Baccarat odds and strategies you should know

Baccarat is one of the classical games of casino which is widely popular throughout the world. Also known by the name of “Punto Banco”, it is one of the favourite games of high stake gamblers. However, it is important for any player to know about the odds of the game before hitting on to this exciting game of cards.

Factors that affect the odds

This game is played mostly with 8 decks or sometimes 6 decks of cards, depending on the casino and the table you have chosen to play. Accordingly, baccarat odds also vary depending on the numbers of decks it is being played with. An increase in the number of cards increases the house edge significantly.

The major factor that has a direct impact on the odds of winning is the house-edge of the bet you are making. There are basically 4 types of bets

• Banker bet – When you make a bet that the banker will win it is known as a banker bet. The banker always has edge over the player so banker bet is the safest possible bet. The house edge of this bet is usually the least among all other bets.

• Player bet – When you make a bet on the player that he will win, it is known as a player bet. The player has a slightly less chance of winning than the banker, so the house-edge of player bet is also slightly higher than that of the banker bet.

• Tie bet – A tie bet occurs when the bet is placed under the condition that both the player and the banker will have cards with the same total card value. The chances of this occurrence are very low and hence the house-edge is high.

• Pair bet – When the bet is placed on the chances of a pair appearing on the hand of player or banker, it is called as a Pair bet. The house edge here is even higher as the chances of a pair is very low.

However, the house edge of the above-mentioned bets can change under certain conditions. For instance, a baccarat game where the commission on the banker bet is lower than 5%, the house edge plunge significantly to negligible limits. Such games are rare to find and all the live casinos or land casinos are smart enough to not give players an edge over the house.

Strategies and tips

Winning odds and house edge are factors that need to be taken care of before walking onto the baccarat game. What happens after that completely depends upon the decisions you make. It is important to remember a few tips and strategies that can improve your gaming experience.

The banker bet, as the calculations show, has the lowest house edge and for any player who wishes to play table baccarat or live baccarat, the safest possible choice is also the best possible choice here.

Falling prey to gambler’s fallacy, a phenomenon of taking future decisions based on the past results, is the biggest mistake one can make. The chances of any specific outcome at any given circumstance remains consistent, regardless of what the past results show.

Baccarat is also a card game, similar to blackjack, but the blackjack strategy of counting cards doesn’t really count here. Counting cards in a game that deals with 8 or 6 decks of shuffled cards is extremely difficult.

Conclusion

Baccarat is an elegant game which requires patience and a good understanding of the measures to take before rolling your sleeves for it. The game can be enjoyed better just by knowing the few tips and facts about the game. Any advantage method claimed on various game review sites bring no good to your igaming experience.