Tips and Strategies for Baccarat

Baccarat is a game of pure luck. The game is played using a fixed set of rules for the player and the dealer, and these rules represent the best odds of winning for both the player and for the house. Calculations have been made that show the odds of the player winning are 44.62%, losing 45.85%, and 9.53% to tie. Thus it would seem to be to your advantage to bet on the house winning on every hand.

To even out the odds the house charges a commission (usually 5%) on winning player bets placed on the house. How should this change the way a player wagers?

Factoring in the commission it turns out that you are still slightly better off by betting that the house will win. This assumes the commission is the usual 5%, however, should the commission change then you have to change strategy. If the commission is less than 5% then it is always to your advantage to bet with the house, while if the commission is more than 5% it pays to bet on the player winning.

Removing the tie hands in the event there is no payoff, the odds of the player winning are 49.32% and for losing 50.68%. For various commissions we can calculate the following average payoffs then, assuming 100 wagers of $1 were made.

Baccarat sometimes allows for a bet to be made for a tie, and sometimes doesn't (mini baccarat typically played online usually does). Although the odds of 8 to 1 may sound appealing, it is considered one of the worst wagers in the casino, so don't bother making this bet part of your baccarat strategy.