Baccarat Strategies For Beginners
If you like the sound of a low house edge, rapid-fire rounds, big potential wins, and a ridiculously easy strategy, then you’re about to fall in love with Baccarat.
It may appear as though there’s a lot of complex manoeuvring going on at the table, but the way to play Baccarat is actually very straightforward. You make only one choice, with three options: to bet on the Banker, the Player, or a Tie.
There’s a classic elegance to Baccarat that may have carried from its original Italian 15th century roots, where it was known as “Baccara”, before France caught wind of the game and added its own layer of savoir faire along the way to the modern-day version: “Baccarat”.
When the cards are dealt, whichever party – the Banker or the Player – has a total of cards that are closest to a sum of nine is declared the winner for that game. If you had placed your bet on that party, you would also win. If a tie occurred and you had bet on a tie, you would win for that bet.
But don’t let the simplicity fool you! The winning potential in Baccarat is just as good as any other casino table game. Let’s take just two real-life examples: by choosing the right bet, one player found themselves $12.9 million richer at the World Series of Baccarat in 2015, and another won a staggering $55 million at Melbourne’s Crown Casino in the late 1990s. Hot damn.
While wins like those are the exception, as much as we’d like them to be the rule, Bodog Casino can help you along the way with the same exact Baccarat tips the big winners used, in addition to more of our own tried-and-tested Baccarat strategies. The great news is that these strategies are as uncomplicated and straightforward as the game itself!
And that’s not the exception: it’s the rule.
Welcome to the Baccarat table.
Bodog’s Baccarat Tips
By following these fundamental Baccarat tips and strategies, you’ll be one giant step ahead of the game when it comes to maximising your Baccarat sessions’ profit-making potential.
Bet on the Banker
The very first tip for Baccarat – and the number one cardinal rule for any new player or high roller alike – is to bet on the banker.
We could stop explaining Baccarat strategy right now with just that one rule, and already you’d be moved to the front of the pack – but since there is more advantage to be had, it’s worth bundling it all up into one neat, useful package.
The reason that this advice is so strong is that, in line with the principles of the house edge, betting on the banker statistically has the highest chance of winning. Of the three bets available (banker, player, tie), you have a 45.8% chance of the banker winning if you include the tie as an option, and 51% without the tie factored in. Overall, the RTP of a banker bet is 98.94%. That’s an excellent RTP for any casino game, including slots.
The numbers really do speak for themselves; and even if the strategy doesn’t permit you to live dangerously, the thrill of playing for profit alone gives the less-exciting reduction in risk a good run for its money. Just bet on the banker! It’s a bet you can bank on.
Avoid the Tie
Another cardinal rule of Baccarat, particularly for beginners, is more of a cardinal sin if you don’t follow it. The rule is to never bet on a tie.
Sure, the payouts are nice with 9:1. But the chances of a tie occurring are just 9.52%, and the house edge is a staggering 14.36%. When the banker bet wins over half the time and the player bet wins nearly half, it stands to reason that the least likely bet isn’t worth the risk at all.
Say no to the tie, and focus your efforts on the banker.
Clearly Designate Your Bankroll
When it comes to casino gaming online, this basic bankroll advice can be applied to any game. You should always set a predetermined portion set aside for each individual game, and in this case it’s Baccarat.
If you allow for $1,000 to play on casino games within a certain time frame, and you’re starting out here as a Baccarat beginner, for example, you might consider setting aside $200 while you get to know the game. In that case, a starting balance of $1,000 means that your cue to dip out of the game is a bankroll balance that has dipped to $800. But that doesn’t mean you bet just $200 and that’s it! If your balance keeps rising, and that’s the whole idea, then you can continue playing, until you reach your win threshold. Which brings us to our next Baccarat tip!
Set Limits, and Stick to Them
Setting limits isn’t only about stopping when you lose a certain amount. You should also set a limit for how much you win before you tuck it all in your back pocket and call it a good day’s work.
Win Limit
Limits run both ways when it comes to casino game strategies. Think of it this way: you know that every winning streak is a bleep on the statistical radar, and must come to an end eventually… and that there is still a house edge on every bet. So, even if you’re five rounds into winning on the banker and it would be easy to convince yourself that another win is coming, remember that the very next round has the same old 49% chance that the banker will lose. Go with your sense of luck instead of just your sense and you could be down to your loss limit before you know.
Instead of flying by the seat of your gaming pants, set a limit for the amount you’d like to win in your session, and make that decision up front. Let’s give ourselves the same $200 bankroll budget and decide in advance that doubling it would be an excellent outcome that you’d happily walk away with. That way, if you find yourself $200 up in your Baccarat session from a $200 bankroll, then you’ll take your $400 and step away.
Loss Limit
The same goes for losses, but in reverse.
Before you enter the game and place your first bet, and while you’re not swept up in the moment, set a limit for the amount you’re willing to lose. As soon as you reach that line, stick with your pre-session wisdom and tell yourself that there’s always a next time.
Time Limit
If you’re floating between the two win/loss limits and you begin to play in frustration or boredom, you’d be thanking yourself for setting another limit – this one being for the amount of time you allow for play. With this parameter in place, there’s no regard for win/loss trends, or any other factor outside of the clock’s ticking hands. As soon as the timer hits, you call it quits.
Never go “All In”
While it’s true the banker will win roughly half the time, that still leaves the other rough half where the banker will not win. For this reason, you should never, ever go all-in with a banker bet, or any other bet. There is a very slightly better-than-even chance you could win… but there is almost as much of a chance that your all-in bet will become an all-out loss.
Instead, try an incremental betting strategy, whereby definition you increase your bet slightly after each win. If you want to master this concept, the Martingale system or the D’Alembert system both incorporate this strategy, which is designed to increase your bet size while cushioning you from major losses.
Baccarat at Bodog Casino is a wonderfully simple game that’s easy to learn and offers great winning potential if you do it right. Luckily, playing the game exactly like its biggest winners do isn’t something you need to practise or study for. Focus on the banker, avoid the tie, and manage your bankroll. You’ll be a Baccarat boss in no time.