Baccarat is usually played with up to eight decks of cards. All cards are given point values. Aces are worth 1. Cards numbered 2 to 9 are worth their face value. Cards numbered 10 are worth 0 and face cards i.e. Jacks, Queens, and Kings are also worth 0. In Baccarat, cards are dealt to two hands, named Player and Banker. The object of the game is to correctly pick which hand will have the higher score, with the highest score in Baccarat being 9 and the lowest being 0. You can also place a bet on Tie, which pays 9 to 1. Always remember that you can never 'Bust' in Baccarat.

Once you decide who you will bet on, you place your bets and the cards are dealt. The score of the hand is the last digit of the total of the cards. So, if the two cards that were dealt are 7 and 6, the actual total would be 13 and your score would be 3. You can never go over 9. Whenever the total of the cards goes into 2 digits, like 11, 12, 13 and so on, the first digit is dropped and the score becomes the remaining last digit. Our Baccarat Strategy chart will show you when the Dealer Hits and Stands.



Do not use pattern spotting. This is not an effective strategy. Casinos encourage you to keep track of your previous hands because they hope that you will change your betting during a session. In Baccarat, no hand has an influence on a proceeding hand so this so-called strategy of marking your score card to track patterns is useless.

Play single deck Baccarat as this offers the best mathematical return (about 1% house edge) for the banker bet. This is the best return possible for any bets in any form of Baccarat.

Do not bet on the Tie bet. This bet is very enticing because the payout is considerably more than the player and banker bets; however it's a waste of money to bet on it. The house edge on Tie bets can be as high as 14%, depending on how many decks of cards is used. This is definitely not a good bet.

The Banker bet has the lowest house edge and is statistically the better of the 3 bets. To minimize the house edge, it is advisable to bet on the banker.

Practice before playing. That is perhaps one of the best strategies you can use. Casinos that offer a Play for Free mode are an excellent choice because this allows you to hone your skills and understand the strategy of the game before you play with your real money.

The infamous 1-3-2-6 Baccarat Strategy is a great way to keep your money in check. You must keep track of your bets over the cours of 4 rounds. Begin by betting 1 unit. If you win that round, add another unit to your winnings in the next round and bet that amount, which would be a total of 3 units. If you win that round, then you will have a total of 6 units. You must remove 4 units in the 3rd round and only bet 2 units. This is to be used only if you win, of course. If Lady Luck is on your side and you win the 4th hand, you should add 2 more units to your winnings for a total bet of 6 units. If you win the 4th bet, you will see a profit of at least 12 units, which is where the "1-3-2-6" comes into play. You will not always win each bet just because you are using this strategy. If you lose your first Baccarat bet, you will have only lost 1 unit. If you win the first but lose the second bet, you will lose 2 units. If you win the second and lose the third, will be up two units. If you win the first three but lose the last, you will have broken even.

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