Baccarat Tips
You don’t have to wear a dinner suit (or tuxedo as our American friends would say) or a little black dress (LBD) to play baccarat, but you might as well! If I’m at home, I tend to just slip on the jacket and play in my underpants. No one can see under the table anyway, and it just gives me that extra edge.
The point is, you can play live baccarat online in your pyjamas if you want to, and for very reasonable sums too. If you find the baccarat tables in Vegas or Macau a little bit intimidating, then online or on your mobile can be a great place to learn the game with some low risk bets. And if you’re a high roller, well, we’ve plenty of baccarat action for you on live tables as well as virtual games.
Your first job (and this was especially relevant to me a New South Wales boy) is to be able to pronounce the darned game correctly. I always thought the game has something to do with rodent races, as I used to call it “Back-a-Rat”. That got a few sniggers in Paris, I can tell you.
Well, I am now an enlightened wombat. The game is pronounced “bah-cah-rah,” s’il vous plaît. I love a table game – I have just finished playing our Vegas Strip Blackjack Switch Studios game, so Baccarat is right up my street.
Here are my Top Baccarat tips.
Hold onto your hats Wombat fans, as here are my Top Tips for Baccarat other than the fact that we´d recommend you give Baccarat from Switch Studios a go. It´s very slick!
There are 8 other tips by the way, which coincidentally is a pretty lucky number in Macau, and that has to be the home of baccarat these days.
1. Avoid the “Tie” Bet
Baccarat has a lovely low house edges on two of its three bets: Banker and Player. That’s what makes this game so popular with the high rollers out there. The Banker edge is 1.06 %. The Player bet has a house edge of 1.24 %. Pretty good in other words! The Tie bet, on the other hand, has a house edge of around 14.4%. No need for any further explanation here, I think.
2. Start off at the Bank
That leads us onto the Banker Bet. All things considered, you may as well kick off on that one. it should win slightly more than 50% of the time. The house then takes a 5% commission off it to make sure that the player doesn’t break the bank on every game.
3. Bank your Wins Until you Lose
What you are looking for when you play baccarat is to maximise your winning streaks and minimise your losing streaks. So if that Banker pays out first time round, keep knocking on the door in the hope of catching a ride.
4. Don’t Rush to Change Your Bets
Play like a measured animal (think of me my Wombat friends). If Player starts to win, leave it a bet or two before you switch. This is just a pattern to try, you understand! Each hand that is dealt is a mutually exclusive event, so don’t blame me if your luck has run out.
5. Slow the Pace Down
In traditional baccarat, the players actually deal the cards, and there are more players sitting around the table, so this slows things down. But online, it’s just you and the dealer, so this game can be fast. But only if you play fast. Slow it down. Pretend its siesta time!
Even with such a low house edge, you can eat through your bankroll if you are not getting the rub of the green. So take a break, slow it down, have a coffee and so on.
You could just bet Banker until it loses. Then wait until Player loses and head back in. That cuts down on decisions you have to make. I must point out that the odds will remain the same, whatever system you are using, but sometimes it’s good to have a plan so that you play more methodically.
6. Ignore the Tie Bets
We’ve already recommended that you avoid the tie bets. Another tip, if you happen to be playing to a system, is to ignore the rounds that are tied. If the play goes Banker, Banker, Tie, Banker you treat this as 3 Bankers in a row. Keep knocking on the Banker door if you are playing to that strategy.
7. Manage Your Money Well My Friends
You should think of baccarat as essentially a flip of a coin. It’s small margins, but you can still expereince some pretty long streaks. Budget for between 15 and 20 flips of the coin at whatever bet level you feel comfortable with, and try not to exceed it, or at least take a break if you hit it
8. Set a Profit Target
Your ultimate aim should be to leave the table a winner, right? You’d be surprised to know how many people don’t even set a profit target. Set one before you play and then walk away or take a break if you hit it. Clear your head and then decide whether to continue. With a bit of luck, you’ll leave the table ahead AND have fun playing.
Good luck on the tables!