Baccarat Strategy
Baccarat Tips:
Tip #1: The one card placed faceup on the table indicates how many
cards the dealer will burn. If the card turned up is a four of clubs,
the dealer will burn four cards.
Tip #2: In baccarat, the casino takes a commission whenever a player
wins a bet placed on the banker side. This is because betting on
the banker has an inherent 1.06 percent advantage. Bets are paid
at 0.95-to-1.
Tip #3: Twos through nines are counted at face value; tens and all
jacks, queens and kings count as zero; and aces count as one. Suit
is irrelevant in baccarat.
Tip #4: First and third cards are dealt to the player. Second and
fourth cards are dealt to the banker.
Tip #5: For any total over nine, only the last digit is taken -
for example, a total composed of a six of clubs and a six of diamonds
is two. If either the player or the banker has a total of eight
or nine, it`s called a "natural" and automatically wins
- unless the other hand also has a natural, in which case the two
hands tie.
Tip #6: If the player holds a total of less than six or seven, the
player draws.
Tip #7: With a total from zero to two the bank always draws; with
a total of seven the bank always stands; with a total of three the
bank draws, unless the player drew and its third card was an eight;
with a total of four the bank draws, unless the player drew and
its third card was an eight, nine or ace; with a five the bank draws,
unless the player drew a third card outside the range of four through
seven; with a six the bank stands, unless the player drew a third
card of either a six or a seven.
General Tips
It is a good idea to avoid tie bets altogether, since they give
the house a significant advantage, close to 20%, in fact. By sticking
to only the banker and player bets, the house advantage will remain
at a minimum, thereby maximizing your chances of winning.
Betting on the player gives the house a 1.36% edge
Betting on the banker gives the house a 1.17% edge
Either way, the house has the edge and should win in the long run.
Some baccarat players believe in streaks and will bet on whatever
won the last hand. This strategy does not give you better odds though
as each hand is like the flip of a coin.
The Martingale Betting System
This dangerous sytem can dig you into a deep hole very quickly should
you have a long string of losses.
It is an easy system to understand. You attempt to win 1 unit ($1/£1,
or $5/£5, or whatever) on every hand. Your first bet is 1 unit
on player or banker. If the bet is won, you start again at 1 unit.
If the bet is lost, you double the next bet to 2 units. Winning at
this stage gives you a win of 1 unit (1 unit lost followed by 2 units
won). Should you lose again, then you double your bet again, this
time to 4 units. And again, a win at this stage is of 1 unit (1 unit
lost, 2 units lost and 3 units won). And so on until you win. Given
a `normal` sequence it should not be too long before you register
a win which covers your losses and provides a win of 1 unit.
The object is to assemble a hand of two or three cards with a points
value as close to nine as possible. The perfect hand is one that totals
nine in the first two cards. Eight is the second-best hand and, along
with the nine, it constitutes the two "natural" hands. The
only hand that will beat a natural eight is a natural nine. If any
player hand or the Bank has a natural eight or nine, the others may
not draw a third card. In a tie, bets are called off.
Aces count as one, picture cards as 10 and the others their face value.
If your hand total is in double figures, then the first figure is
ignored. So a hand totalling 18 would count as eight.
The player with the most money is usually is declared the banker -
this is the casino in Baccarat Banque and rotates in Chemin de Fer.
The banker deals three hands of two cards each, face down. These hands
are for two players, one to the right and one the left of the banker,
plus his own hand. Other players at the table may bet on either hand
(cheval) or both to beat the banker`s hand. If a player declares "banco",
it means they are betting the total value of the bank`s funds and
all other bets are withdrawn.
If either player has a count less than eight or nine, he may stand
(saying "non") or get one more card face up (saying "carte").
The player must stand on six or seven and must draw on four or less.
Casinos usually take their percentage of the bank and bets as their
fee for the game.
|