Best Baccarat Strategy Tips

Allow me to guide you through how the game first came to be, along with something no less interesting for you all: how it’s played in this particular part of the galaxy! I’ll share all of my best insider statistics and strategy recommendations, helping to clarify this mysterious game once and for all.

A Little Something About Baccarat

The origins of Baccarat are every bit as mysterious as its name sounds to English speakers. Or indeed, every bit as enigmatic as Space Cat’s language sounds to everyone…

Some say that its roots can be traced back to Ancient Roman times and a certain Vestal Virgins ritual. It is said that a Vestal-to-be would get the chance to roll the dice and let them determine her fate; if the dice total equalled eight or nine, it meant the girl was destined to be a high priestess in the order. In the case of a six or seven, she would be cast out, and some sources claim, banished forever. And as if that wasn’t bad enough: if the girl were to roll any other number, she’d have effectively signed her own death warrant and would be drowned in the sea.

But if this story about the origin of the dice is a bit too brutal for your taste, rest assured it’s not the only story, let alone the definitive one! Remember that the game is played with cards, not dice; so you can now erase this disturbing image from your mind if you want!

The other version we’ve been told since the days of yore is that the renowned Marco Polo had a hand in its inception. No wonder really, when you consider that even the man’s name is a children’s game nowadays; but I digress!

So on the planet Earth in the 13th century, cards were a scarce commodity; and the same went for printing presses, so you can see how that figures! Apparently, Marco Polo had learned to play Pai Gow, and he introduced those cards to the Italian public around 1290. And after the printing press became a more mainstream feature of European society, cards started circulating more and more over time. These were affectionately referred to as “The Devil’s Picture Books.” And so, the concept of cards and card games was brought to Europe via a great explorer and the Silk Road, and Baccarat was of the great games that originated in this context. Certain card games from Italy could’ve been the predecessors of Baccarat, like the ancient Macao card game or Le Her.

Then again, if all this feels a little je ne sais quoi to you, you can look into the theory that it really originated in France! Apparently, war ruins lives, but it also helps games to reach a wider audience. To be a little more precise here: Italy and France were at war in the 1490s, and French soldiers learned it from their enemies. Well, I’m sure that must’ve been one interesting POW experience! Anyway, it seems that this ancient version of the game was well-liked by the nobility in France.

In fact, the increasingly popular Baccarat spread from France to conquer all of Europe. The actual game we know today with the name “Baccarat” was first mentioned in 1847, when a book was written about it.

Nowadays, thanks to the James Bond franchise, baccarat is a household name. We’ve all seen him gamble for Her Majesty’s Service in Dr. No, Golden Eye, and three other movies. We’d actually be prepared to pick those movies up on our antennas just to enjoy the view of Baccarat, something we’ve never had the chance to see before anywhere in our entire star cluster!

But if watching those classic Bond movies wasn’t enough to help you pick up some rules and strategy, allow me to do so for you.

Baccarat Rules

The rules are quite simple — be the high priestess, don’t drown! Oh, I reminded you of the gruesomeness again; my bad! Let’s try again.

Who’s Playing?

So, we have the Banker (or the casino) and the Player (well, that’s you!) The three potential outcomes of practically any game, including Baccarat, is that the Banker wins, the Player wins, or it’s a Tie.

So this is exactly the object of the game — you want to bet on whoever you think is going to be the winner. So if you’re feeling lucky, you can bet on yourself; while if you’re feeling cynical, you can bet on the bank; and if you’re feeling whimsical? The tie! Of course, I don’t mean to suggest that a good Baccarat betting strategy means playing with pure luck, cynicism, or whimsy in mind. But I’ll get to that a little later!

So, not to belabor the point — on the table, you’ll have areas indicating the Banker, the Player, and the Tie options; and you, as the player, bet on one (or more) of them. If your intuition matches the outcome — you win!

Now, to the side of this stands the “Shoe.” No, not the fancy Italian kind, but a plastic contraption with cards in it that allows you to only draw one card at a time. It will usually be a mix of eight card decks, to help keep things nice and random. In the case of an online casino, it’s the number generator that will randomly draw the card for you.

The Intricate Card Rules

The most difficult to understand (and memorize) part of Baccarat is the dizzying array of rules about how many cards get dealt and why. This is probably because the game is something of a witch’s brew that has gone through many different incarnations; but it’s also because there are different rules for the Player and the Banker.

First of all, let’s see what the cards mean. All cards that are tens or higher count as zero, which means if you get a Jack and a 3, you have a 3. Make sense? Aces hold the value of one, and the rest of the cards keep their face value. So, again, you have an Ace and a King — it’s a 1, you drown. Got a Queen and a 7? Only banishment for you, and so on…

Now, there’s a little “subtract 10” rule in play too. If you get two high face cards, like a 5 and a 9, you add them up to be 14; but then you take away ten, leaving you with a four. Yeah, you drown again!

So what number do you want to have? A 9 or an 8 of course, or whatever comes closest to it. No one plays that hardcore Vestal version in the 21st century… I hope! I mean, I’ve only visited Earth for a bit, I don’t know what you earthlings do in your free time…

If the sum total of the first two cards that get dealt is eight or nine, this is referred to as a “natural” win. No more cards will be dealt. Whoever chose this, takes their money and is free to go.

If, however, neither Banker nor Player is close to an 8 or 9 in the first round, a third card will be dealt. Now this is where it gets tricky. You don’t get to pick if you want a 3rd card; this is dealt automatically, based on the pre-existing rules.

I’ve prepared this table about the Banker rules; hopefully I’ve laid them out clearly enough for you, so you can see what’s going on:

It might seem confusing at first, but study the table closely before you play. The rules will make more sense, the more you’ve engaged with the game, and the more experienced you are with it.

Oh and speaking of ‘experience,’ seasoned gamblers have a Baccarat strategy system? Who would they bet on, and what should you do?

You Could Bet on the Banker

Experts will say to always bet on the Banker because the house edge is the best — only 1.06%! However, there’s a catch. It’s called a commission fee, possibly the two most despised words in the English language. Certainly, we despise them in my language, too. Little Zuzu practically has a conniption fit every time it’s mentioned! Well, the phrase has to have made some top 10 list by now, I’m sure. That fee is 5% of the Player’s winnings, which means if you bet $20 on the Banker, and the Banker did win, you get back only $19. And so your precious $1 has to go back to the house.

The win is more likely when you do it this way; but when you do get it, it’s never half as sweet…

What If You Bet on Yourself?

Betting on the Banker might feel like rooting for the Bad Guy, and so you want to bet on yourself — the Reluctant Hero! The house edge, in this case, is around 1.24%; so you are statistically less likely to win. However, because it’s an even money situation, you get to keep everything; there’s no commission to the “enemy” here!

And If You Bet on the Tie?

This bet is the least likely to pay out; but when it rains, it pours! It’s an 8 to 1 deal, so if you put in $5, you get $40 when you win. It might even pay out more in some casinos. This is the most volatile option; and needless to say, some gamblers love the thrill of that. But really, if you do the math, you can see that in this case, the house edge is around 14.36%. The best Baccarat strategy will suggest you always avoid this; and my galactic experience confirms it too!

Baccarat Strategies and Bets

So many people want to know how to win Baccarat for sure, but nothing is sure in this world, right?! Of course, there are some things you could do, and some are more logical than others.

You can:

1. Count the cards
2. Look for patterns
3. Pray, hard!

Counting Cards

When playing Baccarat live, you could employ this strategy. This is because the cards in the Shoe will get depleted, and if you’ve noted in your mind which ones are left, you could use that information to your advantage.

Baccarat strategies will always include counting cards because, well, it is technically possible! At least when you play live, the Random Number Generator online casinos use would make that a moot point.

Baccarat winning strategies don’t exist, per se; because you can never really be sure of a win! There’s always that wild element of luck, which makes it both exciting and unpredictable.

What Is a Baccarat Pattern?

This one, along with the various other “patterns” out there, has its own mythology. It might seem to hold water at first glance; but it will have lost all credibility upon the second examination.

The idea is that, if the Banker has won six times in a row, he’s on a hot streak, and the Player ought to bet on him a 7th time and vice versa.

While there’s some primal intuition telling you this makes sense, I’m telling you — no, it doesn’t! This is not a viable Baccarat winning strategy.

Praying

I strongly recommend this with any game of chance. Whether you’re religious or not, it can’t hurt! But unless you follow the logical advice we’ve shared before this, I doubt it will work.

Our Step-By-Step How-To for Absolute Beginners

1) Bet on Either of Two Hands

The Players place their bets on Player/Banker/Tie before any cards get dealt.

2) The Cards Are Dealt

The Player and the Banker get two cards each. The first card from the Shoe goes face up to the Player, the next one to the Banker, and then one more time like that. The first round is complete.

3) Everyone’s Point Total Is Announced

We examine whose cards total is closer to nine. Refer to The Rules subchapter for details.

4) Understand the ‘Natural’ Win

If the total is eight or nine for the Banker or the Player, it’s a “natural” win that ends the game. Whoever bet correctly on it is cashed out.

5) Will There Be a 3rd Card?

If there is no “natural” in, the Player stands on six or seven in total. But if the total is 0–5, the Player gets a 3rd card.

6) Remember the 3rd Card Rules for the Banker?

If the Player stands, the Banker also stands if they’ve a 6 or 7. If the Banker has a total of 0–5, then a draw is made.

The rest depends on the Player’s 3rd card; refer to our Banker’s Rules Table for details.

7)  Who Wins, Who Loses

If there is a tie, neither wins nor loses.

Manage Your Money Like a Pro

Baccarat odds refer to how much of a chance you have to win, compared to how much of a chance you have to lose. As we’ve noted, betting on the Banker makes the most sense; because the card rules make it so that the house edge is the best in this case.

The best strategy to win real money is to play conservatively and follow my basic galactic strategy guidelines — bet on the Banker, count cards, and pray!

Our Winning Tips

When it comes to Baccarat tips and tricks, it’s a bit of a slippery slope; because it is a game of chance, after all! So one simple way to win would be to bet on the Banker for an endlessly long amount of time; but this isn’t exactly a practical strategy now, is it?

Everyone wants to know how to win in games of chance, but it seems there isn’t any real answer to this question. Maybe send a prayer to those Vestal Virgins, and see if their good graces will help you win? Well when it comes down to it, it’s all just a matter of luck; nothing more! Yes, the house has a slight edge; but statistically speaking, you’d need to spend forever on an epic playing session to end all playing sessions, to actually take full advantage of it. And who, in all the galaxies of our universe, has time for that?

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