Baccarat Practices and Strategy
Baccarat Principles
Punto banco is wagered on with 8 decks in a dealer’s shoe. Cards below 10 are worth face value while Ten, Jack, Queen, King are zero, and Ace is one. Bets are placed on the ‘banker’, the ‘player’, or on a tie (these are not actual people; they just represent the two hands to be dealt).
Two hands of 2 cards are then dealt to the ‘house’ and ‘gambler’. The value for each hand is the sum of the 2 cards, although the beginning digit is ignored. For example, a hand of 5 and six has a value of 1 (five plus 6 = 11; ditch the initial ‘one’).
A additional card can be given using the following rules:
- If the gambler or banker gets a score of 8 or 9, both players stand.
- If the player has less than five, he hits. Players otherwise hold.
- If the gambler stands, the house hits on a total lower than five. If the gambler hits, a table is used to determine if the bank holds or hits.
Punto Banco Odds
The higher of the two hands wins. Winning bets on the bank payout 19:20 (even money minus a 5% rake. The Rake is tracked and cleared out when you depart the game so make sure you have money left over before you leave). Winning bets on the player pays 1 to 1. Winning wagers for tie frequently pays 8 to 1 but occasionally 9 to 1. (This is a poor wager as a tie occurs less than one in every 10 rounds. Be wary of putting money on a tie. However odds are astonishingly better for 9:1 versus 8:1)
Played properly baccarat chemin de fer provides generally decent odds, apart from the tie wager of course.
Baccarat Scheme
As with all games punto banco has some familiar myths. One of which is close to a false impression in roulette. The past isn’t a prophecy of future actions. Keeping track of past results on a chart is a poor use of paper and an affront to the tree that surrendered its life for our stationary desires.
The most common and almost certainly the most accomplished scheme is the 1-3-2-6 plan. This tactic is deployed to pump up profits and limit risk.
Begin by placing one chip. If you succeed, add another to the two on the game table for a total of 3 chips on the second bet. If you succeed you will hold 6 on the game table, take away 4 so you are left with two on the third wager. Should you succeed on the 3rd bet, deposit 2 to the four on the game table for a total of 6 on the 4th bet.
Should you lose on the first round, you take a loss of one. A profit on the first wager followed by a hit on the second causes a loss of two. Wins on the 1st 2 with a defeat on the 3rd provides you with a profit of two. And wins on the initial 3 with a defeat on the fourth means you balance the books. Winning at all four wagers leaves you with 12, a gain of ten. This means you can squander the second round 5 times for every successful run of 4 wagers and still balance the books.