Even though professional gambling isn’t for everyone, a lot has been written for the amateur Baccarat player, with the hope that he or she will be able to enjoy the thrill that comes with the game, together with the monetary benefit.
Winning at Baccarat requires discipline and an adventurous spirit because nothing is 100% predictable in the game.
For the benefit of beginners and amateurs, this article will feature a short introduction on how the game of Baccarat is played.
After this intro, this article will turn to 3 Tips that can help a player improve his odds of winning at Baccarat.
Baccarat; The Basics
For a beginner to properly grasp Baccarat, a comparison of Baccarat, a card game with Blackjack, another card game always proves beneficial.
Face cards count as 10, Aces count as 1 or 11 and the player strives to get close to 21, in a game of Blackjack.
In a game of Blackjack, a player hopes to get 21 in two cards while in Baccarat, a player tries to get a total of 9.
When a player manages to get a count of 9 in Baccarat, it’s termed a natural.
You can’t lose with a 9 even though it’s possible the other side ties.
A count of 8 is also called a natural, and it beats everything but a natural 9.
What’s the point of Natural hands, you ask? They protect you from the possibility of the other side drawing to improve its hand.
Good stuff.
You can also decide how many cards to draw in a game of Blackjack but that privilege is not available in a game of Baccarat.
In Baccarat, the rules determine the draw and when there’s a draw, a side can only pick a card.
On the one hand, a game of Blackjack is simply about a player betting on his hand to win while on the other hand, a Baccarat player can bet anyway that suits his fancy. A player can bet that either side will win or even bet that it will be a tie at Baccarat.
And should the player feel like not betting, he’s allowed to spectate until he’s ready to join the game.
Blackjack and Baccarat aren’t without their similarities though. Both games are played out of a shoe of cards and both games are played at tables.
In Baccarat, there’s a marked area for Player, Bank and for Tie in the betting area.
When you want to bet, you place your chips in the area of the side you expect to win the next hand.
Note that as opposed to what applies in a game of Blackjack, the House or Casino doesn’t take a side in Baccarat; it only takes a commission when the Bank wins a hand.
Now that the beginner has a rough idea of what a game of Baccarat entails, let’s examine the style associated with the game.
How to win at Baccarat
To win at Baccarat, you need a healthy grasp of both the technical skills and the style native to the game.
Read this section with a picture of James Bond in mind (Baccarat used to be 007’s game of choice)
The discussion on style is especially relevant to those who intend to play Baccarat at a physical location. In such an instance, style is as important as the technical know-how.
You have to be aware of the expectations native to the game.
You need to look and carry yourself like a good Baccarat player.
Good Baccarat Players have these things in common:
- Good manners and appropriate dressing.
- An eye for a good shoe before joining a game.
- Vigilance
You may be wondering how a Baccarat player finds a good shoe but you need to know what a good shoe is before that.
When you join a Baccarat game, a good shoe is a Baccarat game that’s just starting or about to end.
Rushing into a Baccarat game without observing the progress of the game and the scorecard of some of the players is an indicative of poor style.
The benefit of embracing the right style in a game of Baccarat can’t be overstated.
The 3 tips
Let’s now consider 3 Tips that will help you improve your odds of winning at Baccarat.
1. Develop a taste for bucking the ’Trend’ in a game of Baccarat.
’Don’t Buck the Trend’ is conventional wisdom in the financial sector but the converse can be said to be true at Baccarat.
If you consider what applies on the Stock Market, the appeal of that saying will make sense to you. The Stock Market is heavily influenced by a popular reliance on charts and all sort of sophisticated graphs for data analytics. In such an environment, bucking the trend might be largely counter-productive.
Here’s why experts advise that you Buck the Trend at Baccarat; anything can happen in a game of Baccarat.
Experts believe that you shouldn’t bet that the same thing won’t repeat itself again and again, just because you’ve seen that play out a lot before.
As such using the term ’trend’ in Baccarat is a misnomer. What happens at Baccarat is just a sequence occuring in its mathematically destined form.
2. Be Conservative with your Bets.
’Don’t bet an amount you can’t afford to lose’ is probably the most violated simple truth in all the history of gambling.
Practice being conservative with your Bets because to win at Baccarat, you must convince yourself that if you play long enough, you’ll lose. It’s that straightforward.
Come to terms with the fact that there’ll be moments when the odds of winning will favour you. When you eventually win, please, stop playing.
Everyone is a winner at some point in a game of Baccarat; recognize that and act cautiously because it’s certain you’ll lose if you play long enough.
3. Play with a Professional Attitude.
Some people are professional gamblers; that’s how they earn a living.
Here’s what people tagged as professional gamblers have in common, they win more than they lose.
This distinction isn’t accidental.
A great strategy for improving your chances of winning at Baccarat is letting go of the amateurish way of gambling.
Amateurs are the reason why casino and professional gamblers turn a profit. Being an amateur boils down to the attitude.
An amateur believes in the existence of some magical systems, doesn’t take losing well, to mention a few attitudinal issues.
To win at Baccarat, you have to take the game serious, do your homework and prepare yourself for the game financially and psychologically.
Your reactions during a game have to be measured and disciplined.
Final Words
Ultimately, understand that there is no magical formula for winning at Baccarat.
Even if there’s a magical formula, don’t count on anyone sharing it with you.
The Tips shared in this article are informed by hours of practice and study and the key takeaway should be ’always remember to quit while you’re ahead’.
