Baccarat is one of the most popular table casino games, and online casinos have helped to bring the game to a new generation of players. Baccarat owes a lot of its popularity to the fact that it has a very low house edge, but the game is also popular thanks to being associated with high rollers and various famous figures like the fictional spy, James Bond.
If you’re new to Baccarat, you might want to check out our Baccarat: Rules of the Game guide. We also have a guide on strategies for winning at Baccarat more often. If you’d like to pick up some new ways to play and improve your wins, this guide is for you. Here at SlotsBang, we’ve spent many hours at the Baccarat table and enjoy the game for its simplicity and the high chance of winning.
At SlotsBang, we make it our mission to share our casino experience with new players and enjoy giving out tips, strategies, and advice. Our guides can help you to gain a deeper understanding of the game and hopefully improve your winning chances.
In this guide, we explain some tips and tricks that will help you to get the most out of your Baccarat session and come away with some big wins. Remember that none of these tips can guarantee you wins, but they will definitely help to improve your playing experience.
Know the Rules Before You Play
There are loads of different types of Baccarat out there, and each one has its own rules. Before getting into the game, make sure that you understand the rules completely. If you’re not sure, you can check out our guide on how to play. You can also play a free demo version of the game to get to know the rules before you play for real cash. All versions of Baccarat involve aiming to have a hand of nine or eight, but some have different betting limits, side bets, or other rules such as being allowed to bet on the Banker.
This tip seems a little obvious, but there are a lot of players out there who think that they know how to play every version of Baccarat simply because they’ve played a different version. You might be surprised just how different Chemin de Fer or Baccarat Banque is to Punto Banco. You should also double-check the payouts and commission charges as these can dramatically affect how much you can expect to win.
Avoid the Tie Bet and Side Bets
Baccarat has a very low house edge. When it comes to table games, it’s actually one of the lowest. However, this house edge only applies to two of its bets, the Player bet and the Banker bet. Tie bets and side bets have a much higher payout than these two, but they also have a much higher house edge.
In Baccarat, there are three potential outcomes at the end of the round, either the Player wins, the Banker wins, or the game is declared as a tie. There isn’t an equal chance of all three events occurring, ties at rare and that’s why the payout is higher. An 8:1 or 9:1 payout may look tempting, but the house edge is much higher. Generally, the house edge on the tie bet is at around 14.4%. That means for every $100 you bet, you could expect to lose $14. For a 9:1 payout, the house edge is a lot lower but still more than twice the house edge of Player and Banker bets.
Sides bets will also have a much higher house edge, and so anyone that wants to maximize their winnings should avoid both the tie bet and any side bets offered. You may win a big payout on these bets occasionally, but over time the casino always comes out on top.
Player or Banker Bet?
So now we’ve established that the Player and Banker bets are the only bets worth taking in Baccarat, which is better? You might think that because both bets payout 1:1, that the odds are the same. In fact, the Player bet wins 44.61% of the time, and the Banker wins 45.84% of the time. While they’re close, the Banker clearly has a slightly higher chance of winning.
The house edge of the Banker is also better, although only by a small margin. The House edge is generally 1.06% for the Banker bet while it’s normally 1.24% for the Player bet. Most casinos will charge a commission on any winnings you make from the Banker bet, but this is factored into the house edge. Normally this will be just a 5% commission. If you see a game charging a higher commission, it’s generally best to stay away.
As the Banker has a lower house edge, it makes sense to play this bet more often. The commission should factor into your decision though. The odds are also close enough that throughout a game, you’re likely to see both the Banker and Player win as often as each other. A good strategy to follow is to bet on the Banker each time until it loses. Once it loses, wait out a turn and then bet on whichever bet wins that turn (except for a tie).
Manage Your Bankroll Effectively
Anyone who wants to make the most out of gambling online should always practice effective bankroll management. Your bankroll is the amount of money you have available to gamble with. Players generally portion their bankroll into units, which will be a percentage of your total bankroll. For example, if you have $100 to play with, you might divide it up into $1 units.
Whenever you’re playing Baccarat, or any other online casino game, set the number of units you’re going to bet each time and stick to it. Most Baccarat players tend to use flat betting, that’s betting the same amount consistently. Some players will double the number of units after a loss or use other strategies to get the most out of their bankroll and make it last as long as possible.
Make the Most Out of Your Casino Bonus
Just about every online casino will offer at least one bonus to players. Most of the time, new players can claim a welcome bonus at any casino they sign up to for the first time. Most online casinos will also offer regular bonuses and promotions to regular players as a reward for loyalty or just to keep things interesting. If you want to maximize your winnings at any game, you’ll want to get the best use out of your casino bonus. When it comes to playing Baccarat, you’ll want to make sure that your casino bonus can be used with the game. Some sites place restrictions and wagering requirements on bonuses, and occasionally, table games won’t fully count towards the requirements.
If you want to discover the best casino bonuses and promotions, we regularly post up to date offers on our top casino bonus page. Here you can find the perfect bonus to suit you and check out all the terms and conditions before you sign up. We also post up to date promo codes, so be sure to check back regularly.
Set Limits and Stick to Them
As with managing your bankroll, setting limits is also extremely important whenever you’re gambling online. Setting a loss limit helps to reduce how much you can potentially lose and also prevents you from chasing losses and getting over-emotional when playing. Playing too emotionally often results in abandoning strategy and just leads to further losses. Your loss limit should be decided before you start playing and should be the amount you’re comfortable losing.
You should also have a win limit, the amount of profit you’ll need to make to stop playing for the session. Ideally, this should be a realistic number that is easily attainable in a short playing session. The reason why win limits are important is that it’s easy to get overconfident if you’re on a winning streak. This can also lead to losses just as getting upset over losses can as you’re more likely to abandon your strategy.
