Baccarat is one of the most exciting and dynamic card games, played in casinos around the world, and Baccarat is also James Bond’s favorite game. The game was created in France, so there is a French version (chemin de fer), but there is also an American version (punto banco). Punto banco is a much more common version.
Baccarat rules
To play this game, a classic deck of 52 cards is used. If you decide to play baccarat, you have three options to bet on. First option – banker, second option – player, third option – tie. What is the goal of the game? When all the stakes are collected, the banker deals the cards. Two for yourself and two for the player (or the player’s representative, if there are more players at the table). You need to have a card total of 8 or 9. Aces have a value of 1, all other cards greater than 9 have a value of 0, and cards 1 through 9 have their actual value. When the player and the bank are dealt two cards each, the sum of their cards is looked at. If the player (or bank) has 8 or 9 (9 is stronger than 8) in total, then they win immediately. If the sum of the cards is 10 or more, the total value is reduced by 10 (for example: 7+8=15; 15-10=5). If neither the bank nor the player has 8 or 9 in total, then the third card is drawn. If the sum of the first two cards is from 0 to 5, then you have to take the third card, and if the sum is 6 or 7, then you do not get the third card, but only the one who has the sum of cards from 0 to 5. After drawing the third card, the one whoever has a sum closer to 9 is the winner. If the sum of the cards of the player and the bank are equal after drawing the third card, then it is a tie and the player who bet on a tie wins. The lowest winnings are if you bet on the player, slightly higher if you bet on the bank, and the highest if you bet on a draw.
Strategies
As with any game, many strategies have been developed over time that can help you make money. Since it is one of the most popular strategies, we will first do an overview of baccarat attack strategy, and then some more. Baccarat attack strategy has four types of bets that you can bet on.
Starter bet – represents the basic, initial bet, which is invested to start the game. The starting bet is generally defined in advance.
Trigger bet – this bet is placed shortly after the initial bet and is double the initial bet.
Attacking bet – when you get to this stage, you will gradually either decrease or increase your bet. Players generally start with half of their trigger bet and gradually raise their stakes until they are on a winning streak.
Retrenchment bet – in this betting phase, every time you lose you will increase your bet by the amount of your initial bet. When you use this strategy, you change the hand you bet on every time, banker – player – banker – player – banker… This strategy was invented by Greg Fletcher, and he explains it in detail in his 163 page book.
Martingale strategy – in addition to many other games, has also found its application in baccarat. The player doubles his bet every time he loses, until he wins. That way, the first time you win, you will return what you lost, but you will also be in the plus. This strategy is one of the best, but it requires a big budget, because money melts quickly when you don’t win several times in a row.
Paroli strategy is similar to the Martingale strategy, but the main difference is that you will not double your bet when you lose, but you will double your bet when you win. If you enter a positive streak, you will have a huge profit, but if the positive streak ends before you finish the game, you lose everything you have gained until then. When using this strategy, it is very important to know when to end the positive streak in the plus and return to the initial bet.
Fibonacci for Baccarat is a very popular system, so some players successfully use it. Each time you beat a certain starting bet, multiply by the next number from the Fibonacci sequence (0, 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144…)
For example: if the minimum stake is 3 euros, let it be your base. The first round you invest 3 euros (3×1), and if you lose, you invest 3 euros again (3×1) the next time. After that, the next time you invest 6 euros (3×2), and the next 9 euros (3×3). When you win money for the first time, you take two steps back and continue. This strategy also requires a large budget, but the first time you win, you will be in a big plus.
As with most casino games, the main factor is luck. Since no casino game should be your main source of income, this should be a pastime that can bring you additional profits. If you decide to apply one of these strategies, you must be aware that you can enter a negative streak, but the most important thing is not to give up then, because you will be in a big loss. By using one of these strategies, even if you go on a losing streak, the first time you win, the least you can gain is to recoup everything you’ve lost up to that point. And if you enter a winning streak, the most important thing is to either completely end the game with full pockets at the right moment or to return your bet to the initial amount and try to enter a positive streak again that will fill your pockets again. Before investing real money, it would be best to play one of the simulations that you can find on the Internet. It is completely free to play, and the experience you gain can be very useful when you decide to invest your real money.
