Author: horse-racing-free-tips

As with any form of casino games, including poker, blackjack and roulette, the player is always looking for a strategy to increase their chances of winning. Many experiences Baccarat players feel that any mention of a strategy is purely based on myth and rightly so. We will look over some of the more common proclaimed strategies in an attempt to come to a concrete conclusion on the Baccarat strategy myth.

The Scorecard
Almost every casino will hand out a scorecard to every player at the table. Players can be spotted keeping track of the outcome of each hand in an attempt to spot patterns in order to take advantage of a streak. The casinos encourage this behavior simply because they know it has no bearing on the outcome of the game. Following a supposed pattern in Baccarat is as fruitless as it is with Roulette. Each hand plays independent of the last but this does not stop betters from believing they have found a betting edge by following trends. It is in your best interest to abstain from this habit as it has no outcome on the cards being dealt and will not provide you with any sort of edge.

Card Counting
While often referred to as a stable of successful Blackjack play, card counting is another card strategy that is meaningless in the game of Baccarat. Although it may appear as a worthy strategy for the Baccarat player, the fact that the issue of used cards being fed back into the “shoe” before all have been removed negates any count you may have made up to that point. Card counting for Baccarat is a race with no end, the cycle of cards makes it impossible to ever have a solid system in place.

What works?
The most common system used would be always betting on the banker. Although this is by far the most boring of any system it is the only one that can be mathematically proven to give you an edge.

The Final Word
After examining the many strategies proposed for the game of Baccarat is becomes quite clear that there is no failsafe method to improve your odds. Betting on the banker may make you a winner more often than not but it also strips the game down to a series of planned bets. It is best to enjoy the game for what it is and abandon any attempt and finding a strategy to help your odds at the Baccarat table.

Along with Roulette, Baccarat is one of the easiest casinos games to play. The most important thing you need to know is whether you are betting on the Player, on the Bank or on Tie. Betting on Tie is not really recommended because it decreases your winning chances. Baccarat is a game of chance, all you have to decide is which hand you think will win. Making yourself familiar with the basic rules will help you understand the play on the baccarat table and will make the game more fun for you to play.

Seat position is not important in Baccarat like it would be in Blackjack as you are not playing against other player or the house, the only concern you have are the cards. Do not let the amounts the other players may bet distract you, it is of no importance to you.

Baccarat is played with eight decks of cards without Jokers. At the beginning of a new game or when the Cut Card in the Shoe is dealt, the dealer will shuffle all decks together and put them back in the shoe, also called “The Bank”. Then he will take the very first card out and whatever the value of this card is indicates how many cards will be burned. If the value of the first card is a four, for instance, the dealer will take the next four cards out of the shoe and discard them in a tray next to it along with the first card. At the beginning of the new game the shoe or the bank is given to the player on the right of the dealer. Each player is given the bank in turn and can hold the bank as long as the bank wins. Once the bank loses it moves on to the next player. Before the cards are dealt each Baccarat player has to make his bet.

The player with the bank deals two sets of two cards, if of course the game is played by two players. The hand closest to nine wins. If the first two cards dealt count Eight or Nine it is called a “Natural” and wins automatically, unless both hands have the same value then it is of course a Tie. When nobody has a natural additional cards are drawn to determine the baccarat winner. If the hand you bet on wins you get a one to one payoff.

If ever there was a game that conjures up visions of rich players in rich evening attire gambling for rich bets it is baccarat. There are three common variants of the game but Punto Banco is the most popular variation found in North American casinos. A regular baccarat table is about the size of a craps table, is staffed by three casino dealers and can host about a dozen players.

Play revolves around to hands dealt for the ‘Banker’ and the ‘Player’. These names are titles for the dealt hands only and there is no real banker or specific player. Players place their bets on which hand they think will win. Hand scores are calculated by taking the face value for all cards worth less than ten, one for an ace and zero for tens and face cards. The value of hand is the total of the cards value but if it comes to more than ten you drop the first digit. For example, 8-ace-jack is worth 8 plus 1 plus zero = 9. But 9-5-5 is also worth 9 (9+5+5 = 19, drop the first digit = 9). The card suit makes no difference to value of the cards.

Players take it in turn to act as ‘dealer’ although this only involves turning over the cards. A player usually continues to act as dealer as long as the ‘banker’ keeps winning. The dealer starts by dealing two cards face down for the ‘banker’ and another two cards for the ‘player’. Depending on the totals the casino dealers may instruct the ‘dealer’ to deal another card. With all cards dealt winning wagers are paid out or losses collected.

A third card may be dealt to either the ‘player’ or the ‘banker’ depending on the following rules.

If either the Player or the Banker has 8 or 9 no further cards are drawn. If the Player has a total of 0-5, the Player hits a single card but stands on 6-7.If the Player did not hit, the Banker hits if he has 0-5, and stands on 6-7.If the Player drew a 2 or 3, the Banker hits if he has 0-4, and stands on 5-7.If the Player drew a 4 or 5, the Banker hits if he has 0-5, and stands on 6-7.If the Player drew a 6 or 7, the Banker hits if he has 0-6, and stands on 7.If the Player drew an 8, the Banker hits if he has 0-2, and stands on 3-7.If the Player drew an ace, 9, 10, or face-card, the Banker hits if he has 0-3, and stands on 4-7.

Essentially a game of chance, what it lacks in skill it makes up for in the size of the bets involved. In many casinos the minimum bet can start at $25 and dedicated players often wager hundreds or even thousands of dollars on a single game that gives baccarat its exotic atmosphere.