Strategy
Mathematicians claim that baccarat is purely a game of chance. Indeed, there’s not much the player can influence in the course of the game. However it doesn’t mean that player’s decisions do not change the amount of their winnings or losses, if they develop a certain strategy and follow it during the game. If you’d ask a dozen baccarat players about their playing strategy, you’d receive twelve different answers, because only complete beginners follow textbook strategies. More experienced gamblers develop their own baccarat strategies that suit their playing style best. With a little practice you’ll be able to create your own strategy as well, but for now we’d like to give you a few tips on the fundamentals of baccarat strategy.
To begin with, it’s worth remembering that baccarat is a very simple game. True, it has earned a reputation of being complex because of the many subtle variations of rules that beginners are not required to learn. Yet to gain maximum winnings and enjoy the game to the utmost extent, there are just three rules you should know.
1. Players should never ever bet on the ‘Tie’. Any baccarat hand has three possible outcomes: Player, Banker and Tie. The Banker has the highest probability of winning, therefore many players never bet on themselves. At the same time, it’s useless to bet on a Tie – although these bets are paid out at 8:1, the casino has 14% probability of profiting from this outcome while players would get a mere 1%.
2. Any baccarat player should take into account the commission to the house. If player bets on the „Banker” and wins, casino takes 5% commission. This fee was introduced to make players place more bets on „Tie” or the „Player”. Most importantly, 5% commission is not paid immediately, but after the game. So if you’ve won several hands betting on the Banker and afterwards lost all your money, you still have to pay the casino 5% fee from each hand won.
3. Finally, players should first and foremost follow their own judgement. Quite often casino representatives offer players payout percentage statistics for bets on both the Player and the Banker. Even if this information is accurate, it can disorient the player and make you increase your bets in the hopes of gaining a huge win.