Baccarat Training
If you play Baccarat at an online casino, you are playing mini-Baccarat. What's the difference? None really. The main game of Baccarat has a lot of rituals associated with it and is usually limited to bigger play. The mini-baccarat game came out to bring those lower bettors into the fold. From here on, we will just refer to mini-Baccarat as Baccarat. Since the dealer performs all of the action in Baccarat, it's possible to play without knowing anything about the game. However, the game of Baccarat is much more fun and suspenseful when you know what's going on.
The Bets
There are three possible bets in Baccarat-Player, Banker and Ties. The game is played with two sides, the Banker and the Player, playing against each other. If you think the Banker will win the hand, bet the Banker-same with the Player. As expected, the Ties bet wins if both sides tie. The Banker and Player bets are paid even money, while the tie bet is paid 9 to 1. If you win a Banker bet, you will need to pay a 5% commission. So a $5 win will cost you a twenty-five cent commission.
The Edge
One reason why you should consider playing Baccarat is the house edge, rather the lack of it. Unlike some games that have a high house edge, Baccarat is the best game in the casino to play-from a house edge perspective. The house edge is a measly 1.06% on the Banker and 1.24% on the Player. Like most casino games, this one has a bad bet as well-it's called the tie. The tie has a humongous 14.35% house edge associated with it. Bettors would be smart to move away from this bet. If you are lucky enough to be able to play a game of Baccarat with just a 4% commission, the house edge on the Banker drops to 0.60%-wow.
It's important to note that even if you find yourself in the rare situation of winning a tie bet, you still give up a 4.84% house advantage.
Game Play
The game is completely conducted by the dealer with no interaction from players, except for placing a bet before the game commences. All hands are dealt out of a shoe. The shoe will typically have six or eight decks of cards in it. Once the hand is over, the dealer will take the losers and pay the winners. Should the outcome be a tie, all hands push and tie bets are paid.
The Goal
The goal of Baccarat is to get as close to nine as possible. Each side is given two cards to start the game and can possibly end with three cards. Both sides have their own rules, depending on count, for drawing the additional card. The cards equal their face value with the exceptions of the ace, which equals one, and the face cards, which equal zero. If the count of the cards goes over 9, the first numeral is dropped. For example, if the Banker received a nine and a five, the count would be four. So a five and a five, would be ten, thus the new count would be zero.
Hand Play
Let's look more in detail how each side plays the hand.
Player Side
If the Player's first two cards have a count of zero, one, two, three, four or five, the Player draws a card.
If the Player's first two cards have a count of six or seven, Player stands.
If the Player's first two cards have a count of eight or nine, the Player has a natural. This means that the game is over and the only way the Banker can push or win is if the Banker's card count for the first two cards is equal to or greater than the Player's hand.
Banker Side
If the Banker's first two cards equal zero, one or two, the Banker draws a card.
If the Banker's first two cards equal three, the Banker draws as long as the player's hand count is anything, but eight. Of course, in the case of natural eight's and nine's the game has ended so drawing is not an option.
If the Banker's first two cards equal four, the Banker draws if the Player's hand count equals two, three, four, five, six or seven-Banker stands on one, eight, nine and zero.
If the Banker's first two cards equal five, the Banker draws if the Player's hand count equals four, five, six or seven and stands on all other counts.
If the Banker's first two cards equal six, Banker will draw if the Player's hand count equals six or seven and stand on all other counts.
The Banker always stands on an initial count of seven.
Eight and nine are naturals and, as with the player, the game is ended and the Player must have the same natural to tie or a greater natural to win.
Keeping Track
Most casinos offer players a scorecard to keep track of hands. If you are playing online, this might not be an option, but a simple piece of paper will work fine. There are different ways of marking hands. Two common ways are:
Banker: B
Player: P
Ties: T
Banker: O
Player: X
Ties: -
The purpose of keeping track is to try and spot patterns so you can alter your current bet.
The Breakdown
If we look at a typical eight-deck shoe in Baccarat, the following probability stats apply.
The Banker has a winning probability of .458 (45.8%)
The Player has a winning probability of .446 (44.6%)
The Tie has a winning probability of .095 (9.5%)
Simple Strategy
There are two simple strategies you can try. The first is to simply bet on the Banker always-that's it. In theory, you will win 45.8% of the hands. While you will most likely be a loser in the end, unless the Banker has a strong showing during your playing session, it probably won't be too bad-if the numbers hold true.
The other simple strategy is to look for patterns. Once you find one side winning consecutively for five or six times, bet the other side for a bit. As you play, you will get a feel for how the game is going and can begin to alter your bet amount slightly to take advantage of your right hunches.
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