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Get the Most out of Baccarat

Even though baccarat is a game of pure chance, there are several tips and tricks that baccarat enthusiasts use to further decrease the house odds or to increase their chances of success.


Be Merciless - Beat Down the House Edge

There are not a lot of worthwhile tips for playing baccarat, but the five tips below can significantly reduce the house edge:


  1. Don’t bet on a tie. The house advantage is 14%-15% when you bet on a tie.
  2. Bet on the banker. This provides the absolute lowest house edge.
  3. Choose a table that uses six decks instead of eight decks. You reduce the house edge slightly, but every little bit counts. Compare the difference between a six-deck shoe and an eight-deck shoe:

# of decks

Banker wins

Player wins

Tie

1 deck

6 decks

0.458653

0.446279

0.095069

8 decks

0.458597

0.446247

0.095156

Find a casino that charges 4% commission on winning banker bets. Compare the difference between a 4% and a 5% commission:


# of decks

Banker bet 5%

Banker bet 4%

Player bet

Bet tie 9:1

Bet tie 8:1

1 deck

1.01%

1.29%

15.57%

6 decks

1.0558%

0.5972%

1.2374%

4.9313%

14.4382%

8 decks

1.0579%

0.5993%

1.2351%

4.8440%

14.3596%

Combine as many of the above strategies as you possibly can. If you can find a 6-deck table with a 4% commission on winning banker bets, glue yourself to your seat at the table.


Bet the Bank in Baccarat

There is one other way to slightly increase your odds of winning, and that is to bet the banker. Consider that the house pays even money on both the player and banker winning hands. If, however, you win on the banker hand, you pay a commission to the house. Even after paying the commission to the house on the banker hand, you still come out slightly ahead over the long haul by betting on the banker, especially if you are paying 4% commission instead of 5% commission. The advantage you gain with a 5% commission is miniscule, approximately 0.18%, but no gain in percentage is too small to consider.