Baccarat has become one of the fastest-growing games in the casino in terms of popularity. It’s long been popular in Asian casinos but now the trend has caught on this side of the pond as well.
If you’re new to baccarat – a game where you bet on either the Banker or the Player – we have 10 simple tips to get you off on the right foot. Let’s dive into them:
1) Stick With One Strategy
If you go into a game with a specific strategy that you want to follow, it’s best not to flip around and change completely after one bad loss. As Mike Tyson says, “everyone’s got a plan until they get punched in the mouth”.
In this game, you’re going to endure some losses but the key is to have a smart plan and stick to it throughout. Don’t alter everything just because things didn’t work out after a round or two.
2) Pay Attention to the Odds
This may not seem like a novel tip but it is incredibly important to keep an eye on the odds before playing at an online casino. Sometimes, a baccarat online casino can charge as much as 25 percent commission for Banker bets instead of the usual five percent. Others will charge less. You have to keep an eye on the odds and payouts because the math will impact every move and decision you make in the game.
3) Read All Terms and Conditions
Many people don’t like taking their time to read all of the fine print before making their deposit into an online casino. However, if you plan on playing online baccarat, you should certainly take the time to do so. Sometimes casinos don’t offer casino bonuses when playing this game. Sometimes there are different rollover requirements if you play this game versus slots. And sometimes, casinos have weird rules when it comes to this game. If you’re going to play it, make sure you dive into the T&C’s, so that you aren’t surprised later.
4) Bet On The Player
In most cases, you are always going to be recommended to bet on the Banker during a game of online baccarat. Even though the banker has better-listed odds than the Player, it may not be nearly as worth it. Banker bets always have the commission, which means that you will always get less value out of each win when betting on them.
Some online casinos have shown that the Banker wins on average 51 percent of the time while the Player wins the other 49 percent. If the two are that close, then the math – due to the commission – can often make sense to betting on the Player.
5) Don’t Play Long Sessions
It doesn’t matter how hot of a streak you are on; it is never wise to play extended sessions of online baccarat. Eventually, the house edge will find a way to catch up to you and there is no strategy to avoid that when it comes. If you choose to play a specific number of online casino games or a specific budget before starting, and you end up reaching that number, try to walk away.
Plus, if you are on a hot streak, then playing a short session will help you leave with more value at the end of the day. Lock in the profits when you can because – as we know – the house almost always wins. If you can get ahead, take advantage of that.
6) Manage Your Bankroll
This is one of those tips that applies to baccarat but is universal in a casino: manage your money. If you’re going to be willy-nilly with it and bet $25 on one hand and then $300 on another and then $785 on the next, you’re not setting yourself up for success. Craft a system where your bets have a rhyme or reason to them. If you start off with $1000, bet $50 per hand – or something along those lines – so that there’s a formula behind it. If you’re betting with emotions, you’re bound to lose.
7) Determine A Strategy
We briefly talked about sticking to your strategy with your money but it’s also important to form a plan for the game itself. Before you launch into it and make a deposit to play, you want to be sure you know what moves you’ll make. Know the odds, know what cards you need to see on the table and know what strategy to employ when it all comes to fruition. The more prepared you are, the better chance you have for success.
8) Don’t Bet On The Tie
The Tie bet always sounds enticing to new players since it has a massive payout of 8:1. While that sounds juicy, there is quite the catch on these bets, though. The house edge has a carry percentage of approximately 9.5 percent, which is incredibly high. It also isn’t as favorable as an option than the Banker or Player bets. Try to stay away from this bet as much as you can while playing because it’s a losing one in the long run.
9) Remember The Rules
It’s never a good idea to walk into a game at an online casino blindly. Not knowing the rules will only end up with you not understanding how to play and eventually lose money.
With Baccarat, many people know that this is a popular game but generally speaking, aren’t as well-versed with it as much as Texas Hold’em Poker or Blackjack. For you to succeed, you have to know the ins and out of the game, what the goal is, and how to play. Absent that, you’re just throwing darts at a board and that tends to lead to losing in a casino.
10) Try To Stay Away from Mini-Baccarat
Mini-Baccarat has its perks just like the traditional version of the game, but the speed at which it is played usually doesn’t help players too much – especially new ones. Traditional tables normally come to around 40 decisions per hour, but the mini-baccarat tables wind up having 150 to 200 decisions in the same time frame. Sure, many of us have short attention spans these days and faster may feel more efficient. However, leave that for other areas of your life as speed can kill here. The house edge can catch up to you wildly fast when playing at such a high speed.
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