limits even when you win. Casino games always come with a house edge, so at some point, you’re going to lose. Setting limits allows you to safeguard your funds and sharpen your baccarat strategy at the same time.

TIP 2: AVOID BETS WITH HIGH HOUSE EDGES

In a game of traditional baccarat, you can wager on one out of three betting options in a given round: a Player, Banker or Tie. None of these wagers has an equal chance of winning — some have better odds than others — so if you want to minimise risk and place smart bets, you may want to go for bets that have better odds. For instance, there is a better chance that the Banker wins as opposed to a Tie bet winning.

TIP 3: MANAGE YOUR FUNDS

While having a good playing strategy can be super useful, having a good bankroll management strategy is super important. Set a budget for your session bankroll before you enter a game, and don’t let that budget be the maximum amount of funds in your bankroll either. Gambling is always a risk, no matter what casino you play at, so always bet with your bankroll in mind.

TIP 4: CHOOSE THE STRATEGY BEST SUITED TO YOU

There are many different baccarat strategies you can take advantage of, but not all strategies are the right fit. Different strategies may require different levels of baccarat knowledge as well as different bankrolls. The Martingale bet system, for example, is best suited for high-rollers with larger bankrolls despite being an easy strategy to understand. Always do your research before choosing your preferred strategy. 

It may also be helpful to try out different strategies when playing online baccarat in the demo mode. The demo allows you to play for free with a virtual bankroll, so you won’t be putting any funds at risk (though you won’t be able to win any actual payouts either). 

BACCARAT VARIANTS — PLAY BACCARAT AT HotSlots

Now that you’ve gotten the full breakdown of baccarat strategies, you’re probably wondering what comes next. Well, it’s deciding where to play baccarat online! 

For a gaming experience unlike no other, play baccarat at HotSlots. Our Casino has all the makings of a fantastic casino experience, including a wide range of games, epic promotions, fun tournaments and brilliant casino events. 

Claim casino bonuses like our Welcome Deposit Bonus (available for new casino customers), and Free Spins Deposit Bonus, among others, but be sure to read through the Terms and Conditions beforehand. These terms list the criteria that need to be satisfied to make the bonus balance withdrawable. These may include wagering requirements, jurisdictional limitations,  expiration dates, etc. Check whether game weighting and max. bet rules apply too.

If you’re interested in seeing what baccarat tables we’ve got up our sleeve, here’s a small snippet of what to expect. Unfortunately, we do not offer Mini Baccarat tables, but stay tuned for new additions!

PEEK BACCARAT

Traditional baccarat gameplay AND exciting new features? Sign us up! This brilliant baccarat variant was released by Evolution and became an instant hit. It allows players to ‘peek’ at one to four cards mid-game while also allowing them to increase their initial bet should those cards be favourable.

LIGHTNING BACCARAT

Peek Baccarat not energising enough? Then try Lightning Baccarat! This spectacular game features Evolution’s iconic lightning multipliers. Watch as the round is charged up with randomly generated multiplier boosters and potentially boost your payout.

GOLDEN WEALTH BACCARAT

Impeccable live-game action, augmented realities, stylish studios and frequent multipliers are all things you can expect when playing Golden Wealth Baccarat. Any time a golden card is dealt to the table, a multiplier may come along with it!

LIVE BACCARAT SQUEEZE

Evolution’s Live Baccarat Squeeze is also worth checking out. This game offers the ultimate multi-camera experience for those who want to really enjoy the squeeze up close and personal. Over 15 cameras are used to help capture every subtle nuance of the game in a series of epic close-ups, taking baccarat gameplay to a whole new level.