10 QUICK TIPS FOR BACCARAT Strategy

Tip 1: Learn the Rules

You must learn the basic form of baccarat before playing it well.

·     There are three types of bets: Player, Banker, and Tie.

·     Cards are given to two hands (Player and Banker), not directly to you.

·     The object: the hand closest to nine wins.

·     Values: Face cards and tens = 0, Aces =1, other cards retain their face value.

·     Hands are drawn automatically based on pre-defined rules, so memorising complex plays is unnecessary.

This simplicity is one of the reasons baccarat is such a drawing card. Inside the posh walls of the Casino de Monte-Carlo, a quiet room of players put down bets as the dealer lays out a deck. The suspense isn’t in making the decision but in the stylish reveal, slow and deliberate.

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Tip 2: Bet on the Banker

The best bet in baccarat is this: always wager on the Banker.

·     Banker wins a little more often than Player —After the standard 5% commission on Banker wins, it’s a lower house edge (1.06%) than Player (1.24%).

·     Banker is the bet that keeps you closest to even over the long run. That’s why professional baccarat players — and even experienced high rollers — often bet on Banker, hand after hand after hand.

·     It might sound redundant, but imagine those Macau high-rollers, stacking chips on the Banker’s side, hand after hand, efficiently banking winnings. Betting Banker is not just a smart move — it’s the chic choice of in siders to the game.

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Tip 3: Avoid the Tie Bet

·     The Tie bet is tempting. It generally pays 8 to1 or 9 to 1, which feels glamorous and dramatic. But the fact is: the house edge on Tie bets is in the vicinity of 14%, making it one of the worst wagers in the casino.

·     Yes, you’re going to see the shot hit here and there, and when you do, it looks great. But in the end, Tie bets will suck your bankroll dry much quicker than Banker or Player.

·     The real elegance of baccarat is not in swashbuckling risks but in discipline. The players who play it safe, apparently not caring if they win or lose, are slowly avoiding Tie bets while their nearest competitors get taken in.

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Tip: Keep a strategy chart on hand while playing during practice; it’s legal in most casinos and can be extremely useful for those new to the game.

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‍Tip 4: Manage Your Bankroll

The fast pace of baccarat can be deceptive. Hands move fast, chips can disappear quicker than you think. That’s why good bankroll management is so important.

·     Establish a budget before you even begin.

·     Determine how much you will bet per hand andstay with it.

·     Don’t try to make up losses with bigger bets.

In Macau and Monte Carlo, the most respected baccarat players are not those betting wildly and making big bets. They are the leisured gamblers who play with poise and discipline, who can leave the table with their winnings intact and with an air of relaxed sophistication.