Baccarat Betting Strategy
Baccarat is the glamorous casino game often portrayed in James Bond movies. It looks serious and sophisticated, but it’s actually easy to play and offers one of the lowest house edges in the casino. But you need to know the right bets to make the most of it.
In the world of gambling, baccarat is all about the bets. Players place bets on either the player or banker hand, and the winner is the hand closest to nine points. If the player and banker both have a total of 9 (or 8), it’s called a “Tie.” This is the most profitable bet, but it can also be the most confusing because the rules are based on a system of “roads” that are derived from the rules of the game itself. Understanding these roads is a long journey, but once you have them figured out, it’s the best way to optimize your baccarat strategy.
The Player and Banker hands are dealt two cards each, face up on the table. Points are determined by adding the values of each card. Aces count as 1 point, while tens and picture or face cards count as 0 points. All other numbers are added up, dropping the first digit whenever possible. If a hand totals above 9, the first digit is dropped, and the remaining number becomes the point value of the hand.
If the banker wins, the bet pays out 1:1. If the player wins, the bet pays out 8:1. If the tie is a win, it pays out 9:1. Baccarat is a high-volatile game with large swings. It’s not the most profitable game for small operators, but it has a healthy base of both mass and VIP players. Larger operators are able to smooth out this volatility and increase profits.
Aside from the Player, Banker, and Tie bets, there are a few other side bets you can place on a Baccarat hand. These bets vary by establishment and platform, but you can usually expect to see them offered at around 11:1 odds or higher. One popular bet is the Player Pair, where you wager that the player and banker will receive identical cards on the deal.
It wasn’t until 1860 that Baccarat adopted any kind of trademark for its pieces, which took the form of a paper label attached to each piece. Nowadays, Baccarat pieces feature a scripted laser-etched mark on the surface of the glass. Some of these marks are still visible on pieces made before 1860, but they’re becoming more and more rare.