Baccarat Strategy – How to win Baccarat

Learning how to play baccarat can get a beginner started, but learning how to win at baccarat will require some knowledge of strategy, especially when aiming to win for real money.

Basics to Strategic Baccarat Betting

Beginners can easily get started with playing and winning in live baccarat just by learning the basics of playing strategically. Players will first need to know what the best bet to use is and the worst bet to absolutely avoid.

The Banker Bet is the Best Bet

The banker bet is the best bet to use when playing baccarat due to how advantageous the banker’s hand is. This is all thanks to how low the banker bet’s house edge is and how the banker’s third card rules work in their favor.

The odds of winning a banker bet are typically around 45.86% and the house edge is typically at 1.06%. The payout is 0.95:1 because every winning bet charges a 5% commission from the 1:1 payout.

The Player Bet is a Good Alternative

The player bet works nearly the same as the banker bet, except that the winning bets don’t charge a commission. If a bettor doesn’t like the idea of being charged money for winning, then they can try their luck with the player bet even if it doesn’t have as high a win rate as the banker bet. This is because the baccarat rules typically work in the banker’s favor.

The odds of winning a player bet are typically around 44.62% and the house edge is typically at 1.24%. The payout is 1:1.

Always Avoid the Tie Bet

The tie bet is easily the worst baccarat bet due to how uncommon it is to get a tie. It’s far easier to get a natural or get as close to a natural and win through them than to win a tie bet. Many bettors might be tempted to place a tie bet due to how high the payout is, either 8:1 or 9:1 depending on the game variation or table, but it’s better to avoid it completely when using a winning baccarat strategy. It’s possible to place winning tie bets from time to time, but it’s far more common to lose than to win when doing so.

The odds of winning a tie bet are typically around 9.52% and the house edge is typically at 14.36%. The payout is high but infrequent.

Different Baccarat Strategies to Use

After learning the best bets to use and why it’s time to learn the possible strategies to use. A baccarat winning strategy typically dictates how players should place their bets which mainly involves picking what bet to use. After understanding the baccarat strategies, they can implement them alongside betting systems to try and increase their winnings.

The One-Sided Strategy

Picking whether to use the player or banker bet and sticking to it is the main point of the one-sided strategy. Bettors pick one side, player or banker, and stick with it instead of alternating between one and the other. Using this idea is ideal since there is an almost equal chance of either outcome winning so it’s unlikely that anyone will suffer from a really bad losing streak.

Variance is possible in the one-sided strategy when the player suffers a bad losing streak. For example, bettors can switch to the player bet after losing three consecutive times when using the banker bet. It’s also possible to only stick with one side without any sort of variance after getting a hot streak and then walking away before or after losing a bet.

The tie bet MUST be avoided when using the one-sided strategy since a tie is less likely to occur than either a player or banker winning.

Betting Against the Trend

Betting against the trend essentially means what the name says, which is to bet against the trending bet. If the player bet is currently trending, it will likely break eventually so it makes sense to place a banker bet to try and win the moment the player hand loses. This is because there should be a roughly equal number of wins between the player’s and banker’s hands. An example is checking the particular baccarat table’s chart to see which hand won the most and then betting on the opposite hand.

Bettors who initially used the one-sided strategy can start betting against the trend after a hot streak to try and continue the streak. For example, betting only on the player bet and winning six consecutive times then placing a banker bet on the seventh bet and winning.

Using Betting Systems

After learning both the one-sided strategy and betting against the trend, baccarat players can then implement them alongside betting systems to try and increase their profits without necessarily resorting to side bets. Betting systems dictate how much players should bet at a time.

1-3-2-4 System

The 1-3-2-4 system follows the sequence of 1, 3, 2, and 4 betting units. The first bet starts with 1 betting unit and the second with 3 betting units, provided that the bet is won. Bettors follow the steps below when using this system:

Following the steps above will allow the bettor to maximize their profits since the system was designed with that in mind. Having consecutive wins through this system will allow bettors to win a large amount in a short time. In fact, bettors will win 10x their original bet if they successfully pull off the system. Going back to step one for every loss also effectively limits how much a bettor loses.

1-3-2-6 System

The 1-3-2-6 system works the same way as the 1-3-2-4, with the only difference being the last part of the system. Bettors follow the steps below when using this system:

Like in the 1-3-2-4 system, the bettor will be able to maximize their profits and earn $20 more if 1 unit is equal to $10. The only problem with this is that the bettor risks more money by betting all their prior winnings for the last step of the system. The total winnings of steps 1-3 are worth 6 units, which is how much the bettor must stake on the last step.

Martingale System

In the Martingale system, baccarat players will always double their bets after losing and go back to their initial stake the moment they win to recover their losses while making a small profit. When the bettor has a winning streak, they’ll be able to make a small profit with little risk of losing them all.

The Martingale system is ideal for baccarat, especially when using the one-sided strategy because both the player and banker bets have a roughly equal chance of winning. Bad losing streaks should be infrequent enough so bettors won’t likely suffer from any significant losses when following the system.

d’Alembert System

In the d’Alembert system, baccarat players raise their bets by 1 unit every time they lose. If 1 unit is $5, players must increase their initial 1 unit bet by one more unit or $5 to bet $10 when they lose a bet. Every time players win their bets, they reduce their bets by 1 unit.

Based on the sequence above, players will increase betting by 1 unit every time they lose. If they don’t lose and keep on winning, they stay at their original bet. They decrease 1 unit after winning when they just suffered a loss.

Fibonacci System

In the Fibonacci system, players follow the Fibonacci sequence which goes like this:

1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55…

The sequence progresses from the sum of the previous two numbers. Because the sequence starts with two 1s, their sum becomes the next number in the sequence so they’ll bet 2 units after losing twice. After losing thrice, they bet three units. Every time the player wins, they move two numbers down the sequence.

When a player is already betting 8 units, they go to 13 units the moment they lose. If they win while betting 8 units, they go two numbers down the sequence back to 3 units.

Paroli System

The Paroli system is a positive progression betting system where the baccarat player doubles their bets when they win. Bettors follow the steps below when using this system:

The aim of the system is to win three times in a row. Whenever the bettor loses, they go back to their initial stake to minimize their losses while maximizing wins when having hot streaks.

Labouchere System

The Labouchere system is a complicated system that focuses on recovering losses with multiple wins. Bettors must first start with any sequence of numbers they want, like simple 2, 3, 4, or 5 sequences. The bettor bets using the sequence by adding the first and last numbers and using the sum as the total units to bet. Every win results in removing the two numbers from the sequence while a loss results in adding a number to the sequence.

Is Card Counting Ideal in Baccarat Like in Blackjack?

Learning how to count cards in blackjack allows a player to keep track of the cards drawn and adjust their bets accordingly. Because blackjack involves a lot of different plays and the players are more involved in the game, counting cards allows them to maximize their profits and win big. In baccarat, however, counting cards is not exactly necessary to beat the house.

Baccarat is already a simple game where even beginners can make a profit by sticking to the banker bet and using simple betting systems. Complicating the game by counting cards can make the game unenjoyable for beginners.

Card counting works differently in baccarat than in blackjack. In baccarat, the player decides whether to bet on the player’s hand or the banker’s hand based on the count. The values are also different.

When the current total count is 16 or higher, the bettor should place a player bet. When the current total count is 15 or lower, the bettor should place a banker bet.

Card counting has a certain learning curve that can make it difficult to learn while also not being worth it. Bettors don’t adjust how much they bet and the adjustment on what bets to make doesn’t even involve the tie bet or other side bets, which typically have more attractive payouts.

Counting cards for even money bets without adjusting the stake is hardly worth it when using the one-sided strategy and a simple betting system is enough to make a profit.