How to Win at Baccarat
Another classic fun game with strong profitability. Given its pretty automated flow of play (lack of actual decisions to make after betting), when it comes to how to make money in baccarat, the complex math can be simplified easily into a best baccarat strategy.
Rules and how to play Baccarat
(skip ahead if you already know how to play)
Baccarat has a simple part, and a more complex part. The premise of the game is very straight-forward:
There are 2 hands in baccarat, called the player’s (not an actual player) and the bankers. In a nutshell, whoever gets the closest to 9 points wins the hand.
So, what is the best side to bet on in baccarat?
Before the round begins, players can bet on whether the player’s hand or banker’s hand will win. You can also bet on a tie.
How to win in baccarat?
Basically, you choose a side to bet on. Both sides are dealt 2 cards to make a hand and the points of each hand is counted. However, the the total card value does not equal the number of points in the hand. See below.
Card values follow standard card values:
Numbered cards (2-10) value: number on card
Face Cards (J, Q, K) value: 10
Ace value: 1
How are baccarat points calculated?
Simply put, the points in a baccarat hand are counted by looking at the total value of the cards, but only taking in account the last number.
So, if you have a card value of 17 in total, you have 7 points in baccarat.
For example, if you draw a 9 and a 4, you have a total card value of 13. Since the last number is 3, you have 3 points in baccarat.
Another Example: If you draw a 10 and a Q, you will have a value of 20, which gives you 0 points. (But fret not, you qualify for a 3rd card. Read on)
Baccarat Instant win – what is a natural hand
Like hitting blackjack in Blackjack, baccarat has ‘instant win’ situations too.
This happens when either player or banker has 8 or 9 points(not value) from their 2 cards.
This is called a natural 8 or natural 9.
When this happens for either bank or player, the hand ends there.
If both have natural 8, or both have natural 9, it is a tie.
If one has a natural 9, and the other has a natural 8, the natural 9 wins, naturally.
So far so good. However, depending on how many points the player and banker have from the first 2 cards, a 3rd card may get drawn. This is where it may get a bit complex.
When to draw a 3rd card in baccarat?
The player goes first, and it’s fairly straightforward: If the player has 0-5 points, the player will draw a 3rd card.
8 or 9 points is an instant win, and 6 or 7 points is an automatic stand (no 3rd card drawn)
When does the banker draw a 3rd card in baccarat?
This is where it gets a little more complex. However, since it is an automated happenstance (no one actually has to make a decision), it may not matter as much to you. Basically, it depends on the player’s hand, but not only on the player’s total points, but what 3rd card the player has drawn (if any). To make it easier, here’s a table.
Firstly, if the player has 6 or 7 and therefore doesn’t draw, then the banker will draw if they have 5 or less and stand if they have 6 or 7.
If the player has 0-5 and draws, then what the banker does follows this table:
| Banker’s points from first 2 cards | Banker Draws a 3rd card if player’s 3rd card is | Banker Stands if the player’s 3rd card is |
|---|---|---|
| 0,1,2 | all | Banker does not draw |
| 3 | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,9,10 | 8 |
| 4 | 2,3,4,5,6,7 | 1,8,9,10 |
| 5 | 4,5,6,7 | 1,2,3,8,9,10 |
| 6 | 6,7 | 1,2,3,4,5,8,9,10 |
| 7 | Banker does not draw | all |
| 8,9 | Banker cannot draw | Banker cannot draw |
Baccarat House Edge
The Baccarat house edge is a little less straightforward since you can bet on the banker’s hand or the player’s hand.
Since the banker goes last, they have a slight advantage. That is why some casinos will charge a commission on banker wins, usually 5%.
Taking this into account, assuming you only play on the player’s hand, the house edge is 1.24%. If you play only on the banker’s hand, even with the commission, the house edge is still more favourable to you, at 1.06%.
In the simplest terms, betting on the banker every time gives you a better advantage to win money at baccarat in the long term.
Should I bet on tie in baccarat?
If you bet on tie every time, the house edge is the highest at 14%. This is the worst case for you. Avoid this if you want to make money at baccarat.
The probability odds of a tie is about 9.52%, which means an even pay out should be at 1:10.5. However, your payout odds are usually 1:8 or 1:9.
Best Baccarat Strategy
Based on the house edge percentages above, the best way to play baccarat is to avoid betting on the player and ties altogether.
In baccarat, the player does not decide whether to hit or stand, unlike blackjack. That decision is simply based on how many points you get from your first 2 cards.
That means that since the game is quite automated, and the only 2 things you really have control over is 1) which side to bet on, and 2) how much to bet.
Since we’ve already discerned that betting on the banker is more profitable, we’ll look at the second point.
Baccarat Betting Systems – best way to win money at baccarat
To recap, the best way to play baccarat starts with always bet on the banker. From there on, simply apply bet sizing techniques. See which betting system works for you below.
Flat Betting
The most straightforward method. As it sounds, just bet the same amount every time and use the banker’s play advantage to hit a good streak.
Don’t forget that although the house edge is better for you when betting on the banker, it’s still a house edge, which means it’s still a disadvantage to you.
So if you play long enough, you will eventually lose.
Use flat betting to hit a good streak, and leave. Apply bankroll control and other limits to make sure you do not lose too much in one session, or at all in the long run.
1-3-2-6 Betting System
This betting system aims at maximizing profits from winning streaks while minimizing losses. According to the system, you adjust your bet size depending on whether you win or lose your bet.
The 1,3,2, and 6 refers to the size of the bet, used as multipliers. We will call them units, with 1 unit being what you’ve decided for your standard bet. So, for example, if you’re playing 10 euros a hand, 1 unit = 10 euros. 6 units means a x6 bet, which is 60 euros.
So, here’s how to win at baccarat with the 1-3-2-6 system:
- Start with 1 Unit:
- The first bet is 1 unit. This is your base bet, and if you lose this bet, your loss is minimal—just 1 unit.
- If you win, you move on to the next stage.
- Increase to 3 Units:
- After winning the first bet, you increase your bet to 3 units.
- If you lose this bet, your total loss is only 2 units (the 3 units bet minus the 1 unit won in the first round).
- If you win, you’ve now secured a profit of 4 units (1 unit from the first bet and 3 units from this bet), and you proceed to the next stage.
- Decrease to 2 Units:
- In this stage, you reduce your bet to 2 units.
- If you lose this bet, you still have a net gain of 2 units (4 units from the first two stages minus 2 units lost here).
- If you win, your total profit is now 6 units (4 units from the first two stages plus 2 units from this stage), and you move on to the final stage.
- Increase to 6 Units:
- The final bet in the sequence is 6 units.
- If you win this bet, your total profit is 12 units (6 units from this bet plus the 6 units from the previous stages).
- If you lose, your total profit from the sequence is still 0, meaning you break even.
The Protective Aspect
This betting system protects your bankroll by ensuring that you only bet large amounts after securing initial wins, which means:
- Minimized Losses: If you lose at any stage, your overall loss is limited because you’ve only progressed to the next stage after a win, plus you’ve bet with money that you’ve won.
- Locking in Profits: By reducing the bet to 2 units after winning 4 units, you secure some profits, protecting you against losing everything from a single bad bet.
- Breaking Even: If you make it to the final stage and lose, you break even. You don’t profit, but you also don’t lose money from the sequence.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages:
- Profit Maximization: The system is designed to take advantage of winning streaks, maximizing profits during these periods.
- Limited Risk: Losses are minimized by only increasing bets after winning.
- Easy to Use: The system is straightforward and easy to remember.
Disadvantages:
- Reliance on Winning Streaks: The system only works well if you encounter a winning streak. Without it, you may not progress through the sequence.
- Fixed Profit Cap: The maximum profit per sequence is capped (12 units in a full cycle), which might be limiting for some players.
- No Impact on House Edge: Like all betting systems, the 1-3-2-6 system doesn’t change the underlying house edge of the game.
Martingale Betting System
This strategy is built on the premise that you can’t lose forever, and so if you always just double down on your bet every time you lose, you will recover everything you’ve lost when you eventually win, and hence, you will theoretically never lose IF there are no bet caps and you have infinite bankroll.
Using the Martingale system for baccarat, you would simply bet with a relatively low bet amount, since if you have to double your bet every time, you want to be able to sustain long losing streaks and make sure that you do not hit a point where you are unable to double your bet because of the bet cap.
As we’ve also warned before, betting caps and the lack of infinite bankroll means if you apply the Martingale system long enough, you will lose. Therefore, it may not be the best baccarat strategy.
Bet Sizing and Bankroll Control
When deciding how much to bet at baccarat, it is too important to apply bankroll control. We recommended 2 ways to do this: deciding on a percentage of your total bankroll and applying range control.
If you are using one of the systems you went through above, then you are already applying some form of range control. Hence, let’s look at bankroll management.
Play only a percentage of your bankroll
Can you win money at baccarat? Let’s start by not losing it! As we mentioned in previously, we recommend allocating 5-10% of your overall bankroll per session.
Which means if your full bankroll (the total amount you are willing to play for in the long term) is 5000 euros, we recommend keeping it to a maximum of 500 euros per session.
It’s important to decide this amount beforehand and STICKING TO IT. We cannot stress this enough. If casinos removed all of their odds-based advantage, they would still make money based on the fact that people naturally lose sight of their limits.
If you decide on 5% (250 euros), and you lose 250 euros, DO NOT think: ‘ahh but luckgurus recommended up to 10% (500 euros), so i could probably just play for another 250 euros. I would be doing the same tomorrow anyway’.
While that is technically true, the key ingredient here is your state of mind. You are ‘in the hole’, and very prone to emotional spikes and getting desperate. That means you will most likely play worse than usual and are more likely to lose the money.
Winning Limit
If you only set a losing limit, guess what? You’ll only lose.
After you figure out how to win money at baccarat, set a winning limit for when to walk away. We recommend the 2.5:1 rule. So, if my session limit is 500 euros, my winning limit is 500 x 2.5 = 1250 euros.
If you play by these limits and you only win 2 out of 5 days in a week (very possible if you follow all of our guides here), you’ll still come out on top pretty nicely (+1250 x 2 = +2500. -500 x 3 = -1500. You’ll come up +1000 in a week).
Time Limit
Like we mentioned in our other guide, all of this won’t work without a time limit. If you decide that you’re either going to win 2.5x your session limit or lose it all, you may be playing for way longer and probably not come out in the positive.
So set a time limit. And walk away regardless of how much you are up or down when it hits.
We recommend 3 hours max.
Conclusion
We’ve rated baccarat 4 out of 5 on Ease of play simply because the inner math may be quite difficult to understand, especially when it comes to drawing the 3rd card. However, in practice, how to win at baccarat is much more straightforward.
All the inner math does not need to be understood, and in application, one just needs to know that it all points you towards betting on the dealer to win.
The only question is how to bet. If you want to try to make money from baccarat, then apply one of the betting systems we have gone through.
Along with good discipline and bankroll control, you’ve found the best way to play baccarat/how to win money at baccarat.
Player’s Top Picks:
Huge Casino Library
Great Reputation
Vip & Loyalty program
Great UX For Both Mobile And PC.
Stellar product catalog
Grand bonuses and promotions
Author
Says Quah
Boasting over 10 years of experience in the creative industry, Says’ true passion has always been seeking the balance between the thrill and danger of gambling…
Read more about Says here!