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While there is no decision making for the players during a game of Baccarat, there can be some strategy involved while making the decision on where exactly to place your bets. Looking at all of the factors involved in the game, you can determine the house edge on each hand and then place your bets where it make the most sense. For example, when you factor in ties and the 5% commission on the winning Banker bets, you will find that the house edge on the Player wagers is 1.24%, on the Banker wagers is 1.06%, and on the Tie wager is 14.36%. Looking at each of these, it is apparent that the Banker bet is slightly better than the Player bet, and that both are by far better than the Tie bet. With an almost 14.5 percent house edge on the Tie wager, you can be sure that this is a sucker bet and should be avoided. Even if the table pays nine to one on the Tie bet, the house edge is still a rather high 4.84%. Although better than the awful 14 percent, the Tie bet is still a poor choice when compared to the low house edge of the Player and Banker bets.
While the Banker wager is better than the Player wager, the difference is very slight and should not be the deciding factor in which spot to play. Sometimes it is fun to just go with your gut feelings, and with the low house edges that you find in the Player and Banker wagers, you can do just that. The only exception to this is when the commission is only 4 percent. This lower commission reduces the house advantage to 0.6%, making the smart play to be on the Banker bet every time.
In the game of Baccarat there are no decisions during the game on whether to "hit" or "stand", nor are there any opportunities to increase your bet once the play begins. Therefore, once the bets are placed and the cards are dealt, there is virtually nothing that you can do (or not do) to affect the outcome of the game. Even if you counted the cards and knew what the remaining cards were, this knowlege doesn't affect the odds of either the Players hand or the Bankers hand. Counting cards would be of no use to you and is just not worth the trouble.
A lot of Baccarat players like to look for predictable patterns in the game to help determine where to place their wagers. Most will keep a "scorecard" which is used to keep track of the winning progressions in the game. You will even find that a lot of brick and mortar casinos will supply the paper and pencils for their players at the table. While there is no statistical basis for finding predicatable patterns, looking for them can't hurt. So, if it makes the game more fun for you, then go for it!
 The game of Baccarat, as a rule, is a fairly good bet with the low house advantage and easy pace. Always bet either the Banker hand or the Player hand, and avoid the Tie bet at all costs. At tables that have a 4 percent commission, always bet the Banker hand. Counting cards or looking for patterns won't affect the odds of the game, but neither will it hurt to do so. The object of the game is to have fun, so if you find that keeping track of the winning hands will add to your fun factor, then by all means do so! |
