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BACCARAT STRATEGY
Often sought though rarely found, a good baccarat strategy is usually considered a myth among gamblers. I happen to disagree. What I DO agree with is the fact that any strategy that promotes itself as a system is most likely full of false, misleading, and useless information. There are, however, many basic baccarat strategy moves one can make to up their chances of winning.
A predominant aspect of the baccarat games played at the local casino is the scorecard. It looks like everyone at the table is keeping track of the outcome on each hand, and that's exactly what they're doing. These people are trying to spot patterns and then change their own betting patterns in order to take advantage of a streak. The casinos encourage this behavior simply because they know it has no bearing on the outcome of the game. Chasing patterns in baccarat is as pointless as it is in roulette. One hand has no bearing on the next, and is never influenced by the preceding hands. This is a simple trap that gamblers all around the world fall into at one time or another. If you were betting on the flip of a coin, and it landed heads up 9 times in a row, part of your brain will inevitably yell out to you that a tails is imminent, and it's likely that the 10th flip will land tails up. This reasoning is spurious; the chance of the coin landing tails up on the 10th flip is exactly 50%, just as it was the first nine times. Any baccarat strategy that makes you change your bets based on previous hands is useless and should be completely disregarded.
So, although you will see almost everyone around you at the baccarat table marking down numbers on casino provided cards, you should consider it personal entertainment and think nothing more of it. Don't be fooled into participating, it's just another way for the casino to distract you from the important parts of the game-play. Seriously, would Las Vegas casinos provide baccarat players with a pencil and a chart if they were really worth anything?
Also:
Baccarat Strategy
Using right strategy for some casino games can be very advantageous to the player. The best example is a game of blackjack, of course. When you know the basic strategy and understand what is card counting, you can even override the negative expectation and have an edge over the casino about 1%!
Card counting is not for Video Poker, but still you can be in very good position when you possess the proper Video Poker strategy.
Unfortunately, there is no strategy that works for Baccarat as the player has not many options - rules are automatic and after you have made a bet you can only hope on your luck. Any baccarat system that is based on the previous hands (and the bets you have made, if any, on those hands) is useless and should be completely disregarded.
But as for any other casino game there is always room for improvement and if you want to establish an effective baccarat strategy there is a few things to consider
Don't bet on "Tie"
Playing Baccarat you have only a choice of three bets, but it does not mean you don't have any options at all.
Betting on the Player Hand - the house edge is 1.29%.
Betting on the Bank Hand - the house edge is 1.01%.
Betting on a Tie Hand - the house edge is 15.75%.
The house edge numbers mean that Banker hand wins more often in the long run. Even after paying a 5% commission it is still a slightly better proposition than betting on "Player hand". So, there is only one good bet to make - Bank Hand.
As for betting on Tie hand the casino will pay nine for one odds. Unfortunately, the casino advantage on this bet is over 15%. So, don't bet on "Tie".
Well, it may be a very boring when you have only one good bet to make, but still the game of baccarat has one of the best odds in casino if you know this.
Number of Decks and Commission
As shown on the Baccarat Odds, you can improve your chances by choosing the right game to play: you should look for the casino that offers the lower number of decks played and lower commission.
The best choice is the 6 deck card game with 4 percent commission on the winning "Banker" hand. As for the single deck, you can find it only at some online casinos which use Microgaming software.
Money management
Knowing only the best bet for Baccarat game will not make a good strategy. The next decision is how much to bet.
It is not a secret that many players risks more than they can afford to loose when they put on the table their money - a really good way to go completely broke. But following some simple rules can help you to increase your chances to win:.
Even before you sit down at the baccarat table decide how much you are going to loose.
Divide up your money and control how much you bet at each round.
One of the best ways to manage your money during the play is to pocket a certain percentage of your winnings each time you win or to pocket it all.
For example you have $500 to wager. Start the game betting the table limit (let's say $25). Put the winnings aside, and at the end of the 25ths round you'll only have played $500 even, which is exactly what you intended to spend and any winnings are yours to keep.
This simple strategy gives you chance to enjoy the thrill of gambling for a longer period of time without going broke.
And one more advice: Never underestimate luck, it is the biggest factor when you play any game of chance - if you leave the table having more dollars in your pocket than you started (even if it is only $25) you win!
The sad thing about any gambling strategy is the discipline. Remember, if you do not follow your chosen strategy, you do not have strategy at all!
So, bet on the Banker hand, stick to the money management and let the luck be on you side!
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